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Guide to Microsoft® Windows NT® 4.0 Profiles and Policies

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This guide provides information and procedures for implementing Microsoft®

Windows NT® 4.0 Profiles and Policies on client workstations and servers. A

Microsoft Windows NT 4.0 User Profile describes the Windows NT

configuration for a specific user, including the user’s environment and

preference settings. A System Policy is a set of registry settings that together

define the computer resources available to a group of users or an individual.

With the addition of System Policies and the new User Profile structure to

Windows NT 4.0, network administrators have a greater ability to control the

user environment than they have ever had before.

Abstract

This document provides the details that administrators need to know to

implement a rollout of User Profiles and System Policies under Windows NT

4.0. Although the primary emphasis is Windows NT, this paper also discusses

how User Profiles are handled with WindowsÒ 95 clients and how the two

platforms differ. You should use this guide in conjunction with your

Windows NT 4.0 documentation and Resource Kits.

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Introduction ........................................................................................

TCO and the User

CONTENTS

Profiles, Policies, and the Zero Administration Kit

What are User Profiles and System Policies?

Before You Begin

Key Terminology

Technical Notes

Establishing User Profiles – An Overview .........................................

Creating and Administering User Profiles

User Profile Structure

Configuration Preferences Stored in the Registry Hive

Configuration Preferences Stored in Profile Directories

Windows NT 4.0 and Windows 95 User Profile Differences

How User Profiles Are Handled in Windows 95

User Profile Planning and Implementation

Setting Permissions for User Profiles

Encoding Permissions in the User Profile

Selecting a Location to Save User Profiles

Setting Persistent Connections

Working Around Slow Network Links

Creating and Maintaining User Profiles............................................ 1

Creating a New Roaming User Profile for Windows NT 4.0

Creating a New Mandatory User Profile for Windows NT 4.0

Making a Roaming Profile Mandatory in Windows NT 4.0

Changing the User’s Ability to Modify a Profile

Enforcing the Use of the Server-based Profile

Creating a New Roaming User Profile for a Windows 95 User

Creating a New Mandatory User Profile for Windows 95

Maintaining User Profiles with Control Panel System Properties

Deleting Profiles

Changing the Profile Type from Roaming to Local

Determining Which Profile Is Displayed

Copying Profiles

Viewing the Contents of the Profiles Directory on a Local Computer

Log Files Used by Profiles

The All Users Shared Profile

Default User Template Profiles

Profile Names and Storage in the Registry

Manually Administering a User Profile through the Registry

Modifying the Default User Profile

Upgrading Windows NT 3.5x Server-based Profiles to Windows NT 4.0

Roaming Profiles

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Upgrading Windows NT 3.5x Mandatory Profiles to Windows NT 4.0

Mandatory Profiles

Extracting a User Profile for Use on Another Domain or Machine

Creating Profiles Without User-Specific Connections

Troubleshooting User Profiles with the UserEnv.log File

System Policy – An Introduction....................................................... 35

System Policy Files

Policy Replication

How Policies Are Applied

Additional Implementation Considerations

The System Policy Editor.................................................................. 39

Installing the System Policy Editor on a Windows NT Workstation

Installing the System Policy Editor on a Windows 95 Computer

Updating the Registry with the System Policy Editor

System Policy Editor Template (.Adm) Files

Configuring Policy Settings

Setting Folder Paths Back to Defaults

Creating a System Policy

Creating Alternate Folder Paths

Setting Up Shortcuts for Server-based Profiles

Deploying Policies for Windows NT 4.0 Machines

Deploying Policies for Windows 95 Machines

Modifying Policy Settings on Stand-Alone Workstations

Creating a Custom .Adm File

Configuring System Policies Based on Geographic Location

Clearing the Documents Available List

Building Fault Tolerance for Custom Shared Folders

Registry Keys Modified by the System Policy Editor Default

Templates.......................................................................................... 54

Default User Settings

Control Panel Display Application

Wallpaper

Color Scheme

Start Menu Run Command

Settings Folders

Settings Taskbar

Start Menu Find Command

My Computer Drive Icons

Network Neighborhood Icon

Network Neighborhood Display

Network Neighborhood Workgroup Contents

Desktop Display

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Start Menu Shut Down Command

Saved Settings

Registry Editing Tools

Windows Applications Restrictions

Custom Programs

Custom Desktop Icons

Start Menu Subfolders

Custom Startup Folder

Custom Network Neighborhood

Custom Start Menu

Shell Extensions

Explorer File Menu

Start Menu Common Program Groups

Taskbar Context Menus

Explorer Context Menu

Network Connections

Explorer Context Menu

Autoexec.bat

Logon Scripts

Task Manager

Welcome Tips

Default Computer Settings

Remote Update

Communities

Permitted Managers

Public Community Traps

Run Command

Drive Shares – Workstation

Drive Shares – Server

Printer Browse Thread

Server Scheduler

Error Beep

Authentication Retries

Authentication Time Limit

RAS Call-back Interval

RAS Auto-disconnect

Shared Programs Folder Path

Shared Desktop Icons Path

Shared Start Menu Path

Shared Startup Folder Path

Logon Banner

Logon Dialog Shut Down Button

Logon Name Display

Logon Scripts

Long File Names

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Extended Characters in 8.3 File Names

Read Only Files – Last Access Time

Cached Roaming Profiles

Slow Network Detection

Slow Network Timeout

Dialog Box Timeout

Registry Entries Not Included in the System Policy Editor............ 81

Autorun

Start Banner

For More Information......................................................................... 83

Appendix A –Flowcharts.................................................................... 84

User Profile Flowcharts

System Policy Flowchart

Appendix B - Implementing User Profiles ........................................ 90

Existing Windows NT 3.5x Roaming Profile

Migrating Windows NT 3.5x Roaming Profile to Windows NT 4.0 Roaming

Profile

Migrating Windows NT 3.5x Mandatory Profile to Windows NT 4.0 Mandatory

Profile

Migrating Windows NT 3.5x Mandatory Profile to Windows NT 4.0 Roaming

Profile

Creating a New Windows NT 4.0 Roaming Profile

Creating a New Windows NT 4.0 Mandatory Profile

Updating and Changing a Roaming Profile to a Mandatory Profile

Changing a Roaming Profile to a Mandatory Profile

Appendix C – Usage Notes............................................................... 93

Important Information for Administrators Regarding User Logons and User

Logoffs

Recent Updates to Profiles Since Retail Release

Recent Updates to Policies Since Retail Release

APPENDIX D – Related Knowledge Base Articles............................ 95

Profiles

Policies

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Not too many years ago, information technology professionals faced a serious

challenge in controlling the mounting costs of mainframe use. It seemed that

everyone—clerks, writers, developers, and systems administrators—all had

terminals and were using the system for everything from numbers crunching to

typing letters. Networks became bogged down, and IT professionals were given

the task of getting “nonessential operations” off the mainframe. Their decision

was to deploy personal computers in the enterprise—with emulation software for

mainframe access and local software for tasks where central processing or data

sharing were not required. Gradually, as PCs became more powerful, more and

more operations moved to the desktop. And as PC networking matured, many

businesses found that a PC-based network built on commodity hardware and

off-the-shelf software was their best business solution.

INTRODUCTION

Lately, however, we’ve come full circle on this. It seems that the total cost of

ownership (or TCO)—the real cost of maintaining a distributed personal com-

puter network—is far from trivial. TCO includes the initial capital cost of

hardware and software, deployment and configuration expense, costs associ-

ated with deploying hardware and software updates, training and retraining,

day-to-day maintenance and administration, and telephone and on-site techni-

cal support. With these escalating costs in mind, Microsoft and others are

working together on several initiatives to lower the total cost of ownership of

personal computers.

TCO and the User

One of the major costs highlighted in recent reports on Total Cost of Owner-

ship (TCO), is lost productivity at the desktop caused by user error, such as

changing the system configuration and rendering the computer unworkable, or

system distractions and complexities, for example too many features or nones-

sential applications installed on the desktop. To solve these problems, system

administrators need a means to control a user’s access to key configuration

files and to features and applications that are not required to do that user’s

particular job. To be successful, this means of control must be flexible and

customizable—the system administrator must be able to control the computer

configurations of individuals and groups of users based on user job responsi-

bilities and computer literacy.

Profiles, Policies, and the Zero Administration Kit

The Zero Administration Kit (ZAK) for the Microsoft Windows NT® version 4.0

operating system is designed to help the corporate administrator address

some of the issues arising from user operations. ZAK is a set of methodologies

for deploying Microsoft Windows NT 4.0 that greatly reduces the burden of

individual desktop management for task-based workers. With ZAK, system

administrators can establish user profiles, system policies, and security to re-

duce some of the administrative costs associated with managing end-users in

an enterprise network.

ZAK’s methodologies are based on the underlying technologies and capa-

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bilities of Windows NT 4.0, and as such these techniques can readily be

adapted to accommodate a corporation’s specific computing requirements. In

the near future, you will see additional TCO-reducing features appear in Micro-

soft Windows® 98, Windows NT 5.0, and Microsoft Systems Management

Server. Central to these features is the idea of centralized desktop control.

This is accomplished through User Profiles and System Policies—the subject

of this paper.

What are User Profiles and System Policies?

A Microsoft Windows NT 4.0 User Profile describes the Windows NT configu-

ration for a specific user, including the user’s environment and preference

settings. For example, those settings and configuration options specific to the

user—such as installed applications, desktop icons, color options, and so

forth—are contained in a User Profile. This profile is built in part from System

Policy information (for example, those things that a user has access to and

those things that the user can and cannot change) and in part from permitted,

saved changes that a user makes to customize his or her desktop.

A System Policy is a set of registry settings that together define the com-

puter resources available to a group of users or an individual. Policies define

the various facets of the desktop environment that a system administrator

needs to control, such as which applications are available, which applications

appear on the user’s desktop, which applications and options appear in the

Start menu, who can change attributes of their desktops and who cannot, and

so forth.

With the addition of System Policies and the new User Profile structure to

Windows NT 4.0, network administrators have a greater ability to control the

user environment than they ever have had before. Many of the requests that

customers submitted, including providing more options in controlling the user’s

desktop, accessibility to applications and system tools, minimizing administra-

tive overhead, and scalability enhancements, have been added. And, as with

every release, Microsoft encourages customer feedback on enhancements to

the Windows NT operating system.

This document provides the details that administrators need to implement a

rollout of User Profiles and System Policies under Windows NT 4.0. Although

the primary emphasis is Windows NT, this paper also discusses how User

Profiles are handled with Windows 95 clients and how the two platforms differ.

Before You Begin

Before proceeding with this document, we recommend that you read Chapters

3 and 4 of the Windows NT 4.0 Concepts and Planning Guide. In addition, you

should be familiar with the following terms and concepts.

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Key Terminology

Directory Replication

The copying of a master set of directories from a server (called the

export server) to specified servers or workstations (called import com-

puters) in the same or other domains. Replication simplifies the task

of maintaining identical sets of directories and files on multiple com-

puters, because only a single master copy of the data is maintained.

Files are replicated when they are added to an export directory and

each time a change is saved to one of the exported files.

Domain Structure

In Windows NT, a domain is a collection of computers defined by the

administrator of a Windows NT Server network that share a common

directory database. A domain provides access to the centralized user

accounts and group accounts maintained by the domain administra-

tor. Each domain has a unique name.

Home Directory

A home directory is a directory that is accessible to the user and con-

tains files and programs for that user. A home directory can be

assigned to a single user or to a group of users.

Local Profile

A local profile is specific to a computer. A user who has a local profile

on a particular computer can gain access to that profile only while

logged on to that computer.

Mandatory Profile

A mandatory profile is a preconfigured roaming profile that the user

cannot change. In most cases, these are assigned to a person or a

group of people for whom a common interface and standard configu-

ration is required.

NetLogon Service

For Windows NT Server, the NetLogon service authenticates domain

logons and keeps the domain’s directory database synchronized be-

tween the primary domain controller (PDC) and the backup domain

controllers (BDCs).

Regedt32.exe

The 32-bit version of the Registry Editor.

Registry

The registry is a database where Windows NT internal configuration

information and machine- and user-specific settings are stored.

Registry Hive

A hive is a section of the registry that is saved as a file. The registry

subtree is divided into hives (named for their resemblance to the cel-

lular structure of a beehive). A hive is a discrete body of keys,

subkeys, and values.

Roaming Profile

A roaming profile is stored on a network share and can be accessed

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from any computer. A user who has a roaming profile can log on to

any computer for which that profile is valid and access the profile.

(Note that a profile is only valid on the platform for which it was cre-

ated—for example, a Windows NT 4.0 profile cannot be used on a

Windows 95 computer.)

Roaming User

A roaming user is a user who logs on to the network from different

computers at different times. This type of user may use a kiosk or may

share a bank of computers with other users. A roaming user stores his

or her user profile on a network share, and can log on to any net-

worked computer and access that profile.

System Policy

A System Policy is a set of registry settings that together define the

computer resources available to a group of users or an individual. You

create system policies with the System Policy Editor. System policies

allow an administrator to control user work environments and actions,

and to enforce system configurations.

%systemroot%

An environment variable that expands to become the root directory

containing Windows NT files. The directory name is specified when

Windows NT is installed (normally, this directory name is c:\winnt).

%systemroot%\profiles

A folder in the root directory that contains the user profiles for each

user of the computer.

%username%

An environment variable that expands to become the user account ID

for the current logged on user. This identifies the user account to

Windows NT.

Technical Notes

Several portions of this guide refer to registry locations that allow you to

change certain behaviors of Windows NT and modify settings. For this reason,

we include the following warning.

