Removing W2K Workstation from NT4 Domain?

[Pheasant Plucker]

Hi there,

After many years the time has come to retire my aging Acer Altos 9000 Pro
server and thinking about it I don't really need client/server setup at home
any more...in fact all I use it for is as a DHCP Server and Winfax
Server...removing it would cut down on noise, space, maintenance & help save
the planet!

I would like to continue to use my existing W2K workstation as a stand-alone
PC but don't wish to lose my desktop/settings/preferences etc.

DHCP Server duties can be passed either to my Quantum SnapServer or ADSL
Router so hopefully no issues there...

I have a couple of print servers & a UPS Management card all with static IP
addresses along with the aforementioned Quantum SnapServer.

As I wish to continue to use my W2K workstation what steps do I have to
take to ensure all my Programs/Settings/Desktop/Preferences etc. remain the
same?

ISTR that if I logon to the W2K workstation and it doesn't see the NT4
Domain then it will setup the desktop almost as a new user which obviously I
do not want.

Can it be as simple as just copying across my settings from Documents and
Settings/UserName.HOME to Documents and Settings/UserName?

If so do I copy all of these settings or just some of them?

Are there any more gotchas or things I need to be aware of please?

I will also have to alter some settings on my Quantum SnapServer as it uses
NT4 Domain Authentication so if anyone has any help on this issue also it
would be much appreciated.

Thanks & regards,
-=pp=-

 

[Pegasus \(MVP\)]

See below.

Hi there,

After many years the time has come to retire my aging Acer Altos 9000 Pro
server and thinking about it I don't really need client/server setup at home
any more...in fact all I use it for is as a DHCP Server and Winfax
Server...removing it would cut down on noise, space, maintenance & help save
the planet!

I would like to continue to use my existing W2K workstation as a stand-alone
PC but don't wish to lose my desktop/settings/preferences etc.

DHCP Server duties can be passed either to my Quantum SnapServer or ADSL
Router so hopefully no issues there...

I have a couple of print servers & a UPS Management card all with static IP
addresses along with the aforementioned Quantum SnapServer.

As I wish to continue to use my W2K workstation what steps do I have to
take to ensure all my Programs/Settings/Desktop/Preferences etc. remain the
same?

ISTR that if I logon to the W2K workstation and it doesn't see the NT4
Domain then it will setup the desktop almost as a new user which obviously I
do not want.

Can it be as simple as just copying across my settings from Documents and
Settings/UserName.HOME to Documents and Settings/UserName?

Even simpler: Control Panel / System / Advanced / User Profiles.
Copy the domain profile to the "Default User" folder. You must
reboot the machine and log on under a different admin account
before you can do this.

If so do I copy all of these settings or just some of them?

Copy the lot - it's easy to clean it out later on.

Are there any more gotchas or things I need to be aware of please?

Before logging on as the local user, rename the local user's profile
folder in order to force Windows to create a new folder from the
"Default User" template.

 

[Pheasant Plucker]

Thanks for the quick reply Pegasus,

Just to clarify a few things for the hard of understanding...

;^)

I only have the one account on the W2K workstation - called Administrator -
if I look in Documents & Settings the only users I see are;

Administrator
Administrator.HOME (my NT4 Domain)
All Users
Default User

Will I still need to create a new account before I copy the domain profile
over?

Also I'm not quite sure about your last bit of advice - apologies for being
slow - it's an age thing!

Is there a resource that explains it in detail?

Thanks & kind regards,
-=pp=-

 

[Pegasus \(MVP\)]

See below.

Thanks for the quick reply Pegasus,

Just to clarify a few things for the hard of understanding...

;^)

I only have the one account on the W2K workstation - called Administrator -
if I look in Documents & Settings the only users I see are;

Administrator
Administrator.HOME (my NT4 Domain)
All Users
Default User

Will I still need to create a new account before I copy the domain profile
over?

Yes, because a profile is locked while you're logged on and cannot
be copied - unless you perform the copy process from some networked
PC immediately after a reboot.

Also I'm not quite sure about your last bit of advice - apologies for being
slow - it's an age thing!

Is there a resource that explains it in detail?

Thanks & kind regards,
-=pp=-

New profile folders are created only if there is no pre-existing
profile folder. If you have already logged on locally then there
will be a profile folder. You must get it out of the way so that
Windows creates a new profile folder, based on the template
that you have just created.

If you google for this string then you might be able to find some
detailed explanation:

windows "default user" "all users" profile