Can't redirect desktop folder

[David Trimboli]

I want to redirect all my (visible) profile folders to a server. I have
done this for all them except Desktop. I do this by right-clicking the
folder's icon, clicking Properties, clicking on the Location tab,
entering a location of \\server\share\username\Folder, and clicking OK.
It asks if I want to move everything in the current folder to the new
folder, and I click Yes. Easy, and it works perfectly.

When I do this for the Desktop, it works just fine. But the next time I
log in (whether after a reboot or not), the desktop folder has reverted
back to C:\Users\username\Desktop. Nothing I do will make it stick to
the server. The other redirected folders stay where I put them and they
continue to work normally.

What's going on here? How can I make this work?

 

[Gordon]

I want to redirect all my (visible) profile folders to a server. I have
done this for all them except Desktop. I do this by right-clicking the
folder's icon, clicking Properties, clicking on the Location tab, entering
a location of \\server\share\username\Folder, and clicking OK. It asks if I
want to move everything in the current folder to the new folder, and I
click Yes. Easy, and it works perfectly.

When I do this for the Desktop, it works just fine. But the next time I
log in (whether after a reboot or not), the desktop folder has reverted
back to C:\Users\username\Desktop. Nothing I do will make it stick to the
server. The other redirected folders stay where I put them and they
continue to work normally.

What's going on here? How can I make this work?

I would have thought that the only way you will do this is by using roaming
profiles in an AD setup......

 

[David Trimboli]

I would have thought that the only way you will do this is by using
roaming profiles in an AD setup......

We already use roaming profiles. I don't want these folders to roam; I
want to redirect them using Folder Redirection. All work except the
Desktop folder and I don't know why.

 

[Gordon]

We already use roaming profiles. I don't want these folders to roam; I
want to redirect them using Folder Redirection. All work except the
Desktop folder and I don't know why.

I know very little about roaming profiles and AD - I was under the
impression that using roaming profiles in an AD environment, the Users
profile loads from the AD server and doesn't touch the local machine at all.
What exactly are you trying to achieve with this?

 

[Gordon]

We already use roaming profiles. I don't want these folders to roam; I
want to redirect them using Folder Redirection. All work except the
Desktop folder and I don't know why.

I know very little about roaming profiles and AD - I was under the
impression that using roaming profiles in an AD environment, the Users
profile loads from the AD server and doesn't touch the local machine at all.
What exactly are you trying to achieve with this?

 

[David Trimboli]

I know very little about roaming profiles and AD - I was under the
impression that using roaming profiles in an AD environment, the Users
profile loads from the AD server and doesn't touch the local machine at
all.

No, the computer downloads a copy of the user's profile from a server
and uses this local copy to present the files and settings. When you log
out the profile is copied back to the server. (And when I say "copied,"
I mean "synchronized." As of Windows 2000, copying was replaced with
synchronization.)

What exactly are you trying to achieve with this?

Rather than save documents in the profile, which mustn't get too large
or you risk synchronization problems, save user documents on the server.
But instead of creating explicit shortcuts to server locations, redirect
the default folders to the new locations. This is Microsoft's
recommended solution for roaming users, by the way. I make use of it all
the time in group policies, but here I'm setting up a single user
without using a policy.

 

[Gordon]

No, the computer downloads a copy of the user's profile from a server and
uses this local copy to present the files and settings. When you log out
the profile is copied back to the server. (And when I say "copied," I mean
"synchronized." As of Windows 2000, copying was replaced with
synchronization.)


Rather than save documents in the profile, which mustn't get too large or
you risk synchronization problems, save user documents on the server. But
instead of creating explicit shortcuts to server locations, redirect the
default folders to the new locations. This is Microsoft's recommended
solution for roaming users, by the way. I make use of it all the time in
group policies, but here I'm setting up a single user without using a
policy.

Ah. I'm afraid that's beyond my knowledge.....hopefully someone else with
more knowledge will chime in....
Sorry!

 

[Synapse Syndrome [KGB]]

I would have thought that the only way you will do this is by using
roaming profiles in an AD setup......

He's not talking about Folder Redirection.

ss.

 

[Synapse Syndrome [KGB]]

I want to redirect all my (visible) profile folders to a server. I have
done this for all them except Desktop. I do this by right-clicking the
folder's icon, clicking Properties, clicking on the Location tab, entering
a location of \\server\share\username\Folder, and clicking OK. It asks if
I want to move everything in the current folder to the new folder, and I
click Yes. Easy, and it works perfectly.

When I do this for the Desktop, it works just fine. But the next time I
log in (whether after a reboot or not), the desktop folder has reverted
back to C:\Users\username\Desktop. Nothing I do will make it stick to the
server. The other redirected folders stay where I put them and they
continue to work normally.

What's going on here? How can I make this work?

(Oops - forgot to send this earlier)

I find that the original folder locations can appear again sometimes. The
feature does not work very well, as sometimes programs can re-create the
original locations, if they are redirected by the legacy junction points.

The way around this is to make your own junction points once you have
relocated the folders, with the MKLINK /D command. Then use ATTRIB to make
them read-only and hidden.

It's very easy to make a batch script (to be executed within the user's User
folder, without full path names, so that it can be used on any user
account), that makes all the junction points and attributes on the junction
points. You can also make the same batch script relocate the original
folders, first of all, using the MOVE command. It is better to actually use
the MOVE command than use the Location tab at all, and always use the
original paths after the junctions are created. They get redirected by the
junctions to the new locations.

ss.

 

[Synapse Syndrome [KGB]]

(Oops - forgot to send this earlier)

I find that the original folder locations can appear again sometimes. The
feature does not work very well, as sometimes programs can
re-create the original locations, if they are redirected by the legacy
junction points.