Caution:

Using Registry Editor incorrectly can cause system-wide problems that may require you to reinstall

Windows NT to correct them. Microsoft cannot guarantee that any problems resulting from the use of

Registry Editor can be resolved.

In addition, portions of this guide refer to a registry hive called NTuser.xxx. In

instances where this is used, .xxx can be replaced with either .dat or .man.

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A Microsoft Windows NT 4.0 User Profile describes the Windows NT configu-

ration for a specific user, including the user’s environment and preference

settings. A User Profile can be local, roaming, or mandatory. A local profile is

specific to a given computer. A user who creates a local profile on a particular

computer can gain access to that profile only while logged on to that computer.

Conversely, a roaming profile is stored on a network share and can be ac-

cessed from any networked computer. A user who has a roaming profile can

log on to any networked computer for which that profile is valid and access the

profile. A mandatory profile is a preconfigured roaming profile that the user

cannot change. As a system administrator, you may want to use mandatory

profiles for a group of people who require a common interface and standard

configuration.

ESTABLISHING USER

PROFILES – AN

OVERVIEW

One of the primary goals of User Profiles is to allow a user’s system and

desktop customizations to travel with the user from computer to computer,

without requiring the user to reconfigure any settings. When a user logs on to

any computer that supports his or her roaming profile, the desktop appears—

just as the user left it the last time he or she logged off. With roaming user sup-

port, users can share computers, but each user has his or her personal

desktop on any computer in the network (both roaming and mandatory profiles

support this functionality).

Creating and Administering User Profiles

User Profiles can be created and administered in several different ways as will

be described next. Note that as a system administrator, you determine whether

users can modify their profiles.

You create a User Profile that is not modifiable for a particular user or

group (this is a mandatory profile).

You establish a network Default User Profile that applies to all new users

on Windows NT 4.0 computers. After downloading this default profile and

logging on, the user can customize the profile (provided that it is not man-

datory).

You allow a new user to use the local Default User Profile on the

Windows NT 4.0 computer where the user logs on. After logging on, the

user can customize the profile (provided that it is not mandatory).

You copy a template User Profile, and assign the copy to a user. The user

can then customize the profile (provided that it is not a mandatory profile).

Profiles can be stored on a network server or cached on the local machine.

(Cached profiles are located in the \%systemroot%\Profiles directory.) Caching

a profile reduces the total time to log on and load the profile; however, in a

roaming user or kiosk environment, this approach may not be optimal. This

option is controlled by the administrator.

User Profile Structure

A User Profile is comprised of a Windows NT registry hive and a set of profile

directories. The registry is a database used to store machine- and user-specific

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settings, and portions of the registry can be saved as files, called hives. These

hives can then be reloaded for use as necessary. User Profiles take advantage

of the hive feature to provide roaming profile functionality.

The User Profile registry hive is the NTuser.dat in file form, and is mapped

to the HKEY_CURRENT_USER portion of the registry when the user logs

on.The NTuser.dat hive maintains the user’s environment preferences when

the user is logged on. It stores those settings that maintain network connec-

tions, Control Panel configurations unique to the user (such as the desktop

color and mouse), and application-specific settings. The series of profile di-

rectories store shortcut links, desktop icons, startup applications, and so forth.

Together, these two components record all user-configurable settings that can

migrate from computer to computer. Details are provided below.

Configuration Preferences Stored in the Registry Hive

The NTuser.dat file contains the following configuration settings.

Windows NT Explorer settings. All user-definable settings for Windows NT

Explorer, as well as persistent network connections.

Taskbar. All personal program groups and their properties, all program

items and their properties, and all taskbar settings.

Printer settings. All network printer connections.

Control Panel. All user-defined settings made in the Control Panel.

Accessories. All user-specific application settings affecting the

Windows NT environment, including: Calculator, Clock, Notepad, Paint,

and HyperTerminal, among others.

Help bookmarks. Any bookmarks placed in the Windows NT Help system.

Configuration Preferences Stored in Profile Directories

The profile directories are designed to contain the following configuration

settings.

Application data. Application-specific data, such as a custom dictionary for

a word processing program. Application vendors decide what data to store

in this directory.

Desktop. Desktop items, including files and shortcuts.

Favorites. Shortcuts to program items and favorite locations.

NetHood.* Shortcuts to Network Neighborhood items.

Personal. Shortcuts to program items. Also a central store for any docu-

ments that the user creates. Applications should be written to save files

here by default.

PrintHood.* Shortcuts to printer folder items.

Recent. Shortcuts to the most recently used items.

SendTo. Shortcuts to document storage locations and applications.

Start Menu. Shortcuts to program items.

Templates.* Shortcuts to template items.

* These directories are hidden by default. To see these directories, change the View Options.

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Windows NT 4.0 and Windows 95

User Profile Differences

Windows 95 Profiles are very similar in behavior to Windows NT 4.0 Profiles, but

there are some differences.

Unlike Windows NT 4.0, Windows 95 downloads and writes User Profiles to

the user’s home directory. When the Windows 95 user first logs on, the UNC

path specified in the user account’s home directory path is checked for the

Windows 95 User Profile. You can modify this behavior, however. See the Win-

dows 95 Resource Kit for more information.

Windows 95 and Windows NT 4.0 User Profiles have the following addi-

tional functional differences:

Windows 95 does not support common groups.

Windows 95 can be configured to copy only the shortcut (.lnk) and Pro-

gram Information Files (.pif) when the User Profile is downloaded,

whereas Windows NT downloads all file, shortcut, and directory objects.

Windows 95 User Profiles do not support a centrally stored Default User

Profile.

Windows 95 uses different files for the registry portion of User Profiles.

(Refer to the following table.) Windows 95 and Windows NT 4.0 profiles

are not interchangeable, primarily because the registry hive, which is a key

component of the User Profile, is incompatible between operating system

versions.

Windows NT 4.0 file

NTuser.dat

Equivalent Windows 95 file

User.dat

NTuser.dat.log

NTuser.man

User.da0

User.man

NOTE: The Windows 95 User.da0 and Windows NT 4.0 Ntuser.dat.log, while equivalent, provide

slightly different functionality. Windows 95 writes a copy of User.dat to User.da0 each time the user

logs off. Windows NT uses the Ntuser.dat.log file as a transaction log file. This allows for fault toler-

ance in the event that a User Profile must be recovered.

Windows 95 and Windows NT 4.0 file structures are identical with the ex-

ception of the Application Data directory. Windows 95 does not support

this directory.

Windows 95 User Profiles can be stored on NetWare servers. For more in-

formation on configuring a client with a Primary Network Logon of Client for

NetWare Networks, see the chapter “Windows 95 on NetWare Networks” in

the Windows 95 Resource Kit. For more information on configuring a client that

uses Microsoft Service for NetWare Directory Services, see the online Help

that accompanies the service.

How User Profiles Are Handled in Windows 95

When a user logs on to a Windows 95 machine, the local profile path,

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Profile

List, is checked for an existing entry for that user:

If the user has an entry in this registry location, Windows 95 checks for a lo-

cally cached version of the user’s profile. Windows 95 also checks the user’s

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home directory (or other specified directory if the location has been modified)

on the server for the User Profile. If a profile exists in both locations, the newer

of the two is used. If the User Profile exists on the server, but does not exist on

the local machine, the profile on the server is downloaded and used. If the

User Profile only exists on the local machine, that copy is used.

If a User Profile is not found in either location, the Default User Profile from

the Windows 95 machine is used and is copied to a newly created folder for

the logged on user. At log off, any changes that the user made are written to

the user’s local profile. If the user has a roaming profile, the changes are writ-

ten to the user’s profile on the server.

User Profile Planning and Implementation

A successful implementation of User Profiles requires planning and prepara-

tion. Before creating User Profiles, consider the following:

How much of the user environment do you wish to control? Would System

Policies—either in conjunction with User Profiles, or by themselves—be a

better solution?

Will users be required to use a specific set of desktop folders and envi-

ronment settings?

Will users be able to make modifications to their profiles?

What features will you be implementing in User Profiles? Optional features

include persistent network connections, custom icons, backgrounds, and

so on.

For roaming profiles, will users be allowed to use the default profile from

the client workstation or will a standardized server-based default profile be

used instead?

Where will the profiles be stored, and is there enough drive space to store

them?

Where do existing user home directories reside?

How will shortcuts and links be displayed for the user?

What are the speeds of the links between the clients and the server stor-

ing the profiles?

These issues are examined more fully in the following paragraphs. For more

information, refer to the Windows NT Server Concepts and Planning Guide.

Setting Permissions for User Profiles

When troubleshooting or preparing for a rollout of User Profiles, you should

pay careful attention to permissions at the Windows NT File System (NTFS)

and share levels. If the profile is mandatory, the user account should have at

least Read permissions on the network share where that user’s User Profile is

stored. If the user’s profile is roaming, the user must have Change permissions

(or better) because the client will need to write the changes back to the central

profile on the shared network drive when the user logs off. If roaming profiles

are stored on an NTFS partition, you can choose to remove the Delete permis-

sion from the default Change permissions at the NTFS level.

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NOTE: Directories containing roaming User Profiles need at least Add and Read permissions for profiles

to be read correctly. If you use Add permissions only, when Windows NT checks for the existence of the

profile it will fail because it looks for the path first, and if Read rights are not given, the check will fail.

Permissions are also important on a client machine where the user is log-

ging on interactively. If Windows NT is installed in an NTFS partition on the

client computer, and the user does not have at least the default permissions as

outlined in the Windows NT Server Concepts and Planning Guide (page 132),

errors can occur. For example, if permissions are incorrect on the root of the

system directory, the following message appears: “Can’t access this folder—

the path is too long.” A blank desktop is displayed, and the user’s only option is

to log off.

If permissions are set incorrectly in the %systemroot%, %system-

root%\System, %systemroot%\System32, or %systemroot%\System32\Config

directories, the following message appears: “Unable to log you on because

your profile could not be loaded.”

Encoding Permissions in the User Profile

The registry portion of the User Profile, NTuser.xxx, is encoded with the user

or group that has permission to use that profile. Once this is saved, you can

use the Registry Editor to modify this information if you want to change the

permissions on a profile without replacing it.

To change encoded User Profile information:

1. Follow the instructions to manually edit a profile: (Refer to the section

“Administering a User Profile Manually through the Registry” later in this

document).

2. Change the permissions on the root of the key to include users and groups

who will have permission to use the profile.

3. Unload the hive.

Selecting a Location to Save User Profiles

As with Windows NT 3.5x, you can place a roaming profile in any shared di-

rectory, and then configure the user account profile path to point to the profile.

The Profiles directory in the system root stores local User Profiles, “All Users”

profile settings (which apply to any user who uses the computer), the “Default

User” profile, and cached User Profiles of domain users. You should avoid

using the %systemroot%\Profiles directory in the domain users’ profile path as

a location to store server-based profiles, whether they are roaming or manda-

tory. (The path should allow the user’s profile to roam with the user and be

available on any networked computer that the user logs on to. If you specify a

path to the %systemroot%\Profiles directory, the client computer always uses

the local profile instead.)

Windows NT 4.0 profiles can be saved on any Windows NT 3.5x or 4.0

server because the client computer uses the path where the profile is stored

only as a location to download the profile and to write the modified user profile

at log off. This allows profiles to be stored on any shared network drive. The

process of downloading the profile is controlled by the client computer—all the

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client needs is the correct path. Note that storing profiles on a Windows NT 4.0

Server makes it easier for the administrator to open a user’s NTuser.dat file to

make any necessary modifications. You can also store User Profiles on Novell

Servers provided that the client is configured correctly and can access the pro-

file path.

If a client is not receiving a User Profile at logon, use the Start menu Run

command to check the profile path. For example, to see if you can locate the

profile, type \\server\share\mydomainuser. If the path to the user’s profile con-

tains spaces, put quotation marks around the path when you type it in the Run

command box.

Except in the case of mandatory profiles or when a slow network is de-

tected, any changes to the user’s profile are saved to the central profile when

the user logs off. (Because users cannot modify mandatory profiles, changes

do not need to be written to the server.)

NOTE: In situations where the same user account logs on to multiple machines, the last user to log off

dictates the profile settings because that user was the last one to write data to the profile. Similarly, if a

group of users all point to the same profile, the final logoff settings are saved and will overwrite previous

settings.

If the User Profile is flagged as a local profile and is not mandatory, any

changes the user makes while logged on are written to the locally cached ver-

sion of the profile, but not to the server-based copy.

NOTE: You should not make the home directory and User Profile path the same. If the profile path encom-

passes the home directory path and the server-based profile is more recent than the local profile on the

workstation, all directories and files that exist in the user’s home directory will be copied to the user’s

workstation at logon. These files are then written back to the server (if modified) when the user logs off.

This process occurs at each logon. In addition, even if the user logs off and the administrator deletes all

of the unnecessary files from the home directory, the versions of these files that reside on the workstation

will not be deleted at logon and will be written back to the server again at log off. This file copy process is

avoided if you place the profile in a subdirectory of the home directory, as follows:

\\server\share\domainuser\profile.

Setting Persistent Connections

Persistent connections are stored in the User Profiles registry hive under the

Network subkey. If you create a template User Profile that includes persistent

connections and you have to supply credentials when making those connec-

tions, the credentials—with the exception of the password you used—are

stored in the User Profile. When the new user receives the template User Pro-

file, these saved credentials are passed (as opposed to the logged on user’s

credentials), and the connection may fail.

