Profiles delete using PowerShell

[petben]

Hi, I got this profiles delete script from EduGeek to run at startup, and it works but it sometimes seems to hang deleting some profiles, reboot and those left over profiles disappear. It's all a bit wrong, lots of red Powershell warnings.

 

can someone please advise:

 

 

 

$profiles = $null

$profiles = Get-WMIObject -class Win32_UserProfile | Where {((!$_.Special) -and ($_.LocalPath -ne "C:\Users\Administrator") -and ($_.LocalPath -ne "C:\Users\Public") -and ($_.LocalPath -ne "C:\Users\Default"))}

if ($profiles -ne $null) {

$profiles | Remove-WmiObject

}

 

Exit

 

 

 

powershell error attached that appears many many times at startup..

 

 

[SparkySX]

Can't help you on the error, but, have you tried Delprof2?

 

I've used it at logoff or machine startup and it seems to handle errors quite well

 

https://helgeklein.com/free-tools/delprof2-user-profile-deletion-tool/

[ChrisMiles]

Some problems here, you can't delete profiles using Remove-WmiObject, you need to call the delete method.

 

Get-WMIObject -Class Win32_UserProfile | Where-Object { $_.Special -ine "True"  -and $_.LocalPath -ine "C:\Users\Administrator" -and $_.LocalPath -ine "C:\Users\Public" -and $_.LocalPath -ine "C:\Users\Default"} | ForEach-Object { $_.Delete() }

 

If you want something more complete, I wrote a profile management routine in our startup script that removes student profiles, mandatory, corrupt and temporary profiles, but leaves staff profiles intact. It also uses a AD variable to allow you to purge specific profiles across the network for when roaming profiles need resetting.

You can find it here: http://www.edugeek.net/forums/windows-10/204731-script-deleting-user-profiles-folders.html#post1748036

[petben]

Thanks Chris I get:

 

Exception calling "Delete" with "0" argument(s): ""

At line:1 char:304

+ ... _.LocalPath -ine "C:\Users\Default"} | ForEach-Object { $_.Delete() }

+ ~~~~~~~~~~~

+ CategoryInfo : NotSpecified: ( [], MethodInvocationException

+ FullyQualifiedErrorId : DotNetMethodException

 

when running that command in the code block of your message.

[ChrisMiles]

Thanks Chris I get:

 

Exception calling "Delete" with "0" argument(s): ""

At line:1 char:304

+ ... _.LocalPath -ine "C:\Users\Default"} | ForEach-Object { $_.Delete() }

+ ~~~~~~~~~~~

+ CategoryInfo : NotSpecified: ( [], MethodInvocationException

+ FullyQualifiedErrorId : DotNetMethodException

 

when running that command in the code block of your message.

 

That could happen if you are not running PowerShell or the ISE as Administrator, deleting profiles requires elevated permissions. It may also be trying to delete a profile that is in use (yours for example) so you may want to add a check for that:

 

Get-WMIObject -Class Win32_UserProfile | Where-Object { $_.Loaded -ine "True" -and $_.Special -ine "True"  -and $_.LocalPath -ine "C:\Users\Administrator" -and $_.LocalPath -ine "C:\Users\Public" -and $_.LocalPath -ine "C:\Users\Default"} | ForEach-Object { $_.Delete() }

[ricki]

We Use delprof2

 

Richard

[Patrick]

If you make the users members of Domain Guests in AD their profile is automatically cleared at log off, that's what i do for the students and it's worked well for me.

[petben]

Group membership is a nice idea, it seems to remove the reg entry but leaves an (empty) folder in C:\users called 'username'.

[ChrisMiles]

The deletion is done by windows, if it leaves a folder it'll be because theres open file locks. Do profile cleaning after a fresh reboot (in the startup script ideally) to avoid this.