The way around this is to make your own junction points once you have
relocated the folders, with the MKLINK /D command. Then use ATTRIB to
make them read-only and hidden.

It's very easy to make a batch script (to be executed within the user's
User folder, without full path names, so that it can be used on any user
account), that makes all the junction points and attributes on the
junction points. You can also make the same batch script relocate the
original folders, first of all, using the MOVE command. It is better
to actually use the MOVE command than use the Location tab at all, and
always use the original paths after the junctions are created. They
get redirected by the junctions to the new locations.

Actually, try using the MKLINK /J switch

script eg.

xcopy C:\users\%username%\Desktop D:\Desktop /e /i /h /r /x /z
xcopy C:\users\%username%\Favorites D:\Favorites /e /i /h /r /x /z
xcopy....blah blah
rd /s /q C:\users\%username%\Desktop
rd /s /q C:\users\%username%\Favorites
rd....blah blah
mklink /j C:\users\%username%\Desktop D:\Desktop
mklink /j C:\users\%username%\Favorites D:\Favorites
mklink....blah blah
attrib C:\users\%username%\Desktop /l
attrib C:\users\%username%\Favorites /l
attrib....blah blah

....should work well. I should update mine as well now..

ss.

 

[Synapse Syndrome [KGB]]

Actually, try using the MKLINK /J switch

script eg.

xcopy C:\users\%username%\Desktop D:\Desktop /e /i /h /r /x /z
xcopy C:\users\%username%\Favorites D:\Favorites /e /i /h /r /x /z
xcopy....blah blah
rd /s /q C:\users\%username%\Desktop
rd /s /q C:\users\%username%\Favorites
rd....blah blah
mklink /j C:\users\%username%\Desktop D:\Desktop
mklink /j C:\users\%username%\Favorites D:\Favorites
mklink....blah blah
attrib C:\users\%username%\Desktop /l
attrib C:\users\%username%\Favorites /l
attrib....blah blah

...should work well. I should update mine as well now..

Erm, I forgot to mention earlier that I had earlier forgotten that the MOVE
comand does not work between different drives - hence the xcopy and rd
command to replace.

ss.

 

[Synapse Syndrome [KGB]]

Actually, try using the MKLINK /J switch

script eg.

xcopy C:\users\%username%\Desktop D:\Desktop /e /i /h /r /x /z
xcopy C:\users\%username%\Favorites D:\Favorites /e /i /h /r /x /z
xcopy....blah blah
rd /s /q C:\users\%username%\Desktop
rd /s /q C:\users\%username%\Favorites
rd....blah blah
mklink /j C:\users\%username%\Desktop D:\Desktop
mklink /j C:\users\%username%\Favorites D:\Favorites
mklink....blah blah
attrib C:\users\%username%\Desktop /l
attrib C:\users\%username%\Favorites /l
attrib....blah blah

...should work well. I should update mine as well now..

If anybody is reading this thread *Do Not* run what I wrote above. It could
cause data loss if the folders contain files. I tried it on a test VM.
I'll look into what I did wrong in the morning.

ss.

 

[David Trimboli]

I find that the original folder locations can appear again sometimes. The
feature does not work very well, as sometimes programs can re-create the
original locations, if they are redirected by the legacy junction points.

This isn't sometimes; this is every time. Change the location of the
Desktop folder, log out, log in, and the Desktop folder will have
reverted to its default location. Every time.

The way around this is to make your own junction points once you have
relocated the folders, with the MKLINK /D command. Then use ATTRIB to make
them read-only and hidden.

I don't think you can create a junction to a UNC path, can you? I'm not
redirecting to a different local drive. Can you make junction links to
network drives at all?

 

[Synapse Syndrome [KGB]]

This isn't sometimes; this is every time. Change the location of the
Desktop folder, log out, log in, and the Desktop folder will have reverted
to its default location. Every time.

There must be /something/ that is making that happen, on your setup. You
could try searching the registry for the default path to see if it comes up
with anything.

I don't think you can create a junction to a UNC path, can you? I'm not
redirecting to a different local drive. Can you make junction links to
network drives at all?

Not with junctions, but you can with symbolic links, which are also make
with the MKLINK command.

I still need to go over what happened last night with my script, before I
revert the virtual machine to the snapshot I took beforehand. It must be a
problem with the xcopy/rd commands, as I have been doing the rest for years,
although I cannot remember what the attribs should be, so that the
redirected folders still display in the Users folder.

ss.

 

[David Trimboli]

There must be /something/ that is making that happen, on your setup.
You could try searching the registry for the default path to see if
it comes up with anything.

I already tried that. It only came up with the shell folders key.

 

[David Trimboli]

I want to redirect all my (visible) profile folders to a server. I have
done this for all them except Desktop. I do this by right-clicking the
folder's icon, clicking Properties, clicking on the Location tab,
entering a location of \\server\share\username\Folder, and clicking OK.
It asks if I want to move everything in the current folder to the new
folder, and I click Yes. Easy, and it works perfectly.

When I do this for the Desktop, it works just fine. But the next time I
log in (whether after a reboot or not), the desktop folder has reverted
back to C:\Users\username\Desktop. Nothing I do will make it stick to
the server. The other redirected folders stay where I put them and they
continue to work normally.

Ahhhhhh! I figured it out. I'm running AltDesk, and it seems to be
forcing the desktop back to its default location.

 

[Gene E. Bloch]

Ahhhhhh! I figured it out. I'm running AltDesk, and it seems to be
forcing the desktop back to its default location.

I wasn't sure why this made me laugh. Probably because it reminds me of
mistakes I've made

Glad you worked it out.