There are three methods to correct this:

1. You can recreate the profile without supplying alternate credentials when

connecting to network resources, or

2. Using Registry Editor (Regedt32.exe), use blank spaces to erase the

contents of the USERNAME value under

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Network\drive letter. (Do not delete the value—

just fill it with blank spaces.) Save the profile. For additional help, refer to

the section “Administering a User Profile Manually Through the Registry”

later in this document, or

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3. Delete the network connection and reconnect.

Working Around Slow Network Links

Slow Net (which is configured in System Policy) was designed to offer a user

faster access to his or her User Profile if the system detects a slower network

speed, such as a modem line connection. Instead of automatically download-

ing a profile that may be several hundred kilobytes to several megabytes large,

Slow Net gives the user the option of either downloading the profile or using

the locally cached version. If the cached file is used, it can significantly reduce

the time it takes to log on to the computer. To detect a slow network, the oper-

ating system computes the amount of time it takes to receive a response from

the server (which the profile path defines as part of the user account). As sys-

tem administrator, you can determine the allowable slow network speed. Use

the System Policy Editor to set this value.

If the user uses the Control Panel System application to change the profile

type to Local, then the cached copy of the User Profile is opened every time

the user logs on. Any changes that occur to the profile are written locally and

not to the server location.

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Creating a New Roaming User Profile for

Windows NT 4.0

To create a new roaming User Profile, you must first determine where the

user’s profile will be stored. You then must create a user account (if one

doesn’t already exist), and specify a User Profile path. Finally, you must spec-

ify whether a given user will use a specific profile or can use a default profile.

These procedures are described below.

CREATING AND

MAINTAINING USER

PROFILES

To create a new roaming user profile:

1. If a location has not already been prepared, create a directory on the

server and establish a network share. Give the user a minimum of Change

permissions to the shared directory. (For more information on planning for

this type of user, read the sections “Selecting a Location to Save User

Profiles” and “Setting Permissions for User Profiles” earlier in this docu-

ment.) If your implementation stores user profiles within users’ home

directories, make the profile directory a subdirectory of the user’s home di-

rectory. (Note that this approach precludes the use of the %USERNAME%

variable.) To prevent the share from being browsable, append “$” to the

share name.

2. If this will be a domain user or if this will be a local account for a

Windows NT Server-based machine, use User Manager for Domains to

create the account. If this will be a Windows NT 4.0 Workstation account,

use the version of User Manager included in the Administrative Tools pro-

gram group. Refer to your operating system documentation and online

Help for procedures when using these tools. (Note that for this example,

the user account is mydomainuser.)

3. Enter the User Profile path. This is the location where the User Profile will

be stored, for example: \\myserver\myshare\mydomainuser.

Or, if the profile is being stored within the user’s home directory, use:

\\myserver\myshare\MyUsersHomeDir\profile.

4. If the user is to receive the Default User profile from the workstation where

he or she will interactively log on, no further administration is required.

If the user’s profile will be a copy of an existing user profile, refer to

Step 9. Otherwise, use User Manager to create an account for establish-

ing a template profile. So that you can easily identify this account, we

recommend that it be called TemplateUser.

5. Using the template account (TemplateUser), log on to the local machine or

domain. A new directory with the same name as the user name created in

Step 4 will be created in the %systemroot%\Profiles directory when you

first log on. For example, if the user name is TemplateUser, the resulting

directory name will be %systemroot%\Profiles\TemplateUser.

6. Modify any items that need to differ from the current default (for example,

you may choose to modify the background color or bitmap, shortcuts on

the desktop, and View options in My Computer).

7. Log off, and then log back on to the same computer using an account with

administrative privileges.

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8. Place the template profile in the appropriate location for the type of profile

distribution that will be used. (The template profile, including customiza-

tions, is stored initially in %systemroot%\Profiles\TemplateUser.)

If the template profile will be distributed manually to multiple users:

a) Create a directory where the template profile will be stored for

distribution to each user account created.

b) From the Windows NT-based machine hosting the template pro-

file to be used, log on as an administrator.

c) From the Control Panel, click System. From the User Profiles

page, use the Copy To option to enter the path of the directory

you just created.

d) Modify the permissions to allow the Everyone group to use the

profile. To do this, click the Change button, select the group, and

click OK.

e) Continue to Step 9.

If the template profile will be distributed via the Default User folder

on validating servers:

a) Create a Default User directory in the NETLOGON share (which

is %systemroot%\Repl\Import\Scripts by default) of validating do-

main controllers. This folder name must be named Default User or

the profile will not be downloaded from the server. To keep the

Default User profile consistent across domain controllers and to

ease administrative overhead, you can create this folder on one

computer and then use the directory replication service to export it

to all validating domain controllers.

b) If a user logs on and does not have an existing local or server-

based profile and your implementation uses the Default User

folder on validating domain controllers, Windows NT will check

the NETLOGON share for the Default User profile before it uses

the local default profile. (Workstations save the server Default

User profile on a local cache.) Windows NT will check the

time/date/size of the server copy against the locally cached copy

before downloading the server copy. And, if the files are identical,

Windows NT will use the local copy of the server Default User

profile.

c) Continue to Step 10.

9. In the \\server\share from Step 1, create the directory structure you speci-

fied as the path in Step 3. For example, create the directory

mydomainuser under \\myserver\myshare. If the profile is to be stored

within the user's home directory, use the directory structure

\mydomainuser\profile under \\myserver\myshare.

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10. Copy the profile appropriate to your implementation.

To copy an existing user’s profile to another user:

a) From the Windows NT-based machine hosting the profile to be

used, log on as an administrator.

b) From the Control Panel, click System. On the User Profiles page,

select the profile to be copied and use the Copy To option to en-

ter the path of the directory you created in Step 9.

c) Modify the permissions to reflect the proper account. To do this,

click the Change button, select the account, and click OK. Click

OK again to copy the profile.

To copy the template profile to the Default User folder on validating

domain controllers:

a) From the Windows NT-based machine hosting the profile to be

used, log on as an administrator.

b) From the Control Panel, click System. On the User Profiles page,

select the profile to be copied and use the Copy To option to en-

ter the path of the Default User directory on the validating domain

controller.

c) Modify the permissions to reflect the Everyone group. To do this,

click the Change button, select the account, and click OK. Click

OK again to copy the profile.

To copy a template profile manually to a number of users:

a) Copy the entire contents (files and subdirectories) from the direc-

tory containing the template user profile created in Step 8 to the

directory created in Step 9.

b) Repeat this for each of the user profile directories that will receive

the template user profile.

NOTES:

When entering the path to the target directory, you can use Uniform Naming Convention (UNC)

names. However, if you are going to use the Browse function to locate the target directory for the

profile, it is important that you first map a drive to the \\server\share where the profile will be stored.

The mydomainuser name shown in Step 2 does not have to be the user’s name. Many user accounts

or groups can be configured to point to the same profile. Of course, if the profile is shared by a

group of users and is not mandatory, as each user logs off, the user’s changes are written back to

the shared profile.

The profile does not need to be stored one directory below the server\share. The profile can be

nested several directories below, or the profile path can be local.

If the profile path points to a directory on the local machine, a share is not needed.

The variable %USERNAME% is replaced by the user name only once in the User Profile path in User

Manager, and it must be the last subdirectory in the path. However, extensions can still be added,

such as .usr or .man.

You can select any group or a specific user when setting the permissions. However, only the user or

group specified will be able to use the profile. For this reason, it is recommended that the Everyone

group be given permission to use template profiles.

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Once the above steps are completed, the user receives the appropriate

profile as follows:

If the user is to receive the Default User profile from a Windows NT 4.0-

based workstation, the workstation’s default profile is used when the user

first logs on. When the user logs off, the profile is automatically written to

the local cache and to the server-based profile.

If the user is to receive the Default User profile from the validating domain

controller, the default profile from the server is used when the user first

logs on. When the user logs off, this profile is automatically written to the

local cache and to the server-based profile.

In all other cases, the profile—including the folder trees and the

NTuser.xxx file originally included with the profile—is written to the user’s

profile directory. The permissions are also encoded into the binary

NTuser.xxx file.

Creating a New Mandatory User Profile for

Windows NT 4.0

To create a new mandatory User Profile:

1. If a location has not already been prepared, create a directory on the

server and establish a network share. Users who will have mandatory pro-

files need only Read permissions to the shared directory. (For more

information on planning for this type of user, read the sections “Selecting a

Location to Save User Profiles” and “Setting Permissions for User Profiles”

earlier in this document.) If your implementation stores user profiles within

users’ home directories, make the profile directory a subdirectory of the

user’s home directory. (Note that this approach precludes the use of the

%USERNAME% variable.) To prevent the share from being browsable,

append “$” to the share name.

2. If this will be a domain user or if this will be a local account for a

Windows NT Server, use User Manager for Domains to create the ac-

count. If this will be a Windows NT 4.0 Workstation account, use the

version of User Manager included in the Administrative Tools program

group. Refer to your operating system documentation and online Help for

procedures when using these tools. (Note that for this example, the user

account is mydomainuser.)

3. Enter the User Profile path. This is the location where the User Profile will

be stored, for example: \\myserver\myshare\mydomainuser.

Or, if the profile is being stored within the user’s home directory, use:

\\myserver\myshare\MyUsersHomeDir\profile.

4. Determine if an extension needs to be appended to the User Profile path.

If it will be mandatory that the user reads the profile from the server, and if

logon will be denied unless this is the case, add the extension .man to the

User Profile path; for example: \\myserver\myshare\mydomainuser.man.

5. Use User Manager to create an account for establishing the template pro-

file. So that you can easily identify this account, we recommend that it be

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called TemplateUser.

6. Using the template account (TemplateUser), log on to the local machine or

domain. A new directory with the same name as the user name created in

Step 2 will be created in the %systemroot%\Profiles directory when you

first log on. For example, if the user name is TemplateUser, the resulting

directory name will be %systemroot%\Profiles\TemplateUser.

7. Modify any items that need to differ from the current default (for example,

you may choose to modify the background color or bitmap, shortcuts on

the desktop, and View options in My Computer).

8. Log off, and then log back on to the same computer using an account with

administrative privileges.

9. In the \\server\share from Step 1, create the directory structure you speci-

fied as the path in Step 3. For example, you would need to create the

directory mydomainuser under \\myserver\myshare. Or, if the profile is

stored in the user’s home directory, you would need to create the directory

structure \mydomainuser\profile under \\myserver\myshare.

If you appended the .man extension to the User Profile path in Step 4,

append the .man suffix to the directory name for the folder where the pro-

file will be stored. The .man extension identifies a Windows NT 4.0

mandatory profile that must be accessible for the user to logon. For exam-

ple, if the user name is mydomainuser, the path to the mandatory profile

would be \\myserver\myshare\mydomainuser.man.

If you also have a mandatory Windows NT 3.5x profile for the user, use

the .pdm extension in place of the .man extension (for example,

\\myserver\myshare\mydomainuser.pdm). The .pdm extension is required

because the profile folder cannot have the same name as the

Windows NT 3.5x User Profile located in the same parent folder.

10. From the Windows NT-based machine hosting the template profile to be

used, log on as an administrator.

11. From the Control Panel, click System. From the User Profiles page, select

the profile to be copied and use the Copy To option to enter the path of

the directory you created in Step 9.

12. Modify the permissions to allow the user or group to use the profile. To do

this, click the Change button, select the account, and click OK. You can

select any group or specific user when setting the permissions; however

only the user or group specified will be able to use the profile.

The profile—including the folder trees and the NTuser.xxx file originally

included with the profile—is written to the location you designated. The

permissions are also encoded into the binary NTuser.xxx file.

13. In the directory that the profile was copied to in Step 3, check the

NTUSER.xxx file for the .man extension. If the extension is .dat, the profile

will still be modifiable. Change the extension to .man if necessary.

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NOTES:

When entering the path to the target directory, you can use universal naming convention (UNC)

names. However, if you are going to use the Browse function to locate the target directory for the

profile, it is important that you first map a drive to the \\server\share where the profile will be stored.

The mydomainuser name shown in Step 2 does not have to be the user’s name. Many user accounts

or groups can be configured to point to the same profile. Because this is a mandatory profile, this

may be the desired use of the profile since the administrator wants all the users in the group to re-

ceive the same settings.

The profile does not need to be stored one directory below the \\server\share. The profile can be

nested several directories below, or the profile path can be local.

If the profile path points to a directory on the local machine, a share is not needed.

The variable %USERNAME% is replaced by the user name only once in the User Profile path, in User

Manager, and it must be the last subdirectory in the path. However, extensions can still be added,

such as .usr or .man.

The %LOGONSERVER% variable can be used for mandatory profiles to provide fault tolerance. Do

not place double slashes ( \\) in front of %LOGONSERVER%; doing so will prevent the variable from

being read properly. See Microsoft Knowledge Base article Q141714 for more information.

You can use the TemplateUser account to test changes before making them available to users by

copying the adjusted profile directory to test accounts prior to rollout.

You can select any group or a specific user when setting the permissions. However, only the user or

group specified will be able to use the profile. For this reason, it is recommended that the Everyone

group be given permission to use template profiles.

Making a Roaming Profile Mandatory in

Windows NT 4.0

You have two options when configuring a mandatory roaming profile: you can

change the user’s ability to modify the User Profile, or you can change the

user’s ability to modify the User Profile and enforce the use of the server-

based profile at logon. With the second option, the user is not able to log on to

the system if the network profile is unavailable. Each of these procedures will

be explained more fully below.

