Creating a default user profile

P

PornStar55

Hello everyone, after much searching I have figured out two methods
for copying a profile into the default user profile.

Method A) Create a custom default user profile
1. Log on to the computer as the administrator, and then create a
local user account.
2. Log off as the administrator, and then log on to the computer
through the local user account that you just created.

Caution You will cause permissions issues if you create the custom
user profile when you are logged on as the administrator.
3. Customize the profile appropriately. For example, install printers
and map the drives that you need.
4. Log off as the local user, and then log back on as the
administrator.
5. Because several of the files in the profile are hidden and must be
copied to the new custom default user profile, turn on the Show hidden
files and folders option. To do so, follow these steps:
a. Double-click My Computer, click Tools, and then click Folder
Options.
b. On the View tab, under Advanced settings, click Show hidden files
and folders, and then click OK.
6. Replace the current default user profile with the customized
default user profile. To do so, follow these steps:
a. In Control Panel, double-click System.
b. In the System Properties dialog box, click the Advanced tab.
c. Under User Profiles, click Settings.
d. In the User Profiles dialog box, click the user profile that you
just created, and then click Copy To.
e. In the Copy To dialog box, under Copy profile to, click Browse,
click the C:\Documents and Settings\Default User folder, and then
click OK.
Windows XP will now assign the custom default user profile to any new
user who logs on to the computer.

OR Method B) you can also copy the ntuser.dat file into the default
user profile.

Both of these method's work, just not the way I would like them to.
They don't create the proper "my documents" structure.
With method A, the my pictures and my music will be created, but it
will keep the name of the orginal user account that was copied.. EX:
under c:\documents and settings\jeff\my documents\original user's
pictures instead of c:\documents and settings\jeff\my documents\my
pictures

and with method B there will be no directory structure under my
documents.

Has anyone encountered this? I would like to keep the behaviour of
the default user profile the way it was before I copied the profile.
 
D

Doug Knox - [MS-MVP]

This would depend on what you're trying to set as "default" behavior for the
Default User profile. I have a utility that will allow you to modify the
Default User profile, putting in place a number of group policy
restrictions, and nothing else. So, when a new account is created all the
restrictions are migrated, but the new user's folders, documents and etc.
are created normally.

--
Doug Knox, MS-MVP Windows Media Center\Windows Powered Smart
Display\Security
Win 95/98/Me/XP Tweaks and Fixes
http://www.dougknox.com
 
A

Anteaus

Remove any desktop.ini file inside "My Documents" -this is hidden by
default, so you need to enable viewing of hidden files, or use DOS.

Remove any subfolders of "My Documents" as well. They will be re-created
when an app that uses them first runs.

BTW, I agree that this behavior, while by design, is by Very Bad Design. I
know of one case where a user lost 10GB of data because he thought he was
backing up "MY" Documents, when in fact he was backing up "The Other Guy's
Documents" instead. The other guy having left the company months ago. When
the disk failed he lost the lot.
 

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