Profiles question - Difference between, Mandatory vs Roaming, + Windows 7

[superfletch]

I could do with a really good clear and concise explanation of the difference between a roaming and a mandatory profile. I'm sure it is dictated by the ntuser.man/dat files but I don't know the implications or how it all works really.

 

Which is better and why?

 

Also - what is the difference between them in Windows 7? How do you make a shared profile for W7? What else should you redirect / not redirect for a good W7 deployment?

 

Sorry, I guess it's a lot to ask for in 1 post.

 

TIA edugeek.

[SYNACK]

Roaming profiles allow the user to customize things that are not locked down with GPO and the whole thing registry fragments and all are stored on the server and downloaded/uploaded each time. These are used for single users.

 

Mandatory profiles are usually used for a group of users and the registry is locked from changes by renaming ntuser to a .man. In order to make one of these in Windows 7 you need to follow these steps How to customize the default local user profile when you prepare an image of Windows Vista, Windows Server 2008, Windows 7, and Windows Server 2008 R2 they are longwinded and involve sysprepping a machine but if you don't things like registry perms will be broken.

 

Which is better depends on your setup and your goals but in general mandatory is better for students as it is quicker, harder to break and uses less room on a server.

 

As to folder redirection it depends on what programs you run as some (Acrobat) fil with redirected appdata and stuff like teacher laptops with cached profiles can limit how much you can redirect. In general the more you redirect, the faster the logon but also more reliance on a fast, responcive network.