Changing the User’s Ability to Modify a Profile

When creating a User Profile or at any time thereafter, you have the option of

enforcing whether or not the user can modify the profile by changing the ex-

tension on the NTuser.dat file. The NTuser.dat file is located in the root of the

user’s profile directory. If you change the name of this file to NTuser.man,

when Windows NT reads the profile, it marks the profile as read-only, and any

changes that the user makes while logged on are not written back to the

server-based profile when he or she logs off.

To change the user’s ability to make modifications to the User Profile

1. Locate the user’s profile in the account’s User Profile path.

2. While the user is logged off, rename the NTuser.dat file to NTuser.man.

(Note that if you make this change while the user is logged on, the user’s

copy of the profile will overwrite your changes, because at the time the

user logged on, he or she had permission to overwrite the profile.)

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Be cautious if you use the Explorer interface to make these changes. If

you have the “Hide file extensions for known file types” option enabled

(this is the default), be sure to check the properties to be sure that there

are not two extensions. For example, say you want to make a profile man-

datory and you use Explorer to rename the NTuser.dat file name to

NTuser.man. Because of the Hide extensions default, Explorer saves the

file as type .man, but does not display the .man extension. Later, you de-

cide to allow the user to make changes again, and through Explorer, you

rename the file back to NTuser.dat. However, because Explorer was hid-

ing that part of the file name that determines its type, the only thing you

rename is the prefix. The file name is now NTuser.dat.man. To avoid this

situation, you can either rename files from the command line or change

the behavior of Explorer.

Enforcing the Use of the Server-based Profile

In addition to enforcing the read-only property of a profile, the administrator

can duplicate the functionality that was available in Windows NT 3.5x of not

allowing the user to log on unless the server profile is available.

To enforce the use of the server-based profile for a given user:

1. Append the .man extension to the User Profile path in User Manager as

explained in the previous section. (Skip this step for users who have ex-

isting Windows NT 3.5x profiles and who already have the .man extension

appended to their profile paths.)

2. If the user already has a Windows NT 3.5x mandatory profile on the

server, change the name of the folder where the Windows NT 4.0 roaming

profile currently exists to foldername.pdm. If the user logs on to a

Windows NT 4.0-based workstation and the User Profile path contains

the .man extension, Windows NT will determine that a mandatory

Windows NT 3.5x profile exists and will automatically replace the .man

extension with .pdm and will look for the directory path configured in the

User Profile path. For example, at logon if the User Profile path is config-

ured to use \\server\share\username.man, Windows NT will look for

\\server\share\username.pdm for the correct profile to load.

If only the Windows NT 4.0 user profile exists, change the name of the

folder where the Windows NT 4.0 roaming profile exists to folder-

name.man. If the user logs on to a Windows NT 4.0-based workstation

and the User Profile path contains the extension .man, Windows NT will

look for the directory path configured in the User Profile path. If Win-

dows NT does not find the directory, it will replace the .man extension with

.pdm, and will check again.

3. If you haven't already done so, change the name of the NTuser.xxx file to

NTuser.dat. (Refer to the section, “Changing the User’s Ability to Modify a

Profile, ” in this document.)

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Creating a New Roaming User Profile for a

Windows 95 User

If you have Windows 95 users in your domain, you can create roaming user

profiles for them as well.

To create a roaming user profile for a Windows 95 user

1. On the client Windows 95-based computer, start Control Panel, and select

Passwords.

2. From the User Profiles property page, enable the option that allows users

to have individual profiles, and set the Primary Network Logon to Client

for Microsoft Networks.

3. Reboot the client machine.

4. Use User Manager for Domains to create the user account (if it does not

already exist). For the user’s home directory, specify the location where

the User Profile will be stored. An example would be:

This automatically creates a folder with the user name. If a dialog box is

displayed stating that the operation failed, create the folder manually be-

fore continuing.

5. Decide whether the user will receive a specific profile or if a default will be

used instead:

If the user will receive a specific profile, from the Windows 95-based

computer hosting the profile to be used, copy the complete contents of

the local Profile folder to the folder created in Step 4. This writes the

profile to the destination, including the folder trees and the User.xxx

file originally included with the profile.

If a default profile will be used, no administrative action is required.

When the user logs on, the Default User Profile from the local

Windows 95-based machine will be used. At log off, this profile will be

written to the user’s home directory with any customizations the user

has made.

NOTES:

If you need to troubleshoot problems with users not receiving their User Profiles, have the users

execute the command: NET USE * /HOME from the command prompt on the client machine. This

verifies that the user can access the home directory, and allows the user to verify that the User Pro-

file exists in that folder.

The profile does not need to be stored one directory below the \\server\share. The profile can be

nested several directories below, if desired.

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Creating a New Mandatory User Profile

for Windows 95

If you have Windows 95 users in your domain, you can create new mandatory

user profiles.

To create a mandatory user profile for a Windows 95 user:

1. On the client Windows 95-based computer, start Control Panel, and select

Passwords.

2. From the User Profiles property page, enable the option that allows users

to have individual profiles, and set the Primary Network Logon to Client

for Microsoft Networks.

3. Reboot the client machine.

4. Use User Manager for Domains to create the user account (if it does not

already exist). For the user’s home directory, specify the location where

the User Profile will be stored. An example would be:

This automatically creates a folder with the user name. If a dialog is dis-

played stating that the operation failed, create the folder manually before

continuing.

5. Copy the Template Profile that you are using for mandatory profiles to the

user’s home directory:

From the Windows 95-based machine hosting the mandatory, copy

the complete contents of the local Profile folder to the folder created

previously. This writes the profile to the destination, including the

folder trees and the User.xxx file originally included with the profile.

If you have not already done so, rename the User.dat file to

User.man.

At logon, the user will download the mandatory profile, cache it, and no

changes will be written back to the server at log off.

NOTES:

The profile does not need to be stored one directory below the \\server\share. The profile can be

nested several directories below, if desired.

Alternatively, a new profile can be made mandatory by the user logging on, logging off, and the

administrator changing the User.dat file to User.man.

Maintaining User Profiles with Control Panel

System Properties

In Windows NT 4.0, much of the functionality provided by individual tools in

Windows NT 3.5x has been consolidated in the Control Panel System Proper-

ties application. And System Properties, when used in conjunction with the

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System Policy Editor, provides even greater functionality than Windows NT

3.5x delivered. Some of the features of System Properties are described next.

NOTE: In Windows NT 3.5x, you used the User Profile Editor to modify User Profile properties. In

Windows NT 4.0, this tool has been replaced by a combination of the User Profile structure and System

Policies. User Profile Editor is not included in the Windows NT 4.0 package.

The User Profiles property sheet (shown in the figure below) allows you to

view the list of User Profiles. From there you can delete, copy, or modify the

profile type for each of the profiles listed. Note that the profiles listed are only

for those users who have interactively logged onto the local machine. User

profiles that have been created and not used or profiles that are stored for use

on remote machines are not included in this list. Furthermore, if a user does

not have administrative rights, only that user’s profile is listed. Administrators

have permissions to see all available profiles.

Deleting Profiles

The User Profiles property sheet allows users with administrator privileges to

delete unused profiles that still exist on a local computer. (In Windows NT 3.5x,

this function was available in the Main group of the Windows NT Setup pro-

gram.) To delete a User Profile, select the profile name and click the Delete

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button. This deletes the User Profile on the local machine, but it does not de-

lete the associated User Account. Note that sometimes the phrase “Account

Deleted” is present in the list of profiles. These are accounts that were deleted

from the User Account Database, but whose profiles still exist on the local

computer.

If you need to delete profiles on remote computers, the Delprof.exe utility

available in the Windows NT Server Resource Kit, version 4.0, provides this

functionality. Windows NT 4.0 User Profiles can grow quite large and can take

up considerable disk space, particularly if several people are using one com-

puter. With Delprof.exe, you can reclaim disk space by removing profiles that

are no longer needed. This utility deletes User Profiles on computers running

Windows NT, and it can be used on a local or remote computer running

Windows NT 4.0 or earlier. However, because Delprof.exe is Unicode-based, it

cannot run on Windows 95.

NOTE: Delprof.exe will delete everything contained in a user's profile, including settings, colors, and user

documents. Please be aware of any user documents that may be deleted before using this tool.

The syntax of Delprof.exe is as follows:

delprof [/q] [/i] [/p] [/c:\\computername] [/d:days] [/?]

Where:

Runs Delprof.exe in quiet mode, with no confirma-

tion for each profile to be deleted.

Indicates that Delprof.exe should ignore errors and

continue deleting.

Prompts for confirmation before deleting each pro-

file.

/c:\\computername Specifies a remote computer name on which to run

Delprof.exe.

/d:days

Specifies the number of days of inactivity (days is

an integer). Profiles with longer inactivity will be

deleted.

Displays command-line syntax.

See the Windows NT Server Resource Kit for more information.

It is important to note that if a user is logged on locally to a machine and

then attempts to delete his or her own profile, a message will appear stating

that the profile is currently in use and cannot be deleted. The user must log off,

log back on using a different account with administrator privileges, and delete

the profile. In addition, if a service is running for a particular user account, the

same message may appear. If this happens, stop the service and then delete

the profile.

Changing the Profile Type from Roaming to Local

With the User Profiles Change Type feature, a user can control which copy of

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the User Profile (local or roaming) is read when he or she logs on. (Note that

the user can do this interactively while logged on.) Users do not need adminis-

trative privileges to change which profile is used if the profile is not a

mandatory profile.

Valid profile types are:

Local Profile—A local profile is maintained on the local computer.

This option allows the user to specify that the once “roaming” profile is

now “local” to this machine. Although the remote profile is still avail-

able, if the Local Profile option is selected, the locally cached profile

will be used instead. The user should be aware that if he or she

makes changes to the profile, those changes will be saved in the lo-

cally cached version only and will not be replicated in the server-

based profile. Note that the system can choose this selection auto-

matically if the server-based profile is unavailable.

Roaming Profile—If the user selects the roaming profile and the

roaming profile is available, Windows NT determines whether the

server or local copy is newer. If the local copy is newer, the user is

asked to choose which copy he or she would like to use. Note that if

the system detects a slow network link, the user will be given this

same choice of profiles. The Roaming Profile selection is available if:

There is a valid path specified in the User Profile path portion of

the user account properties, and

The User Profile path is accessible at the time of logon.

Roaming Profile with “Use cached profile on slow connec-

tions”—If a user selects this option, he or she is not asked which

copy to use with a slow connection. Instead, the system uses the lo-

cally cached copy automatically.

If a user has a roaming profile, it is possible for that user to change the

mode to Local and have Windows NT use the local version always, even

though the roaming profile is still available. However, a user cannot do this if

the system administrator assigns that user a mandatory profile and has added

the .man extension to the user’s profile path.

Determining Which Profile Is Displayed

There may be cases where users who have identical names but are from dif-

ferent domains will log on to the same machine. If this occurs, you will notice

several directories that start with the same prefix in the %systemroot%\Profiles

directory tree. You can use the User Profiles property page to determine which

file is associated with which user, as follows:

1. Compare the Modified and Size properties to those of the actual directo-

ries. The Size property displayed in User Profiles is the total size of the

directory residing in the profiles tree, not the size of the NTuser.xxx file

alone. Match the directory sizes in the profiles tree to the number dis-

played on the User Profiles property page.

2. If the user is currently logged on, right-click the Start button. If context

menus have not been disabled, select the option to Explore and Explorer

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will open to the profile directory used by that account.

3. If you don’t know when the user last logged on, look for the NTuser.dat file

with a time and date stamp that matches the Modified date displayed in

the User Profiles property page.

Copying Profiles

Use the User Profiles Copy To button to copy existing profiles from the local

machine to another profile directory on the same machine or to a remote

server where server-based User Profiles are stored. The Copy To dialog box

(see the figure below) performs two functions. First, the Copy profile to option

provides a Browse button that enables you to view local and remote drives to

select the directory where the profile should be copied. In addition, the dialog

provides a Permitted to Use option that allows you to select the user account

or group that has permission to use the profile.

When the permissions are written to the profile, they are stored in the

NTuser.xxx file. When a new profile is created, the user that created the profile

is given permission to use that profile. However, those with administrator per-

missions can use the Change button or the Registry Editor to change these

permissions.

When you click the Browse button, the following dialog box appears. It is

important to note that this dialog does not allow you to create directories. You

must create the required directories before you copy the profile.

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Viewing the Contents of the Profiles Directory

on a Local Computer

All locally cached versions of User Profiles are stored in the profiles subdirec-

tory of the Windows NT root directory. The profiles subdirectory maintains

each user’s profile separately by generating a specific directory for each user.

Within that directory, the registry hive, NTuser.dat, and the rest of the profile

structure folders are kept. If a user is allowed to view context menus or has

administrator privileges, the user can right-click the Start button, click the Ex-

plore option, and have the Explorer window automatically open to his or her

profile directory with the contents displayed. In addition, administrators can

click the Explore All Users option to display the All Users profile directory.

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You may notice that in a given user’s profile directory, there are more files

and directories than those listed in the example above. This may be due to the

files and directories created by the user. For example, when the user logs on, if

the server-based profile is found to be more recent than the one on the local

computer, the entire contents of the User Profile path is copied to the client

workstation and is then written back to the server when the user logs off. If the

user has saved any documents in the home directory and the home directory is

in the user’s User Profile path, the documents become part of the User Profile.

These documents are downloaded when you log on to the network and written

back to the server when you log off the network. Note that this process could

slow down the logon process considerably.

Log Files Used by Profiles

Log files are binary files that track changes to a profile. As changes are made,

they are recorded in a log file and then written to NTuser.xxx. If for some rea-

son, the changes cannot be recorded in NTuser.xxx, they are applied at the

next logon. When a user makes a change to his or her profile, the change is

made to the user's locally cached profile, even if a mandatory profile is in use.

