Lecture 4 Windows Profiles

Flashcards reviewing the concepts of Windows Profiles, local profiles, mandatory profiles, roaming profiles, and folder redirection.

What is a Local Profile?

The most common type of profile, stored locally on a computer.

What is the scope of a Local Profile?

Data is confined to a single machine and not accessible from other computers.

What is the main purpose of a Mandatory Profile?

To ensure users have a consistent and unchanging desktop environment by using a read-only profile.

What happens to a Roaming Profile at logon?

The profile is copied from a network share to the local computer during login.

What is the primary benefit of Roaming Profiles?

Provides users with a consistent desktop experience across different computers, with changes saved and available on each login.

What is Folder Redirection?

A technique where specific folders (e.g., My Documents) are redirected to a network share.

How does Folder Redirection affect logon/logoff?

Redirection eliminates the need to copy these components during login and logoff, speeding up the process.

What are Offline Files?

These are copies of network files stored for access even when the network connection is unavailable.

What are Vertical Applications?

Specialized software designed for particular industry-specific or niche functions.

Where is the Local Profile Location?

The profile exists on the local computer's storage device.

What action defines Roaming Profiles?

The profile is duplicated over the network each time a user logs in or out.

Where is the Home Folder Location?

A designated storage location on a server where users can keep their files.

What occurs when a user attempts to log in and the Domain Controller is unavailable?

Uses the locally stored profile to load the users desktop, and will sync when possible.

How Profiles are created for new users

By copying and modifying a default profile.

Purpose of the default profile

A common starting point for all users.

Three types of profiles

Local, Mandatory, and Roaming Profiles.

Typical storage location of a Local Profile

c:\users\username

User modifications allowed in Local Profile

Add/delete/modify files, Change application data, MS Office dictionary, etc.

Sharing Mandatory Profiles

Multiple user accounts can use the same mandatory profile.

Management of Mandatory Profiles

Managed/modified only by the administrator.

Typical uses for accounts with Mandatory Profiles

Bank tellers, point of sale systems, inventory control systems, etc.

Another name for Mandatory Profiles

Vertical applications.

Problem with Local Profiles in a domain

The user’s data is not shared among clients.

Examples of data not shared among clients with Local Profiles

Bookmarks, dictionaries, etc. would have to be created/managed on each client.

Ideal scenario for user environment

The user should have the same environment regardless of which client they are using.

Roaming Profile

The user’s profile is stored on a network share.

What version of the profile is used when the user is logged in

The local copy of the profile is used.

What happens to a Roaming Profile at logoff

At logoff the profile is copied back to the network share.

What is specified in the user’s profile properties for Roaming Profiles

The UNC of the profile.

Home Folder

Separate from a users’ profile, a central storage location where users can store files.

Roaming Profile Issue: Logon/Logoff Time

Can significantly increase logon/logoff time as the entire profile (including My Documents) is copied.

Roaming Profile Issue: Versioning

Can create versioning issues if the user logs into multiple clients simultaneously.

Roaming Profile Issue: Local Copy

The copy of the profile remains on the client after logoff.
Allows the user to login even when the domain controller is not available.
Cached credentials.
Creates a security concern.
Someone could get to the locally cached profile content.

Benefit of the profile remaining after logoff

Allows the user to login even when the domain controller is not available (Cached credentials).

Security concern with locally cached profile content

Someone could get to the locally cached profile content.

Two different profile versions in use

Windows XP and Windows Vista+

Difference between profile versions

The structure of each type of profile is different even though they contain many of the same elements.

Impact of profile version differences

The profiles are incompatible with each other.

What happens the first time a user with an existing XP profile logs into a Vista+ client

A new Vista+ profile is created.

Characteristics of the new Vista+ profile

That is independent of the existing XP profile and containing none of the user’s existing profile information.

How Folder Redirection affects logon/logoff

Redirected components are NOT copied at logon/logoff.

