abillybob Posted June 12, 2014 Author Posted June 12, 2014 Making the plunge. Thankyou to all you helpful EduGeekers on this subject, I have looked more into it and I would like to convert all students to use a Mandatory Profile rather than Roaming Profiles (we are having some problems with Roaming profiles getting corrupt etc...) I have been doing some research and I'm in the process of creating the profile the children will use, I am using this site: Configuring Standard User Accounts It asks me to create an unattend.xml file with copy file perimeter to true, this has confused me a bit as I don't know where the unattend.xml file is located or whether I have to make one, if I do have to make one (I'm guessing in notepad) where do I save it and whats the exact code to set it all up!? Sorry this may be a dumb question but I'd appreciate the help Thankyou Alex
3s-gtech Posted June 12, 2014 Posted June 12, 2014 unattend.xml is the sysprep xml file that goes in C:\Windows\system32\sysprep. It is possible to make a mandatory profile without sysprepping - which is what I and many others did. There are many posts and threads on the forum about how we did this. It's not hard, it does work, and you don't have to faff around with sysprep (ideally you'd use a VM if you must do it the sysprep way).
abillybob Posted June 12, 2014 Author Posted June 12, 2014 (edited) unattend.xml is the sysprep xml file that goes in C:\Windows\system32\sysprep. It is possible to make a mandatory profile without sysprepping - which is what I and many others did. There are many posts and threads on the forum about how we did this. It's not hard, it does work, and you don't have to faff around with sysprep (ideally you'd use a VM if you must do it the sysprep way). Hey Mate, couldn't find anything in relation to how to do it without using sys prep, it doesn't bother me because as you stated I'm doing it all in a VM anyway so which ever is easiest I will check out the location and report back thank you for helping me! Edit: Ok I have looked under the directory you sent me but an Unattend.xml file doesn't already exist? Do I need to create my own one and if so what code do I need to use to set CopyProfile to true? Thanks again! Edited June 12, 2014 by abillybob
3s-gtech Posted June 12, 2014 Posted June 12, 2014 The file won't exist yet, it's created with the Windows AIK (or just in Notepad etc). Easiest method (if you're relatively technically minded) is the copy profile method - I'll outline a very simplified version below. Create a base user in AD, with no GPs applied other than the default ones. Don't set a profile path. Log in to a PC with this account. Set up your profile settings that you may like (classic ones are first-run settings for things like Adobe CS, Office, that sort of thing). By doing so, you are changing and creating registry settings in the ntuser.dat hive for that user. Log off. Copy the entire user profile from the base PC (or VM) into a network share that will host that profile for all users. Set permissions on the profile folder so that your users can read it (no need for write perms). Open ntuser.dat in regedit (File/Load hive). Change the permissions on the registry hive so that Everyone has full control - if you don't do this, no-one else will be able to load this profile. Delete any unnecessary gunk from the hive if it exists - you can also tweak certain settings directly such as usernames etc. Unload the hive when finished (right click it). Rename ntuser.dat to ntuser.man Point a test user's profile path to you new shared profile area. Don't include the .v2 extension in this path (if you've made separate XP and Vista/7/8 profiles.) Log on and test, test, test. 1
abillybob Posted June 12, 2014 Author Posted June 12, 2014 The file won't exist yet, it's created with the Windows AIK (or just in Notepad etc). Easiest method (if you're relatively technically minded) is the copy profile method - I'll outline a very simplified version below. Create a base user in AD, with no GPs applied other than the default ones. Don't set a profile path. Log in to a PC with this account. Set up your profile settings that you may like (classic ones are first-run settings for things like Adobe CS, Office, that sort of thing). By doing so, you are changing and creating registry settings in the ntuser.dat hive for that user. Log off. Copy the entire user profile from the base PC (or VM) into a network share that will host that profile for all users. Set permissions on the profile folder so that your users can read it (no need for write perms). Open ntuser.dat in regedit (File/Load hive). Change the permissions on the registry hive so that Everyone has full control - if you don't do this, no-one else will be able to load this profile. Delete any unnecessary gunk from the hive if it exists - you can also tweak certain settings directly such as usernames etc. Unload the hive when finished (right click it). Rename ntuser.dat to ntuser.man Point a test user's profile path to you new shared profile area. Don't include the .v2 extension in this path (if you've made separate XP and Vista/7/8 profiles.) Log on and test, test, test. Gaaa! Ok I've been working on this for a few hours now and I just can't get any of it to work! It's so flaming annoying it's unreal! Maybe I'm just thick and can't do something like this but I'm finding it a right nightmare this is the first things I've actually properly struggled with! Why is it so flaming difficult to export a users profile and point all users to that profile WHY! I might just give them local profiles and be done with it this mandatory business is pretty damn hard to understand and do! I just want a standard Windows 7 Profile, no special theme or anything like that just a basic Windows 7 Aero Profile without anything on it, why is this so hard to do!
zag Posted June 12, 2014 Posted June 12, 2014 Yeh I said it earlier, there is no need to roaming or mandatory profiles. Local profiles are fine. Just remove the profile field from the user in active directory. Job done.
abillybob Posted June 12, 2014 Author Posted June 12, 2014 Though surely Mandatory profiles would be better, because it means once that child has logged out anything they've messed up on their desktop will be reset for next time they login? Plus the fact you can make a tiny mandatory profile so it means the user will be logged in just as fast as a local profile? I could be wrong though but for an all-rounder I think Mandatory Profiles would be the best choice - I've since found this and seeing how it's done make it loads easier so may give that another go tomorrow 1
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