(In this case, the changes are not propagated to the server copy and are

overwritten the next time the user logs on.) If the user has a roaming User Pro-

file, when the user logs off, the NTuser.dat file is copied to the server and the

changes are saved (unless the profile is being used in a local mode).

The All Users Shared Profile

The All Users profile directory contains common groups that apply to all users

logging on locally to a given workstation. When a user logs on, programs and

shortcuts from the All Users profile are also available to the user—in addition

to the user’s personal User Profile programs and shortcuts. Note that the All

Users profile on a domain controller does not apply to domain users logging on

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at remote workstations. The All Users profile is workstation-specific and con-

tains the common groups for just that computer. If you want to specify

programs, shortcuts, or directories to be used by everyone who logs on to a

specific workstation, you should place these in the All Users profile directory.

If you need to establish domain-wide common groups and settings, use the

System Policy Editor to modify registry entries on remote workstations so that

they point to server directories for common groups, as opposed to pointing to

the local All Users profile. Later, if you need to remove the domain-wide set-

tings and have remote users point to the All Users profile from the local

workstations once again, you’ll need to change the default path used in the

System Policy Editor to:

%systemroot%\Profiles\All Users\Start Menu\Programs

Refer to the System Policy portion of this guide for specific procedures.

Default User Template Profiles

During Windows NT 4.0 Workstation installation, the setup program creates a

generic User Profile, the Default User, and saves it in a folder in the profiles

directory. These default settings define an environment for new users who log

on to the computer locally or who log on to a domain that does not contain a

network Default User profile. When a new user logs on, a profile directory is

created for that user, and the default settings are written to the new user’s di-

rectory. (The profile may or may not then be customizable, depending upon

how the administrator has configured profiles.)

In Windows NT 4.0, administrators have the option of generating a network

Default User profile that, if present, will be used before the local Default User

profile is used. With the original retail release of Windows NT 4.0, workstations

downloaded this network Default User profile and the most recent NTconfig.pol

file, and cached them in the local Default User (Network) and Policy folders,

respectively. Then, instead of automatically downloading these from the server

whenever they were needed, the logon process compared the time/date/size

stamps of the two versions, and if they were the same, used the cached ver-

sions without performing another download. With Windows NT 4.0 Service

Pack 2, however, the System Policy file, NTconfig.pol, is downloaded during

each logon. (The profile functionality remains unchanged—the profile is

downloaded only if the local copy is out of date.)

Profile Names and Storage in the Registry

Windows NT 4.0 records which profile should be used by which user by plac-

ing registry keys for the user’s security ID (SID) in the registry in:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\WindowsNT\CurrentVersion\Pr

ofileList

Each user who has logged on to the local machine will have a SID recorded

here in a subkey, with a value that contains the path to that user’s local profile,

ProfileImagePath. Should multiple users with the same account name log on to

the network, separate distinct profiles are created for each. For example, if

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multiple users with the account name John Smith log on to the computer, the

first John Smith is assigned a folder named JohnSmith. Subsequent users with

the same name are assigned folders named JohnSmith with a numerical suffix

appended, for example JohnSmith.000, JohnSmith.001, and so forth.

Manually Administering a User Profile through the

Registry

As system administrator, you may need to change a given setting to avoid un-

necessary user interaction, to make modifications before setting the profile to

mandatory, or to add custom registry entries. In addition, you may need to

modify the Default User Profile on a computer before new users log on and

use it as the template. You can open a specific user’s profile or the Default

User Profile and customize it manually as explained in the procedure below.

NOTE: Make sure that the user is not logged on before using this procedure. If the user is logged on while

changes are made, the changes will be overwritten by the user’s preferences because profile settings are

saved at log off.

As discussed earlier, the NTuser.dat file contains all of the registry settings

located in HKEY_CURRENT_USER. As system administrator, you can modify

the data contained in the NTuser.dat portion of the profile by loading the hive

into the registry.

To manually customize a User Profile:

1. Locate the profile to be modified.

If the profile is a server-based profile, locate the

\\server\share\username and determine the extension on the

NTuser.xxx file.

If the profile is a local profile, locate the %system-

root%\Profiles\username directory, and determine the extension on

the NTuser.xxx file.

If you need to edit the Default User Profile, locate the %system-

root%\Profiles\Default User directory, and determine the extension on

the NTuser.xxx file.

If you need to edit the Network Default User Profile, locate the Default

User folder in the NETLOGON share of the domain controllers that

are doing user authentication, and determine the extension on the

NTuser.xxx file. If there is more than one domain controller and di-

rectory replication is ensuring that the “Default User” profile is the

same on all domain controllers, open only the profile on the domain

controller which is the export server.

2. Start Regedt32.exe, and select the HKEY_USERS on Local Machine

window. Highlight the root key of HKEY_USERS.

3. From the Registry menu, select Load Hive.

4. Browse for the directory identified in Step 1, and select the NTuser.xxx file

located in that directory.

5. A dialog will prompt you to enter a Key Name. You can use any value, but

you must remember this value so that you can select it during the unload

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process. For this reason, we recommend that you use the user name.

6. Click Enter. This adds the profile registry hive as a subkey to

HKEY_USERS, as shown in the illustration below.

7. Edit the existing values as necessary.

8. After completing the changes, highlight the root of the user’s profile regis-

try key, and from the Registry menu, select Unload Hive. This saves the

changes to the user’s profile. (When you first selected Load Hive, the key

was mapped to the file selected in the Open dialog. A Save As option is

therefore unnecessary.)

Modifying the Default User Profile

To modify a Windows NT-based workstation’s Default User Profile settings or

to modify the Network Default User Profile, load the NTuser.xxx hive into the

registry as outlined above, make the necessary changes, and unload the hive

(this automatically saves the changes).

The workstation Default User Profile is located in the

\%systemroot%\Profiles\Default User directory.

To make changes to the Network Default User Profile, use the

NTuser.xxx file from the scripts export directory

(%systemroot%\system32\repl\export\scripts) of the domain

controller that is the export server for the domain. Any changes

that you make to this file will be replicated to the other domain

controllers (which are import servers).

To provide users with a Default User Profile that contains custom shortcuts,

folders, and files that are not centrally managed, place the icons in the appro-

priate folder within the Default User Profile. New users will receive the

shortcuts, folders, and files as part of their new profiles. For example, if you

want each new user that logs on to a given computer to receive a folder called

“My Storage” on the desktop, just create this folder in the path:

\%systemroot%\Profiles\Default User\Desktop.

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Upgrading Windows NT 3.5x Server-based Profiles to

Windows NT 4.0 Roaming Profiles

When you upgrade Windows NT 3.5x roaming profiles (.usr profiles), you do

not need to change anything in the profile path configured in the user account.

When the user logs on to a Windows NT 4.0-based machine and the profile is

found to be a Windows NT 3.5x profile, a process automatically looks for the

equivalent Windows NT 4.0 profile. If the profile isn’t found, a conversion proc-

ess creates a new Windows NT 4.0 profile using the settings established in the

Windows NT 3.5x profile.

During the conversion process, Windows NT 4.0 creates a directory for the

new profile in the same location as the existing Windows NT 3.5x profile. The

resulting directory has a .pds extension, which stands for Profile Directory

Structure, rather than the previous Windows NT 3.5x .usr extension. For ex-

ample, if the User Profile path for the Windows NT 3.5x user mydomainuser is

\\myserver\myshare\mydomainuser.usr, and the user logs on to a Windows NT

4.0-based machine, the profile directory mydomainuser.pds would be created

within \\myserver\myshare.

This approach allows the user to log on to the network from either a

Windows NT 3.5x or 4.0-based workstation. If the user were to log on from a

Windows NT 3.5x-based computer, the profile path would direct the

Windows NT 3.5x-based machine to the User Profile used prior to the

Windows NT 4.0 upgrade. If the user then moved to a Windows NT 4.0-based

computer, the user’s Windows NT-based workstation would recognize that the

profile contained Windows NT 3.5x syntax, would replace the .usr with .pds,

and would then use that string to locate the Windows NT 4.0 profile. The re-

sulting Windows NT 4.0 structure will be the Windows NT 3.51 profile (now

NTuser.xxx) and the Default User Profile folders.

It is important to emphasize that the Windows NT 3.5x profile is not de-

leted—it is still available to the user should they ever log on from a

Windows NT 3.5x-based computer. It is also important to note that the settings

for these two profiles are completely independent; changes made to the

Windows NT 3.5x profile will not be reflected in the Windows NT 4.0 profile,

and vice versa.

NOTE: As an administrator, if you review the directory structures in the share where users’ roaming pro-

files are stored, and no .pds or .pdm extensions are appended, this is normal. No extension is appended

to roaming profile directories that are new to Windows NT 4.0. These extensions are only added when

profiles are migrated from Windows NT 3.5x to 4.0, or when the administrator creates a new Windows NT

4.0 mandatory profile that requires a successful logon.

Upgrading Windows NT 3.5x Mandatory Profiles to

Windows NT 4.0 Mandatory Profiles

Upgrades of Windows NT 3.5x mandatory profiles to Windows NT 4.0 cannot

be done automatically. This is because the same restrictions that prevent a

user from saving any changes to his or her profile also restricts the system’s

ability to generate a new Windows NT 4.0 mandatory profile from an existing

profile.

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When you upgrade a Windows NT 3.5x mandatory profile, the profile path

does not need to be modified. However, you will need to create a new man-

datory profile with the same desired settings. To create the mandatory profile,

you can remove the mandatory extension from the old profile and force a con-

version, or you can create the new profile from a template. Both procedures

are explained below.

To create a mandatory profile from the old profile:

1. Replace the .man extension on the existing mandatory profile with the

extension .usr.

2. Change the extension on the user’s profile path from .man to .usr.

3. Allow the user to log on. This permits the conversion to take place.

4. Have the user log off. This creates a directory with the name of the profile

and a .pds extension.

5. Change the .pds folder extension to .pdm and change the user’s profile

path back to .man.

6. Rename the NTuser.dat file to NTuser.man.

To create the profile from an existing template profile:

1. In the \\server\share specified in the User Profile path, create a folder with

the directory name of the location where the profile is stored. Use the .pdm

extension for this directory name. For example, if the user name is

domainuser, the directory name would be \\server\share\domainuser.pdm.

2. On the Windows NT-based computer hosting the profile, log on as an ad-

ministrator and map a drive to the \\server\share where the profile will be

stored.

3. From the Control Panel, click System.

4. On the User Profiles page, select the profile to be copied. Use the Copy

To option to select the user’s folder created in Step 1, modify the permis-

sions to reflect the proper account, and click OK.

The profile is now written to the designated location, including the folder

trees and the NTuser.xxx file originally included with the profile. The per-

missions are also encoded into the binary NTuser.xxx file.

5. In the directory that the profile was copied to, check the NTuser.xxx file for

the .man extension. If the extension is .dat, the profile will still be modifi-

able. Change the extension to .man, if necessary.

Note that because the User Profile was saved into a directory with a .pdm

extension, both the Windows NT 3.5x and Windows NT 4.0 profiles exist on

the server. A user can log on from either a Windows NT 3.5x or Windows NT

4.0-based computer, and the appropriate profile will be used.

Extracting a User Profile for Use on Another

Domain or Machine

As explained previously in this document, a user is given explicit permissions

to use a profile, and these permissions can be created and controlled by an

administrator or generated automatically by the system when the user first logs

on.

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If a profile has permissions that differ from those needed by the user (for

example, if the profile was created for a user on a different domain), the profile

permissions must be changed to function correctly. As an example, suppose

you have a Windows NT-based workstation that you would like to have join the

domain, but you want the user to be able to retain his or her profile settings.

The Windows NT-based workstation is currently a part of the WORKER work-

group and will be joining the domain BIGDOMAIN.

To change the profile:

1. Log on to the computer as an administrator, and create a local account

that will be used only temporarily to house the profile during the conver-

sion process.

2. Log on as a temporary user and immediately log off. This will create a

subdirectory underneath the %systemroot%\Profiles directory with the

name of the account that logged on.

3. Log back on as an administrator, and configure the workstation to join the

domain.

4. After the workstation has joined the domain, reboot the computer.

5. After the machine restarts, log on as the user from the domain that will

need the converted profile, and then log off. This sets up the directory

structure needed to complete the conversion process.

6. Log back on as an administrator, and copy the profile structure, including

the NTuser.xxx file and all subdirectories, from the directory that stored the

workgroup user’s profile to the subdirectory created for the temporary user

in Step 2.

7. From the Control Panel, click System.

8. On the User Profiles property page, select the temporary user profile, and

click Copy To. Browse under %systemroot%\Profiles to locate the subdi-

rectory that contains the profile for the domain user that logged on in Step

5. Click OK and then click the Change button for the permissions.

9. Select the domain user who will use the profile. Click OK to copy the profile.

10. Log off and log on as the domain user. The profile settings should now be

available to that user.

NOTE: Alternatively, you can copy the profile and use the instructions from the section “Encoding Per-

missions in the User Profile” to change the permissions. However, this requires that you manually edit the

registry.

Creating Profiles Without User-Specific Connections

In some cases, you may want to create profiles that include preconfigured per-

sistent connections. However, if you need to supply alternate credentials when

you create the template profile, this can cause problems for users later when

the profile is used.

Information about persistent connections is stored in the registry location

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Network. This key has subkeys that list the persis-

tent drive connections by drive letter. For each of these subkeys, there is a

value of UserName. If alternate credentials must be supplied to make the con-

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nection, those credentials are also stored here. Note that this includes only the

domain and user account name; the password is not included. When the user

receives this profile and logs on, Windows NT attempts to reconnect the drive,

but the alternate credentials are sent rather than those of the logged on user..

