Setting Default User - getting an error

G

Guest

I'm trying to create a default user profile by setting up a generic user
account and then copying it (via System Ctl Panel) to the Default User
folder. When I try to copy, I get an error:

"Windows cannot copy file C:\Documents and Settings\user\Cookies\index.dat
to location C:\Documents and Settings\Default User.WINNT\Cookies\index.dat.
Contact your network administrator.

"DETAIL - The process cannot access the file because it is being used by
another process."

I know index.dat is some people's favorite file. Any ideas?
 
D

Dave Patrick

Use a third not-in-use profile to do the copy.

--
Regards,

Dave Patrick ....Please no email replies - reply in newsgroup.
Microsoft Certified Professional
Microsoft MVP [Windows]
http://www.microsoft.com/protect

:
| I'm trying to create a default user profile by setting up a generic user
| account and then copying it (via System Ctl Panel) to the Default User
| folder. When I try to copy, I get an error:
|
| "Windows cannot copy file C:\Documents and Settings\user\Cookies\index.dat
| to location C:\Documents and Settings\Default
User.WINNT\Cookies\index.dat.
| Contact your network administrator.
|
| "DETAIL - The process cannot access the file because it is being used by
| another process."
|
| I know index.dat is some people's favorite file. Any ideas?
 
D

Dave Patrick

I just noticed. You have 'Default User.WINNT' Appears this was an over the
top repair install. There may be corruption in the profile you're trying to
copy.

--
Regards,

Dave Patrick ....Please no email replies - reply in newsgroup.
Microsoft Certified Professional
Microsoft MVP [Windows]
http://www.microsoft.com/protect

:
|I forgot to mention that I am using another administrative account.
 
C

Chris Hagan

You have opened up IE in the session when you try to copy the profile.
Reboot and don't open up IE prior to trying to copy.
 
G

Guest

Are you saying the "user" profile is corrupt? or the "default user"?

And what would you suggest I do to resolve this?

BTW, thanks for attending to this issue. :)
 
D

Dave Patrick

Probably the user profile. To test this create a new local user account
(same permission level), then logon once as the new user to create the
profile, then while logged on as local administrator test that you can use
the Copy To function to copy the profile in question over the new profile.

--
Regards,

Dave Patrick ....Please no email replies - reply in newsgroup.
Microsoft Certified Professional
Microsoft MVP [Windows]
http://www.microsoft.com/protect

:
| Are you saying the "user" profile is corrupt? or the "default user"?
|
| And what would you suggest I do to resolve this?
|
| BTW, thanks for attending to this issue. :)
 
G

Guest

Okay, just did that. And it worked. I can copy from the "user" account to
another account ("user2"). So it's not the source account, but somehow
"Default User" has been screwed up.

Any thoughts?
 
D

Dave Patrick

Do you have another machine you can copy from? Why do you have "Default
User.WINNT"? Was this a repair install? Does the original (now orphaned)
"\Documents and Settings\Default User" folder still exist and appear intact?
If so you can point the OS back to this one by editing two registry Reg_Sz
string values.

DefaultUserProfile=Default User
ProfilesDirectory=%SystemDrive%\Documents and Settings
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\ProfileList

--
Regards,

Dave Patrick ....Please no email replies - reply in newsgroup.
Microsoft Certified Professional
Microsoft MVP [Windows]
http://www.microsoft.com/protect

:
| Okay, just did that. And it worked. I can copy from the "user" account to
| another account ("user2"). So it's not the source account, but somehow
| "Default User" has been screwed up.
|
| Any thoughts?
 
G

Guest

Personally, I don't know why it says "WINNT". I believe this particular
machine has been added to a domain once or twice in its history (it is
currently not), if that means anything. It is not a repair install (don't
know what that is). There is no "Default User", there's just "Default
User.WINNT" and "All Users.WINNT".

Thanks again for your attention, I appreciate the help. :)
 
D

Dave Patrick

Moving from/ to workgroup/ domain doesn't cause this to happen. Either case
try copying "\default user" from another Windows 2000 machine and adjust the
registry to point to it.

--
Regards,

Dave Patrick ....Please no email replies - reply in newsgroup.
Microsoft Certified Professional
Microsoft MVP [Windows]
http://www.microsoft.com/protect

:
| Personally, I don't know why it says "WINNT". I believe this particular
| machine has been added to a domain once or twice in its history (it is
| currently not), if that means anything. It is not a repair install (don't
| know what that is). There is no "Default User", there's just "Default
| User.WINNT" and "All Users.WINNT".
|
| Thanks again for your attention, I appreciate the help. :)
 
D

Dave Patrick

Not really. :) Glad to hear it though.

--
Regards,

Dave Patrick ....Please no email replies - reply in newsgroup.
Microsoft Certified Professional
Microsoft MVP [Windows]
http://www.microsoft.com/protect

:
| Unbelieveable. It worked.
|
| Thank you so much, Dave.
 
G

Guest

Okay, same problem. This time with the new profile.

The only difference has been that I pulled the imaged off the computer (via
Symantec Ghost) and put it on another. Would Ghost mess profiles up?
 
D

Dave Patrick

OK, refresh my memory. Same problem as what part of this thread?

--
Regards,

Dave Patrick ....Please no email replies - reply in newsgroup.
Microsoft Certified Professional
Microsoft MVP [Windows]
http://www.microsoft.com/protect

:
| Okay, same problem. This time with the new profile.
|
| The only difference has been that I pulled the imaged off the computer
(via
| Symantec Ghost) and put it on another. Would Ghost mess profiles up?
 
G

Guest

OK, refresh my memory. Same problem as what part of this thread?

First post. Trying to copy a profile (user) to the Default Profile (Default
User). Getting the same error about index.dat.

I suppose I could just copy ANOTHER profile over and re-direct the registry
to that, but must I do that every time I want to change the profile?
 
D

Dave Patrick

No not normally but given the other unexplained profiles I think the install
is corrupt. It may be time to clean install.

--
Regards,

Dave Patrick ....Please no email replies - reply in newsgroup.
Microsoft Certified Professional
Microsoft MVP [Windows]
http://www.microsoft.com/protect

:
| First post. Trying to copy a profile (user) to the Default Profile
(Default
| User). Getting the same error about index.dat.
|
| I suppose I could just copy ANOTHER profile over and re-direct the
registry
| to that, but must I do that every time I want to change the profile?
 
G

Guest

It may be time to clean install.

I don't want to sound mean, but that doesn't help. :-\ Especially when this
install is pretty new; I believe we created this image earlier this year
(around Spring).

I'm more inclined to copy over a "clean profile" each time. Bleh...
 
D

Dave Patrick

If that works for you then by all means but I stand by the fact that the
install is corrupt.

--
Regards,

Dave Patrick ....Please no email replies - reply in newsgroup.
Microsoft Certified Professional
Microsoft MVP [Windows]
http://www.microsoft.com/protect

:
| I don't want to sound mean, but that doesn't help. :-\ Especially when
this
| install is pretty new; I believe we created this image earlier this year
| (around Spring).
|
| I'm more inclined to copy over a "clean profile" each time. Bleh...
 
G

Guest

Refurb Mike said:
I'm trying to create a default user profile by setting up a generic user
account and then copying it (via System Ctl Panel) to the Default User
folder. When I try to copy, I get an error:

"Windows cannot copy file C:\Documents and Settings\user\Cookies\index.dat
to location C:\Documents and Settings\Default User.WINNT\Cookies\index.dat.
Contact your network administrator.

"DETAIL - The process cannot access the file because it is being used by
another process."

I know index.dat is some people's favorite file. Any ideas?
Click to expand...
 

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