using staff laptops on and off a domain. How?

[reggiep]

I really can't believe I don't know how to do this but I don't!

How can I set a staff laptop that is on our windows domain so that a user can log on to it on the domin but then still log on when they tke it home?

I have files syncing but not much use as the user can't log on without the network cable connected!

[TheLibrarian]

You have to create a local user.

[reggiep]

No!

I was hoping that the users profile would be stored on the laptop but it has just dawned on me that we have mandatory profiles so I'm wondering if this is the problem.

I know what you mean about creating a local account but I was hoping to use file sync. I may well go the local user if I can't work it this way.

[TheLibrarian]

As long as the local user has access to the sync'd files, would it matter?

We just set the staff laptops up with a second WXP install and protect the school WXP with DeepFreeze, that way they can modify the 'home' OS without being able to stop the laptop working when (if) they bring it in to work.

We don't sync files for them, that's left to them to figure out. Aren't we nice, teaching them how to do things for themselves...

[strawberry]

turn on logon caching so the laptop remembers they're username and password so they can log on

[Mako]

Using Mandatory profiles may be the issue. However even Mandatory profiles should save some things locally to allow a user to log on with a cached profile, unless you're using "super-mandatory" profiles.

We use non-mandatory roaming profiles. Laptops that are to be taken home have Offline Files enabled with their My Documents folder set to synchronise. Once they've logged onto the domain once and logged off again, everything sync's accross. If they attempt to log onto the domain without a cable, it uses the cached profile and they can access everything that was sync'd along with all their personal settings.

We also give them a local computer login with Administrator rights, so they can install and update things themselves and access the internet at home without fiddling with Domain proxy settings.

[TheLibrarian]

We found that some staff couldn't figure out why they couldn't access network resources when logging in with cached credentials (no network cable attached).

[leco]

Our staff have now got used to which documents they have or do not have when off the network. They've also got used to the dialogue box, that states the school network is not available, which did throw them to start with. Some can now turn off the proxy when at home, giving them home internet access, but the often forget to switch it back on when in school

Cached profiles might be a bit of a pain at times, they do get corrupted, but on the whole it works and everyone is more or less happy.

[reggiep]

I have a further problem now??

When I create a new local user it works fine until I reboot the laptop and then they have disappeared. What could be causing this? Arggghhhh

[TheLibrarian]

If you aren't using drive protection software - I don't suppose for one minute you are because that would be too obvious - then the only option I know of is a script run by group policy to remove local users.