Note that if the UserName value contains a blank string, the credentials of the

logged on user are sent (which is the desired behavior in this case).

To avoid inadequate credentials or wrong credentials being sent, use one of

the following approaches:

Avoid having to supply alternate credentials when you create the connec-

tions to network resources in the shared profile by granting the user

creating the template profile sufficient permissions in advance.

Before modifying the profile to be a mandatory profile, run a REGINI script

that removes the credentials from the UserName value. Do not delete the

value, only the string data.

Troubleshooting User Profiles with the UserEnv.log File

The UserEnv.log is an invaluable tool for troubleshooting the process of load-

ing and unloading User Profiles. Each step in the User Profile process is

recorded in the log, including informational and error-related messages.

The checked version of the UserEnv.dll is the same dynamic link library

(.dll) as the retail version, except that it contains debug flags that you can set

and use with the kernel debugger. This file, which is included in both the

Windows NT Device Driver Kit (DDK) and the Windows NT Software Devel-

opment Kit (SDK), when used in conjunction with a registry entry, generates a

log file that can be used in troubleshooting and debugging problems with

roaming profiles and system policies on Windows NT 4.0 clients.

To enable logging:

1. Rename the file UserEnv.dll in the %systemroot%\SYSTEM32 directory to

UserEnv.old or to a unique name of your choice.

2. Copy the checked version of UserEnv.dll to the

%systemroot%\SYSTEM32 directory of the client machine that you want

to debug. The checked version of the UserEnv file must match the version

of the operating system and Service Pack installed on the client computer.

3. Start REGEDT32 and locate the following path:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE

\SOFTWARE

\Microsoft

\WindowsNT

\CurrentVersion

\Winlogon

4. Create a new value called UserEnvDebugLevel as a REG_DWORD type.

Assign the hex value 10002.

5. Reboot the computer.

Logging information will be recorded in the root directory of the C drive as

UserEnv.log. You can use Notepad to view the log file. A sample log is pro-

vided next.

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Sample Log

=========================================================

LoadUserProfile. : Entering, hToken = <0xac>, lpProfileInfo = 0x12f4f4

LoadUserProfile: lpProfileInfo->dwFlags = <0x2>

LoadUserProfile: lpProfileInfo->lpUserName = <administrator>

LoadUserProfile: NULL central profile path

LoadUserProfile: lpProfileInfo->lpDefaultPath = <\\DfsES\netlogon\Default User>

LoadUserProfile: lpProfileInfo->lpServerName = <\\DfsES>

LoadUserProfile: lpProfileInfo->lpPolicyPath = <\\DfsES\netlogon\ntconfig.pol>

RestoreUserProfile: Entering

RestoreUserProfile: Profile path = <>

RestoreUserProfile: User is a Admin

IsCentralProfileReachable: Entering

IsCentralProfileReachable: Null path. Leaving

GetLocalProfileImage: Found entry in profile list for existing local profile

GetLocalProfileImage: Local profile image filename = <%System-

Root%\Profiles\Administrator>

GetLocalProfileImage: Expanded local profile image filename =

<D:\WINNTDfs\Profiles\Administrator>

GetLocalProfileImage: Found local profile image file ok

<D:\WINNTDfs\Profiles\Administrator\ntuser.dat>

Local profile is reachable

Local profile name is <D:\WINNTDfs\Profiles\Administrator>

RestoreUserProfile: No central profile. Attempting to load local profile.

RestoreUserProfile: About to Leave. Final Information follows:

Profile was successfully loaded.

lpProfile->szCentralProfile = <>

lpProfile->szLocalProfile = <D:\WINNTDfs\Profiles\Administrator>

lpProfile->dwInternalFlags = 0x102

RestoreUserProfile: Leaving.

UpgradeProfile: Entering

UpgradeProfile: Build numbers match

UpgradeProfile: Leaving Successfully

ApplyPolicy: Entering

ApplyPolicy: Policy is turned off on this machine.

LoadUserProfile: Leaving with a value of 1. hProfile = <0x60>

=========================================================

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A System Policy is a set of registry settings that defines the computer re-

sources available to an individual or to a group of users. Policies define the

various facets of the desktop environment that a system administrator needs to

control, such as which applications are available, which applications appear on

the user’s desktop, which applications and options appear in the Start menu,

who can change their desktops and who cannot, and so forth. System policies

can be implemented for specific users, groups, computers, or for all users. You

create system policies with the System Policy Editor.

SYSTEM POLICY – AN

INTRODUCTION

The System Policy Editor is a graphical tool provided with Windows NT

Server 4.0 that allows you to easily update the registry settings to generate the

correct environment for a particular user or group of users. The System Policy

Editor creates a file that contains registry settings which are then written to the

user or local machine portion of the registry database. User Profile settings

that are specific to a user who logs on to a given workstation or server, are

written to the registry under HKEY_CURRENT_USER. Likewise, machine-

specific settings are written under HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE.

When you apply a System Policy, the new policy overwrites the existing

registry settings, thus giving you, as system administrator, the ability to set

restrictions for the client machine and user. When a user logs on to a

Windows NT 4.0 computer, the user’s profile is loaded first and then the Sys-

tem Policy is downloaded. Any registry settings that you have reconfigured,

whether these are machine-specific changes or are specific to the user logging

on, are changed before the user receives control of the desktop. Note that

System Policy changes are not dynamic; if you make a change to the policy,

affected users must log off and log back on so that the new policy can be

downloaded and applied.

With a properly implemented policy, you can customize the user’s environ-

ment to your specifications, despite the user’s preferences and regardless of

where he or she logs on. The settings available in the System Policy Editor

provide a variety of options for managing the user environment. For a detailed

list of these options, see the section “Registry Keys Modified by the System

Policy Editor Default Templates.”

System Policy Files

Policies can define a specific user’s settings or the settings for a group of us-

ers. The resulting policy file contains the registry settings for all users, groups,

and computers that will be using the policy file. Separate policy files for each

user, group, or computer are not necessary.

If you create a policy that will be automatically downloaded from validating

domain controllers, you should name the file NTconfig.pol. As system admin-

istrator, you have the option of renaming the policy file and, by modifying the

Windows NT-based workstation, directing the computer to update the policy

from a manual path. You can do this by either manually changing the registry

or by using System Policy. This path can even be a local path such that each

machine has its own policy file, but if a change is necessary to all machines,

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this change must be made individually to each workstation.

When a user of a Windows NT 4.0-based workstation logs on, if the

Windows NT 4.0-based machine is working in Automatic mode (which is the

default), the workstation checks the NETLOGON share on the validating do-

main controller (DC) for the NTconfig.pol file. If the workstation finds the file, it

downloads it, parses it for the user, group, and computer policy data, and ap-

plies it if appropriate. If a user logs on to a machine that has a computer

account in a resource domain, the search for the NTconfig.pol file is redirected

to the validating domain controller in the account domain. In this situation, the

Windows NT 4.0-based workstation has a secure communication channel es-

tablished to a domain controller of the resource domain. The Windows NT-

based workstation sends the user’s logon request over this communication

channel, and expects a response the same way. The domain controller in the

resource domain receives this request, forwards it to a domain controller in the

user’s account domain, and waits for a response. Once the domain controller

in the resource domain receives this response from the account domain’s DC,

it returns the authentication request to the client machine, including the vali-

dating domain controller’s name from the account domain. The Windows NT-

based workstation now knows where to look for the NTconfig.pol file.

Policy Replication

If you implement a System Policy file for Windows NT users and computers

and you intend to use the default behavior of Windows NT, be sure that direc-

tory replication is occurring properly among all domain controllers that

participate in user authentication. With Windows NT, the default behavior is for

the computer to check for a policy file in the NETLOGON share of the validat-

ing domain controller. If directory replication to a domain controller fails and a

Windows NT-based workstation does not find a policy file on that server, no

policy will be applied and the existing settings will remain, possibly leaving the

user with a nonstandard environment or more capabilities than you want that

particular user to have.

How Policies Are Applied

Once located, policies are applied as follows:

If the policy file includes settings for the specific user account, those are

applied to the HKEY_CURRENT_USER registry key. Other group settings

are discarded, even if the user is a member of the group, because the

user settings take precedence.

If a user-specific policy is not present, and Default User settings exist, the

Default User settings are applied to the HKEY_CURRENT_USER registry

key.

If no user specific settings are present, and group settings exist, the user’s

group membership in each of those groups is checked. If the user is a

member of one or more groups, the settings from each of the groups—

starting with the lowest priority and continuing through the highest

priority—are applied to the HKEY_CURRENT_USER key in the registry.

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e applied to the HKEY_CURRENT_USER key in the registry.

NOTE: If a setting is ignored (gray) in the group settings, but the same setting is marked as enabled

or disabled in the Default User settings, the Default User setting are used. The Default User settings

take precedence over only those settings that are ignored in the group settings.

If the policy file includes settings for the specific computer name, these are

applied to the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE registry key. Otherwise, the De-

fault Computer settings are applied. This process is independent of the

user account for the user who is currently logged on. All users receive

these settings when they use this computer.

NOTES:

Group policies do not operate in a NetWare only environment, because Windows NT checks for

Windows NT global groups only, not NetWare groups.

If an administrator logs on, a policy is in effect, no explicit settings exist for the administrative ac-

count, and the Default User settings are present, the administrator will receive the settings of the

Default User. Administrative accounts are not exempt from policies. This should be a key factor to

consider when implementing policies.

The System Policy Editor provides a hierarchical Group Priority dialog that

helps you see and manage the order in which group policies are applied. The

next illustration shows the dialog and explains these priorities.

Additional Implementation Considerations

Although a properly implemented policy can simplify system administration in

the long term, such policy requires careful planning. Before you implement

system policies, consider the following:

Would administration be simplified by defining group settings rather than

creating settings for individual users?

Where are the computers located in your network? Is geographic location

an important aspect of your network’s design—for example, is your net-

work distributed over a large geographic area? If so, computers from a

certain locale may benefit from retrieving policy files from a machine that is

close at hand, as opposed to using a domain controller that may not be

nearby.

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What type of restrictions do you want to impose on users?

Will users be allowed to access locally installed common group applica-

tions, or will these be overridden by administrator-defined program groups,

desktop icons, Start menu programs, and so forth?

What other options are available if you simply want to restrict access to a

specific icon or file? Would modifying NTFS permissions be more effective?

Will you be controlling computer-specific settings only, and not user set-

tings?

If after considering these issues, you conclude that System Policies will sim-

plify administration of your system, use the System Policy Editor to create the

appropriate individual and/or group policies, as explained in the next section.

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The System Policy Editor is a graphical tool that allows you to easily update

the registry settings to implement a System Policy. The System Policy Editor is

included with Windows NT Server 4.0, but you can install it on Windows NT

Workstation-based machines and on Windows 95-based machines as well.

Note that a policy file is valid only for the platform on which it was created.

For example, if you run Poledit.exe on a Windows 95-based machine, and you

save the policy file, the file will be written in a format that can be interpreted by

Windows 95-based machines only. The same is true when you create policy

files on Windows NT-based machines. As a result, Windows 95 and

Windows NT policy files are not interchangeable.

THE SYSTEM POLICY

EDITOR

After you complete the installation, the administrative tools group includes

the System Policy Editor.

Installing the System Policy Editor on a Windows NT

Workstation

You have two options when installing the System Policy Editor on a

Windows NT Workstation-based computer. You can

Run the Setup.bat file from the Windows NT 4.0 CD-ROM

\Clients\Svrtools\Winnt directory, or

Copy the System Policy Editor executable, Poledit.exe, and template files

to the workstation. The template files have an .adm extension, and are lo-

cated in the %systemroot%\INF directory, which is hidden by default.

Installing the System Policy Editor on a Windows 95

Computer

When you install the System Policy Editor on a Windows 95-based computer,

the installation process modifies the Windows 95 registry to allow system poli-

cies to function correctly. You can install the policy editor from the Windows 95

Upgrade or Retail compact disc, or you can install the editor that ships with

Windows NT Server 4.0.

To install the System Policy Editor from the Windows 95 compact disc:

1. Insert the Windows 95 Upgrade compact disc in your CD-ROM drive.

2. Open Control Panel, and click Add/Remove Programs.

3. Click the Windows Setup tab, and select Have Disk.

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4. Browse to locate the directory x:\Admin\Apptools\Poledit\ (where x is drive

A through Z) on the Windows 95 compact disc.

5. Select both Group Policies and the System Policy Editor, and then click

OK to Install.

It is important that you run the setup program as described above. Undesir-

able results will occur if you merely copy the Policy Editor and related files to

the Windows 95-based computer.

To install the System Policy Editor from a Windows NT 4.0 Server:

1. Copy the Poledit.exe file from the Windows NT Server 4.0 to the \windows

directory of the Windows 95-based machine.

2. Copy the Common.adm and Windows.adm files from the Windows NT 4.0-

based server to the \windows directory of the Windows 95-based machine.

3. Create a shortcut to the System Policy Editor executable (Poledit.exe,

located in the \windows directory of the Windows 95-based computer).

Updating the Registry with the System Policy Editor

The System Policy Editor allows you to easily update the registry settings to

generate the correct environment for a particular user or group of users. You

can use the System Policy Editor in two ways:

You can open the local registry through the System Policy Editor, and

change the settings for the local user and computer.

You can modify an existing policy file or create a new one to contain the

settings that you want to enforce on a per user, per computer, or com-

bined user/computer basis.

