User creation

[clareq]

The last time I managed a vanilla network we were using Windows NT, so I have a lot of catching up to do!

 

Anyway, in NT I created a template user, and created ad hoc users by right clicking the template, copying and putting in User name and Display name. The profile path and user area path were populated in the template with wildcards %username%, and were automatically updated.

 

Now, on Server 2012 R2, I'm trying to do the same, however the user area path points to \\server\users$\%username%\documents, but my template doesn't retain the wildcard, instead replacing it with _templateuser. When I copy the user the path isn't updated.

 

What am I doing wrong, and can anyone recommend a suitable walk through or guide?

 

I think I'll be here a lot before we have this up and running

[clareq]

Bump??

[Marshall_IT]

I've just done some testing and it syncs the changes when copying a profile path or home dir when it is in the format \\domain\shares\home\%username% but not \\domain\shares\home%username%\docs on server 2012. My functional level is only 2008r2 though but I think this is the same.

 

If you want the documents folder under \%username%\documents then you can set the profile to be just \%username% then use group policy to set the documents to be under homedrive\documents.

 

I hope this makes sense.

[witch]

@clareq I don't use a template user, I just copy a current user once I have one - if you right-click and copy and fill in the name it automatically populates the rest of it to match your new user. But of course you need a user in the first place!

Try creating an actual user - with names instead of wildcards and see if that can be copied as I suggest.

 

There are lots of guides on the web - eg

[clareq]

Thank you both - I'll experiment some more

[ardvark]

i have used gpo preferences to dot he folder redirection, only thing you need the user account is the "home" folder path - this will create the \\domain\shares\home\%username% folder to which gpo redirects all other folders - the use a seconnd gpo mapped drives policy to delete the drive from the users My computer when they log in or simply remove the path \\domain\shares\home\%username% from the user account after creation....works a charm

[clareq]

@witch - sorry, I get error messages and the home folder path is copied exactly. I'm using the "Connect drive letter to path" option.

[witch]

@clareq

Looking at mine, I have connected the U drive, which in my case is the redirected My Documents drive to \\domain\redirected$\staff\documents\username

What does yours look like?

Edited April 16, 2014 by witch

[clareq]

I've connected the N drive (it's what users are used to, coming from RM) to \\server\users$\username\my documents. I then redirect the workstation documents to \\server\users$, setting the redirection to "create a folder for each user under the root path", which then redirects documents to \\server\user\username\my documents. I set music and pictures to follow documents. in the main, this does what I want, in that users click on the N drive and are directly in their documents folder, rather than up a level. All this works, and I can create the majority of my users using a script or powershell (once I work out how) it's the odd one that needs to be created mid term that could cause an issue - particularly if created by one of my technicians, I want everything as automated as possible for them. A new network is going to create enough issues, without having a long list of things to remember.

[witch]

Hmm

It is odd that copying one doesnt replicate the path - it does for me. Must be that your redirected is slightly different - you have the server in there and I have the domain, it seems.

[clareq]

I think it's the \my documents part of the path - it seems to like the wildcard at the end. Time to learn Powershell.