Mandatory Roaming Profiles, Temp Internet Files and XStandard Pro License

[stu1892]

Hi,

 

We have a pretty big problem. I'll try and explain as best as i can...

 

We support a CLC with it's own staff and members.

We also support a High School with it's own staff and students.

 

We have roughly 4 types of users.

 

CLC Staff - Personal, Open, Roaming profiles.

CLC Users - One Mandatory, Roaming Profile for all.

School Staff - One Mandatory, Roaming Profile for all.

School Students - One Mandatory, Roaming Profile for all.

 

The profiles are all stored on the server.

 

Both the school and the CLC have access to a local authority "Learning Platform" accessed by the whole of the authority. This includes a feature of writing blogs and uploading material. This uses 'XStandard' editing tools.

 

The problem is that the full set of editing tools ("Pro") aren't downloaded when accessing the page.

 

CLC Staff can get them as it's an open profile for each person. If i open any of the other profiles, it works for them too.

 

So if the profile is closed, only a 'lite' version is downloaded.

 

**This is the weird bit. The first mandatory profile to access the page on that station DOES get the pro version!**

So, User1 logs onto PC1 with MandatoryProfile and gets the Pro version. They log off / reboot. User2 logs onto PC1 with the same MandatoryProfile and can only get the lite version!!

 

• This happens whether the profiles are deleted at logoff/shutdown or not.
  
• The license that is downloaded is called license.txt and seems to be stored in Temporary Internet Files
  
• It was stored in TIF for me, a technician.
  
• I've tried copying the TIF to the profile with no luck as they don't copy as a file would.
  
• I've tried creating the mandatory profiles after the license.txt file is downloaded but that doesn't not stay in the profile for some reason.
  
• I have also tried using open profiles with 'prevent roaming profile changes' set in a GPO, but that made it read only and still only got the lite version thought the profile was open.
  

 

I have been going round and around for a long time now trying sort this out with no luck.

 

Any ideas greatly appreciated.

Cheers,

Stu

[elsiegee40]

When nobody is around, Try making the roaming profile not mandatory (rename ntuser.man to ntuser.dat).

 

Create an administrator test user using this profile, logon as the user and do what you need to get into the editing tools.

 

Logoff

 

Convert the profile back to mandatory... this may well fix the problem.

[stu1892]

Hi elsiegee, thanks for the reply.

 

I have tried that. Would seem like the logical thing. However, the temporary internet files don't copy when you copy the profile back to the server.

 

No idea why windows won't let you do that.

[stu1892]

Hold on, i think it's worked!!!!

 

I swear i've tried that about 500 times!

[elsiegee40]

Hold on, i think it's worked!!!!

 

I swear i've tried that about 500 times!

 

Clam down! You're sounding like a teacher!

 

Glad it seems to be OK. Now try it without crossing your fingers!

[stu1892]

Damn, it hasn't.

 

What did happen is, when i logged onto PC60, with user60

who i added to domain admins and opened a copy of the profile.

 

Did what i had to do, logged off, closed the profile. assigned new profile to user 59 and logged on to PC60 again. It worked.

Logged back in with user60 and it didn't. It only worked because it was open...

 

Back to the drawing board

[stu1892]

Well, looking at the profile left in documents in settings from the admin version of user60, within local settings\temp internet files, the license is in there. However, when logging off, it didn't save local settings to the server copy of the profile.

[DrPerceptron]

What about finding the bits and pieces you need to make it work and either manually putting them into the profile on the server, or adding the files at logon?

 

 

with staff, do they get the Pro tools when they use different PC's?

[stu1892]

Yeah, the staff have open roaming profiles so when they log on they'd probably get a new license.

 

Will get in touch with the Learning Platform admin which doesn't tend to be any help.

 

I've tried adding the license manually but you can't copy directly from TIF as it puts a [1] at the end of any file, then if you rename it, it certainly doesn't work.

 

Adding from a login script might work i guess, but i'll need to find out if the license works like that and if you can copy into a local settings folder, with it being 'hidden' etc. Also it's something i've not done before.