When you open the System Policy Editor in registry mode, you can modify

the registry of the local computer without having to use Regedt32.exe or Re-

gedit.exe. However, you can modify only those values exposed by the

templates; the System Policy Editor does not give you access to the entire

registry.

System Policy Editor Template (.Adm) Files

The System Policy Editor uses administrative (.adm) files to determine which

registry settings can be modified. An .adm file is a hierarchical template, and

consists of categories and subcategories that dictate which settings are avail-

able through the user interface. An .adm file contains the registry locations

where changes should be made for a particular selection, additional options for

a particular selection, restrictions, and in some cases, the default value for a

selection.

When you run the System Policy Editor and select Policy Template from

the Options menu, a window similar to the one shown below appears. This

window displays the names of the .adm files that are currently being used. If

you need to make changes to custom applications, for example, you can add a

template to this list. To ensure that the system uses the latest administrative

information, the System Policy Editor reads the custom .adm files each time it

starts.

For detailed instructions when creating .adm files, see the section “Creating

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Your Own Custom .Adm File,” later in this document.

NOTE: The option to Add or Remove will be grayed out if there is a policy file currently open. Close the file

in use and then change the template configuration.

Configuring Policy Settings

The configuration options available to you fall into a tree structure, which is

determined by the layout of the .adm file. By navigating through these options,

you can select a mode that determines the action that will be taken when the

policy file is applied.

The figure below shows sample user options for the Shell.

Policies are applied as follows:

If the box is checked, it is implemented. When the user next logs on, the

user’s computer conforms to the policy. If the option was checked the last

time the user logged on, Windows NT makes no changes.

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If the box is cleared, the policy is not implemented, and if the settings

were previously implemented, they are removed from the registry.

If the box is grayed, the setting is ignored and unchanged from the last

time the user logged on. Windows NT does not modify this setting. The

grayed state ensures that Windows NT provides quick processing at sys-

tem startup because it does not need to process each entry every time a

user logs on.

NOTE: When you decide whether the value should be checked or cleared, be careful of the terminology of

the setting or unexpected results may occur. For example, the Don’t save settings at exit option, when

checked, does not allow settings to be saved. If you clear the checkbox, the settings can be saved.

When you select an option, the pane below it contains other configurable

items that relate to the setting you modified, as well as information about the

option you selected.

When administering System Policies, if you specify paths for particular op-

tions such as wallpaper, ensure that the paths are consistent across all

workstations that will receive the policy file.

Setting Folder Paths Back to Defaults

If you create a policy file and then change the path to any of the custom

shared folders or custom user-specific folders, the change overrides the de-

fault setting established in the .adm file. For example, by default a user’s

program folder path is %USERPROFILE%\Start Menu\Programs.

If the policy file is not modified from the default, this value is not changed for

the client computer. However, you can modify this value to point to a server

location that contains different shortcuts. To do this, click the option in the

System Policy Editor, and specify the path to the folder containing the short-

cuts. Once this change is applied, the user will receive the new shortcuts.

Suppose, however, that you want to restore the user’s environment to the

state it was in before the change was made. To do this, follow the procedure

described next.

To restore the defaults:

1. Open the policy file, and click the option to clear the check box.

2. Save and close the policy file.

3. Reopen the policy file, and click the option to re-enable it. The original

setting should be displayed, pointing to the user’s local machine.

NOTE: Be sure to complete all steps; completing Steps 1 and 2 only results in an empty Programs folder

on the client machine.

Creating a System Policy

Before you create a System Policy, decide which settings will be enforced and

how the settings will be grouped.

To create a new System Policy:

1. On a Windows NT Server-based machine in the domain where the policy

file will apply, open the System Policy Editor. From the Start menu, click

Programs, then click Administrative Tools (Common), then click Sys-

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tem Policy Editor.

2. From the File menu, click New Policy.

3. The Default Computer and Default User icons will be displayed. Click the

user, computer, or group to be modified.

NOTES:

If you need to add a user, group, or computer, you can copy and paste the settings without having to

manually go through each of the entries and make selections. For example, if you have made modifica-

tions to User1 and want to create a similar profile for another user (User2), select User1, then from the Edit

menu, click Copy. Select User2, then from the Edit menu, click Paste. Make any changes specific to User2

and save your changes. You will be prompted to verify your changes, and then the settings will be ap-

plied.

When you add users or computers to the policy file, they automatically assume the properties of the icons

Default User or Default Computer respectively.

4. Make changes to the options desired. For more information on each op-

tion, see the portion of this guide titled “Registry Keys Modified by the

System Policy Editor Default Templates.”

5. From the File menu, click Save As and save the policy file with the appro-

priate name:

If workstations will be set to Automatic mode, use the file name

NTconfig.pol.

If workstations will be set to Manual mode, use the name of your

choice.

6. If workstations will be set to Automatic mode, place the file in the

NETLOGON share of each of the domain controllers that will be perform-

ing authentication. To simplify this process, you can use directory

replication from Windows NT to replicate the file to the other domain con-

trollers. If you use replication and later make changes to the file, the

modified file will be duplicated across validating machines automatically.

Windows NT-based workstations, by default, are set to download the

policy file in Automatic mode. If you modify the setting to specify manual

update and to point to a specific machine, you must inform the workstation

about this location change. There are two ways to do this:

Place the policy file in the location specified for manual updates, but

maintain a policy file in the NETLOGON share that points to the man-

ual path. Then, leave the Windows NT-based workstation in the

default Automatic mode. When the policy file is first downloaded this

change will be made, and at next logon and every logon thereafter,

Windows NT will go to the new location for policy file updates.

Visit each Windows NT-based workstation either remotely or locally

and make the required registry change to point to the new location.

(Depending on the number of workstations affected, this could be very

time consuming.)

7. Log on to the Windows NT-based workstation to download and enact the

policy.

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Creating Alternate Folder Paths

You may need to create shared folders for groups of users who need a com-

mon set of tools and shortcuts. Windows NT 4.0 System Policies allows you to

create such shared folders.

To create shared folders and alternate folder paths:

1. On a specific server, create a folder that contains shortcuts to network

applications or to locally installed programs. If you are creating application

shortcuts that will point to local paths on Windows NT machines, refer to

the section “Setting Up Shortcuts for Server-based Profiles.”

2. Share the folder.

3. Using the System Policy Editor, under computername or Default Com-

puter, select the option Custom Shared Folders, then select Custom

Shared Program Folder.

4. Enable this option. By default the local All Users folder for the workstation

will be used, but you can replace the path to point to the folder that you

created in Step 1 and 2.

5. Save the policy file. When the user logs on, the policy file will be parsed

for this information and will replace the common groups from the local ma-

chine with the shortcuts, applications, and so forth, from the folder that you

created earlier.

NOTE: This can be done per user for personal program groups and can also be done for other folder

settings such as the startup group, Start menu, and desktop icons.

Setting Up Shortcuts for Server-based Profiles

You may notice that shortcuts created on any computer automatically embed a

universal naming convention (UNC) path for the .lnk file, such as

\\machine\admin$

This embedded UNC in the link can be a problem when it is copied to a server

and used in a server-based profile. By default, such links are resolved to the

original location of the file (the absolute path) before any other path is used

(these other paths are referred to as secondary or relative paths). In this case,

the UNC path to the original file is always reachable, which prevents the link

from being resolved via a local path. As a result, the user trying to execute the

shortcut will be asked for the administrator's password for the computer on

which the link was created.

This problem was corrected in the latest Microsoft Windows NT 4.0 U.S.

Service Pack. After you install the service pack, you can work around the

problem by modifying the registry as explained next.

To resolve links correctly:

1. Open Registry Editor (Regedit.exe).

2. Go to the following key:

HKEY_Current_User \Software

\Microsoft

\Windows

\CurrentVersion

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\Policies

\Explorer

3. Add the following DWORD value by clicking Edit, New, DWORD

value:

LinkResolveIgnoreLinkInfo

4. Once entered, double-click this value and set the Value data to 1.

Deploying Policies for Windows NT 4.0 Machines

By default, a Windows NT 4.0-based workstation checks the NETLOGON

share of the validating domain controller for the user’s logon domain. It is

therefore critically important that replication of the NTconfig.pol file take place

among the domain controllers performing authentication. If a Windows NT 4.0-

based workstation does not locate the policy file on its validating domain con-

troller, it will not check any others.

You have another option when enforcing policies. The UpdateMode registry

setting, configurable through the System Policy Editor, forces the computer to

retrieve the policy file from a specific location (expressed as a UNC path), re-

gardless of the user who logs on.

To retrieve the policy file from a specific location:

1. Open either the specific machine policy or the Default Computer policy,

and navigate through the Network category and System policies update

subcategory to reach the Remote update option.

2. Check the Remote update box.

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3. In the Update mode box, select Manual (use specific path).

4. In the Path for manual update box, type the UNC path and file name for

the policy file.

5. Click OK to save your changes.

The first time the workstation is modified locally via the System Policy Editor

or receives a default System Policy file from the NETLOGON share of a do-

main controller, this location is written to the registry. Thereafter, all future

policy updates use the location you specified manually. This is a permanent

change until the policy file resets the option to Automatic. The Windows NT

4.0-based computer will never again look at a domain controller to find a policy

file until you either change the instruction in the local registry or modify the

policy file in the location specified by the manual path to set the mode back to

Automatic.

Deploying Policies for Windows 95 Machines

When creating a system policy file for a Windows 95-based client, you must

first install the System Policy Editor on a Windows 95-based computer so that

you can create the policy (.pol) file. You cannot run the System Policy Editor

on a Windows NT 4.0-based server to generate a .pol file for Windows 95-

based clients because a policy file is valid only for the platform on which it was

created. For procedures when installing the System Policy Editor on a Win-

dows 95-based computer, refer to the section “Installing the System Policy

Editor on a Windows 95 Computer” earlier in this document.

After you have created the .pol file, you can enable a Windows 95-based

computer to look for and accept system policies as is described below.

To deploy policies for a Windows 95-based computer:

1. Open the Control Panel, and click Passwords and then User Profiles.

2. To enable User Profiles, select Users can customize and then click OK.

3. Check the UpdateMode value in the following registry location:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE

\System

\CurrentControlSet

\Control

\Update

If this value is 0, policies will not be applied. If this value is 1, the Auto-

matic Policy mode is in effect and when the user is validated on the

domain, the validating domain controller’s NETLOGON share will be

checked for the existence of the Config.pol file. If this value is 2, the Man-

ual Policy mode is in effect, and when the user is validated on the domain,

the Windows 95-based machine will check the path specified in the value

NetworkPath for the existence of the Config.pol file. Note that the default

mode for a Windows 95-based machine is Automatic.

4. Restart the computer and have the user log on. The policy file will be

downloaded from the configured location and applied.

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Modifying Policy Settings on Stand-Alone Workstations

If you need to modify settings of a Windows NT 4.0-based workstation user

who is not a member of the domain and thus will not be able to use the policy

file located on the domain, you have three options available to you:

You can create a policy file for stand-alone workstations where users log

on locally, or

You can change policy settings remotely, or

You can change policy settings locally.

Procedures for each option are described next. Note that you must have

administrator rights to the stand-alone workstations in question.

To create a policy file for stand-alone workstations:

1. Log on as administrator, and create a policy file that includes Computer

and User objects with appropriate settings for the computer and users re-

spectively. The user objects may include the Default User or user

accounts from the local workstation, but global group objects will be ig-

nored if added to the policy file. Windows NT recognizes machine-specific

policy settings for the computer if those are specified in the policy file.

2. Place the policy file in a secure directory on the stand-alone computer or

on a network share to which the user has at least Read permissions.

3. In the workstation registry, locate the UpdateMode value in the following

key:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE

\SYSTEM

\CurrentControlSet

\Control

\Update

4. Update the data to a hex value of 2.

5. In the same registry subkey, modify the NetworkPath value with the local

or UNC path where the policy file resides. If this path does not exist, add it

as a data type of REG_SZ. For example, if the policy file is named NTcon-

fig.pol and is placed in the root directory of Windows NT, NetworkPath

should contain the path c:\Winnt\Ntconfig.pol.

6. Have the user log on to the workstation. Windows NT will read the policy

file specified by NetworkPath and then apply the appropriate policy to the

computer or to the user.

NOTES:

UNC paths may be used in the NetworkPath value. This is beneficial to those administrators who want to

centralize the policy file in use.

To change policy settings remotely:

1. Log on as administrator, open the System Policy Editor, and from the File

menu, select Connect.

2. Type the computer name of the workstation to be modified, and click Enter.

A dialog will appear displaying the user name of the currently logged on

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user for whom the changes will apply. If the user is not currently logged on,

click Cancel. (The user must be logged on for the changes to take effect.)

3. If the user is logged on, click OK.

4. The icons Local Computer and Local User will be displayed.

5. Modify these just as you would modify a normal policy file. Save your

changes. The next time the user logs on, the changes made to the com-

puter and the user settings will be in effect on the remote machine.

To change policy settings locally:

1. Log on as an administrator, and copy the Poledit.exe, Common.adm, and

Winnt.adm files to the Windows NT-based workstation where the changes

for the computer or user need to be made.

2. Log on with administrative permissions as the user for whom the modifica-

tions will apply.

3. Open Poledit.exe and load the templates that were copied to the local

computer.

4. From the File menu, select Open Registry.

5. The icons Local Computer and Local User will be displayed.

6. Modify these just as you would modify a normal policy file. Save your

changes. The next time the user logs on, these changes will be in effect.

6. Close the System Policy Editor and remove this tool from the workstation

by deleting the Poledit.exe file and any .adm files used.