Advantages of Folder Redirection

Reduced logon/logoff times, Increases security by eliminating data left on clients, Allows components to be made available to both XP and Vista+ profiles.

Disadvantage of Folder Redirection

The user must be connected to the network to access the redirected profile components.

When is the disadvantage of Folder Redirection a problem

An issue for portable computers.

How to mitigate the disadvantage of Folder Redirection

Can be alleviated through offline files.

Folder in Windows Vista and newer: Application Data

AppData/Roaming

Folder in Windows Vista and newer: Contacts

Not Applicable

Folder in Windows Vista and newer: Desktop

Desktop

Folder in Windows Vista and newer: Documents

My Documents

Folder in Windows Vista and newer: Downloads

Not Applicable

Folder in Windows Vista and newer: Favorites

Not Applicable

Folder in Windows Vista and newer: Links

Not Applicable

Folder in Windows Vista and newer: Music

Not Applicable

Folder in Windows Vista and newer: Pictures

My Pictures

Folder in Windows Vista and newer: Saved Games

Not Applicable

Folder in Windows Vista and newer: Searches

Not Applicable

Folder in Windows Vista and newer: Start Menu

Start Menu

Folder in Windows Vista and newer: Videos

Not Applicable

How Folder Redirection is best implemented

Through Group Policy

Location in Group Policy to implement Folder Redirection

[Group Policy Object Name]\User Configuration\Policies\Windows Settings\Folder Redirection

Local Profile Location

Stored on the local computer hard drive.

Action of Roaming Profiles

Copied over the network each time a user logs on or off.
The user's profile is stored on a network share.

Applications for specific tasks

Vertical Applications

Home Folder Location

A central storage location on a server.

Login that occurs when the domain controller is unavailable

Cached Credentials

Copies of network files that can be accessed when not connected

Offline Files

Administrative tool used configure computer settings

Group Policy

What is a temporary profile?

A profile created when the user's profile cannot be loaded, providing a basic, temporary environment.

What causes a temporary profile?

Profile corruption, access issues, or errors during logon.

What are the limitations of a temporary profile?

Changes are not saved, and the user experience is limited.

How to fix a temporary profile?

Troubleshoot profile issues, check permissions, or restore from backup.

What is the User State Migration Tool (USMT)?

A command-line tool used to migrate user profiles and data between Windows installations.

What is the purpose of ScanState and LoadState in USMT?

ScanState collects user data, while LoadState applies the data to a new system.

How to exclude specific files or folders during profile migration?

Use XML configuration files to specify exclusion rules.

Best practices for using USMT?

Plan the migration, test the configuration, and back up data before migration.

What is the difference between a local user profile and a domain user profile?

A local profile is stored on a single computer, while a domain profile is stored on a central server and accessible from multiple computers within the domain.

How do you convert a local profile to a domain profile?

Join the computer to the domain and log in with a domain account.

How to manage user profiles in a large organization?

Use Group Policy to centrally manage profile settings and Folder Redirection to store user data on a network share.

What is profile bloat?

The accumulation of unnecessary files and data in a user profile, leading to slow performance and increased storage usage.

How to prevent profile bloat?

Regularly clean up unnecessary files, limit the number of installed applications, and use Folder Redirection to store large files on a network share.

How to troubleshoot profile issues?

Check event logs, verify permissions, and use the Profile Management tools in Windows.

What are the common causes of profile corruption?

Disk errors, power outages, and software conflicts.

How to restore a corrupted profile?

Restore from backup or create a new profile and copy the data from the old profile.

What is the purpose of the ntuser.dat file?

This file stores the user's registry settings and preferences.

What is ntuser.man?

The ntuser.dat file renamed; indicating a mandatory profile.

User Profile Service Failed to Load

Error indicating the user's profile could not be loaded. This may be due to corruption.

How to delete a user profile?

System Properties -> Advanced -> User Profiles -> Settings -> Select profile -> Delete.

What is the ProfileList registry key?

HKEYLOCALMACHINE\