[jsnetman]

Give up on your futile attempts, I have spent the last six months trying to get XStandard working on mandatory profiles, it just does not play. The only way it will work for users is if you use local or roaming profiles. But if anyone does finds an answer I would be grateful.

[stu1892]

What have you tried jsnetman

[ahuxham]

1. Open the .man file in regedit, import it into the hive

2. Create a Folder on a server somewhere, with everyone permissions for read/write

3. Find the reference to Tempory Internet Files in the profile Under Microsoft > Windows > Current Version > Shell Folders etc etc, and move Temp Internet Files to that location. I.e. \\servername\share\temp etc etc.

 

Don't forget to unload the hive. Load the profile up with an account, and everything Temp Internet will be written to that folder, and remain there. May be worth just deleting the content every now and again.

[jsnetman]

What have you tried jsnetman

 

It was over a year ago that I was frustratingly trying to get this to work, tried most of what has already been mentioned apart from altering the profile to direct the temp files to a shared location, I will give it a go and see what happens but I'm not holding my breath.

[stu1892]

ahuxham, i'm struggling to play about with what you said.

 

While checking something else i noticed an open profile with an ntuser.ini.

 

took a look inside and seen this;

 

[General]

ExclusionList=Local Settings;Temporary Internet Files;History;Temp

I don't want it to exclude local settings or TIF.

 

If i can find where these things are excluded i might be on to something.

[tosh74]

We had the same problem and ended up installing X-Standard onto the local machines. PM me for a copy of X-Special -zipped file is 6Mb

[jsnetman]

I also tried installing it on the workstations, still does not work with man profiles.

[tosh74]

I also tried installing it on the workstations, still does not work with man profiles.

 

Did you get the X-Special.exe ?

[jsnetman]

Where do I get the X-special.exe from?

[stu1892]

It seems to have worked in the fact that the bar comes up, but because the license is different the functions don’t work correctly.

 

I even replaced the license file with our license that downloads when you open the page. Pops up with a message saying “web Services URLs must be listed in the license file. Add additional URLs at http://xstandard.com”

 

If you have any ideas about that I’d be grateful.

[tosh74]

It seems to have worked in the fact that the bar comes up, but because the license is different the functions don’t work correctly.

 

I even replaced the license file with our license that downloads when you open the page. Pops up with a message saying “web Services URLs must be listed in the license file. Add additional URLs at http://xstandard.com”

 

If you have any ideas about that I’d be grateful.

 

Stu

 

Does this mean that the menu buttons are shown but greyed out ?

[stu1892]

they are shown and you can click on them and the message i mentioned above turns up. Even with our license in that folder. (unless the license changes all the time.) At least it's another thing to say to the people who designed the site.

 

It should come up with some sort of browser window to browse for pictures and you should be able to drag them in.

[stu1892]

Just to mention i tried that ntuser.ini file thing and hacked the registry to try and get the current user to copy across TIF and Local Settings to the roaming profile. It worked, but it doesn't copy the contents!!!!!!!! Edited December 4, 2008 by stu1892

[elsiegee40]

Is it possible to fudge this by manually copying the temporary files into the mandatory profile?

[stu1892]

Tried it but you can't copy TIF to a server from what i've seen / tried. Also, when you manually move them it changes the file name from "filename.ext" to "filename[1].ext" for some reason.

If you rename the ones that you think you need i think it changes it's validity somehow too as if it's in tif folder you can't get security or sharing settings etc. Like they're locked.

[stu1892]

Thought i'd post what i had done as i forgot to due to all the festivities!

 

Pending further testing, the editor issue has been fixed.

 

After creating a profile we usually make the profile mandatory by renaming the ntuser.dat file ntuser.man.

If the profile is mandatory it's not holding the license or allowing access to the license already downloaded.

 

I have got round this after creating the profile and making sure no one is logged on at the time using that profile. instead of renaming the ntuser file, i have now edited security permissions on the file.

 

I changed these settings for 'Users', so any domain users without admin privileges don't have rights to write to it. I denied all write related permissions through the advanced section of security.

This in essence makes the profile read only but you can write during the session meaning you get the license as any of the users. Then at logoff, no changes are saved.