These changes modify the registry entries that control the behavior of

Windows NT on the target computer. A policy file is not created when this pro-

cedure is used. This procedure is the same for Windows NT Workstation 4.0

and Windows NT Server 4.0.

Creating a Custom .Adm File

The content of this section is also documented in the Windows 95 Resource

Kit and the Windows 32-bit Software Developer’s Kit, which are available on

the Microsoft Developer’s Network or through Microsoft Sales.

This section refers extensively to the following .adm files:

Common.adm—This contains registry settings common to both

Windows NT 4.0 and Windows 95.

Winnt.adm—This contains registry settings specific to Windows NT 4.0.

Windows.adm—This contains registry settings specific to Win-

dows 95.

To create a custom .adm file:

1. Create a backup copy of the Winnt.adm file in the %systemroot%\

inf directory.

2. Use a text editor to open the Winnt.adm file. The first entry of this file is

CLASS xxxx, where xxxx could be either:

MACHINE = This section includes all entries available in the Local

Computer/DefaultComputer icon.

USER = This section includes all entries available to modify user-

specific settings.

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These are the only two classes that are valid within the System Policy

Editor. The System Policy Editor checks the syntax of each .adm file when

the files are loaded, and displays a message if any errors are found.

3. Choose the CLASS in which you want your custom entries to appear.

4. Create categories by using the keyword CATEGORY followed by a space

and !!variable. The System Policy Editor requires that anything preceded

by !! must have a string defined in the [strings] section of the .adm file.

This allows the editor to use variables to define long strings of text that will

appear in the user interface a single time, even if these strings are used in

multiple locations in the .adm file. For example, to open a category you

would use:

CATEGORY !!MyNewCategory

To close the category after filling in the options, you would use:

END CATEGORY

; MyNewCategory

These can be nested to create sub-categories as follows:

CATEGORY !!FirstCategory

CATEGORY !!SecondCategory

CATEGORY !!ThirdCategory

...

END CATEGORY ; ThirdCategory

END CATEGORY ; SecondCategory

END CATEGORY

; FirstCategory

Be sure to specify the text for the variables you used above. In this case,

in the [strings] section of the .adm file, you would need to include:

FirstCategory=”My First Category”

SecondCategory=”My Second Category”

ThirdCategory=”My Third Category”

5. Within each category, define the registry key that will be modified. To do

this, use the keyword KEYNAME followed by the registry path to the key

that contains the value you want to change. Note that due to the CLASS

you are in, you do not need to specify HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE or

HKEY_CURRENT_USER. For example, you can use:

KEYNAME System\CurrentControlSet\Services\

LanManServer\Parameters

6. Identify the policy that specifies which options the user can modify. Use

the keyword POLICY for this, followed by !!variable. For example:

POLICY !!MyFirstPolicy

Be sure to define MyFirstPolicy in the [strings] section of the .adm file.

Complete the policy specifics, and finish with an END POLICY statement.

7. Define the options available within the policy.

Use the keyword VALUENAME to identify the registry value that an

administrator can modify. For example:

VALUENAME MyFirstValue

Remember that the VALUENAME needs to be within a PART if the

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option is selected within the lower pane of the System Policy Editor

(see the discussion of PART and the code example below).

If not specified otherwise, the value will be written in the following

format when any administratory checks or unchecks the option:

Checked: REG_DWORD with a value of 1

Unchecked: Removes the value completely

Other options can specify what the user selects from and what gets

written to the registry.

Use the keyword PART to specify options, drop-down list boxes, text

boxes, and text in the lower pane of the System Policy Editor. PART is

similar to CATEGORY, and uses the syntax:

PART !!MyVariable FLAG

...

END PART

where FLAG is one or more of the following:

TEXT—Displays text only, for example:

PART !!MyPolicy TEXT

END PART

NUMERIC—Writes the value to the registry with data type

REG_DWORD, for example:

PART !!MyPolicy NUMERIC

VALUENAME ValueToBeChanged

END PART

DROPDOWNLIST—Displays a list box of options to choose from,

for example:

PART !!MyPolicy DROPDOWNLIST

VALUENAME ValueToBeChanged

ITEMLIST

NAME “First” VALUE NUMERIC 1

NAME “Second” VALUE NUMERIC 2

NAME “Third” VALUE NUMERIC 3

NAME “Fourth” VALUE NUMERIC 4

END ITEMLIST

END PART

EDITTEXT—Writes the value to the registry with data type

REG_SZ, for example:

PART !!MyPolicy EDITTEXT

VALUENAME ValueToBeChanged

END PART

REQUIRED—Generates an error if the user does not enter a

value, for example:

PART !!MyPolicy EDITTEXT REQUIRED

VALUENAME ValueToBeChanged

END PART

EXPANDABLETEXT—Writes the value to the registry with data

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type REG_EXPAND_SZ, for example:

PART !!MyPolicy EDITTEXT EXPANDABLETEXT

VALUENAME ValueToBeChanged

END PART

MAXLEN—Specifies the maximum length of text, for example:

PART !!MyPolicy EDITTEXT

VALUENAME ValueToBeChanged

MAXLEN 4

END PART

DEFAULT—Specifies the default value for text or numeric data,

for example:

PART !!MyPolicy EDITTEXT

DEFAULT !!MySampleText

VALUENAME ValueToBeChanged

END PART

PART !!MyPolicy NUMERIC

DEFAULT 5

VALUENAME ValueToBeChanged

END PART

MIN and MAX—These specify the lowest and highest valid values

respectively, for example:

PART !!MyPolicy NUMERIC

MIN 100 MAX 999 DEFAULT 55

VALUENAME ValueToBeChanged

END PART

Use the keywords VALUEOFF and VALUEON to write specific values

based on the state of the option, for example:

POLICY !!MyPolicy

KEYNAME ....

VALUENAME ValueToBeChanged

VALUEON “Turned On” VALUEOFF “Turned Off”

END POLICY

POLICY !!MyPolicy

KEYNAME ....

VALUENAME ValueToBeChanged

VALUEON 5 VALUEOFF 10

END POLICY

8. Save and test your file.

Note that if you modify an .adm file while the System Policy Editor applica-

tion is running, you will need to reload the file. From the Options menu, select

Policy Template, and press OK. This reloads the structure, and your new

entries will be available. (You do not need to perform this step if you modify a

file before starting the System Policy Editor; the reload is done automatically

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each time the System Policy Editor starts.)

Configuring System Policies Based on

Geographic Location

You may choose to enforce certain environment settings based upon geo-

graphic site location or vicinity. At least two methods are available to do this.

Generate a System Policy that contains settings for specific computers. In

each of the machine-specific settings, configure the Remote Update path

to a specific regional server that will be maintaining the regional System

Policy file. When the user logs on at the Windows NT-based workstation

for the first time, because the default mode is Automatic, the workstation

will check the validating domain controller for a policy file. The policy file it

finds will point the policy update configuration to another server. Note,

however, that this does not work for the first logon. When the user next

logs on, Windows NT checks the remote path and continues to use that

path until the System Policy file on the remote server directs otherwise.

Manually configure each of the workstations in a given region or site to

use a remote update path, and change the remote update mode from the

default of Automatic to Manual.

Clearing the Documents Available List

As an alternative to removing the Documents option from the Start menu, you

can set and clear the documents available by clearing the MRUList value in

the registry. Use this registry key:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER

\Software

\Microsoft

\Windows

\CurrentVersion

\Explorer

\RecentDocs

Value: MRUList

Note that you should not delete the value; instead, replace MRUList with a

blank string.

Building Fault Tolerance for Custom Shared Folders

If you want to create a user environment that includes a Custom Shared Pro-

grams Folder and a Custom Shared Desktop, you need to place the source

folders for these shared items on a central server for all users to access. How-

ever, this involves some degree of risk if the server is unavailable. If that

occurs, the user’s Programs menu and desktop would not contain the appro-

priate folders, shortcuts, and files.

To build fault tolerance into this configuration, you can take advantage of

the distributed file system (Dfs) available for the Windows NT Server 4.0 oper-

ating system platform. Dfs, which runs as a service, can provide a share that

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will refer the client to multiple servers for the same path. For example, on a Dfs

server, the administrator has defined that users connecting to the UNC path

\\Dfsserver\Dfsshare\Customfolder, will be returned a response with three dif-

ferent servers, \\Server1\Customerfolder, \\Server2\Customerfolder, and

\\Server3\Customerfolder, all of which contain the same data. The client ma-

chine, which can be either a Windows NT-based 4.0 machine or a

Windows 95-based machine with the Dfs client software, randomly selects one

of these servers and uses that path to generate the custom shared folders for

the user. If one of the servers is unavailable, the client has the other two serv-

ers to select from. Note that the the Dfs host server must be running for this

fault tolerant structure to work. (Although Dfs software currently supports a

single host server, Microsoft is developing a fault-tolerant version of Dfs for a

future release of Windows NT.)

For more information on the Dfs server and client components, see

http://www.microsoft.com/ntserver/info/distributedfilesystem.htm.

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The following outlines the locations and values for registry entries that are

written to a Windows NT-based workstation or server when you use the Sys-

tem Policy Editor to modify a policy. Knowing the location of these registry

settings may help you to resolve problems.

REGISTRY KEYS

MODIFIED BY THE

SYSTEM POLICY EDITOR

DEFAULT TEMPLATES

Default User Settings

The following data is specific to the options found in the Default User portion of

the System Policy Editor.

Control Panel Display Application

Category:

Control Panel

Subcategory:

Selection:

Display

Restrict display

Description:

Removes or enables tabs from the Control Panel Display

application.

HKEY_CURRENT_USER

\Software

Key:

\Microsoft

\Windows

\CurrentVersion

\Policies

\System

Registry Value

Registry Data

REG_DWORD

Description

NoDispCPL

Off = 0 or value removed; On = 1

NoDispBackgroundPage

NoDispScrSavPage

NoDispAppearancePage

NoDispSettingsPage

Wallpaper

Category:

Selection:

Description:

Desktop

Wallpaper

Defines the path to be used when loading wallpaper, and

determines whether to tile it or not.

HKEY_CURRENT_USER

\Control Panel

Key:

\Desktop

Registry Value

Registry Data

Description

Wallpaper

REG_SZ

Off = value is removed; On = text of path to

wallpaper

TileWallpaper

REG_SZ

Off = 0 or value is removed; On = 1

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Color Scheme

Category:

Selection:

Key:

Desktop

Color scheme

HKEY_CURRENT_USER

\Control Panel

\Appearance

Registry Value

Registry Data

Description

Current

REG_SZ

Off = value is removed; On = text of color

scheme name

Start Menu Run Command

Category:

Windows NT Shell

Subcategory:

Selection:

Restrictions

Remove Run command from Start menu

Removes the user’s ability to start applications or proc-

esses from the Start menu by removing the option

completely. Note that if the user still has access to the

MS-DOSÒ prompt icon or command prompt, the user

can start unauthorized applications. To further restrict the

user’s ability to run specific applications, refer to the pol-

icy setting for “Run only allowed Windows applications”

later in this section.

Description:

Key:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER

\Software

\Microsoft

\Windows

\CurrentVersion

\Policies

\Explorer

Registry Value

Registry Data

Description

NoRun

REG_DWORD

Off = 0 or value is removed; On = 1

Settings Folders

Category:

Windows NT Shell

Subcategory:

Selection:

Restrictions

Remove folders from settings on Start menu

Removes the Control Panel and Printers folders from the

Settings menu. Removing the Taskbar, Control Panel,

and Printer folders causes the Settings menu to be re-

moved completely.

Description:

Key:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER

\Software

\Microsoft

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\Windows

\CurrentVersion

\Policies

\Explorer

Registry Value

Registry Data

REG_DWORD

Description

NoSetFolders

Off = 0 or value is removed; On = 1

Settings Taskbar

Category:

Windows NT Shell

Subcategory:

Selection:

Restrictions

Remove Taskbar from settings on Start menu

Description:

Removes the Taskbar option from settings on the Start

menu. Removing the Taskbar, Control Panel, and Printer

folders causes the Settings menu to be removed com-

pletely.

Key:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER

\Software

\Microsoft

\Windows

\CurrentVersion

\Policies

\Explorer

Registry Value

Registry Data

REG_DWORD

Description

NoSetTaskbar

Off = 0 or value is removed; On = 1

Start Menu Find Command

Category:

Windows NT Shell

Subcategory:

Selection:

Restrictions

Remove Find command from Start menu

Description:

Completely removes the Find option from the Start

menu.

Key:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER

\Software

\Microsoft

\Windows

\CurrentVersion

\Policies

\Explorer

Registry Value

Registry Data

Description

NoFind

REG_DWORD

Off = 0 or value is removed; On = 1

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My Computer Drive Icons

Category:

Subcategory:

Selection:

Description:

Key:

Windows NT Shell

Restrictions

Hide drives in My Computer

Removes the icons for the drives in My Computer.

HKEY_CURRENT_USER

\Software

\Microsoft

\Windows

\CurrentVersion

\Policies

\Explorer

Registry Value

Registry Data

Description

NoDrives

REG_DWORD

Off = value is removed; On = 3fffffff

Network Neighborhood Icon

Category:

Windows NT Shell

Subcategory:

Selection:

Restrictions

Hide Network Neighborhood

Removes the Network Neighborhood icon from the

desktop. In addition, disables UNC capability from within

the Explorer interface, including the Start menu’s Run

command, UNC paths configured by the administrator in

Policies for shared folders, desktop icons, the Start

command, and so forth. This does not impair the func-

tionality of the command line Net.exe command.

HKEY_CURRENT_USER

Description:

Key:

\Software

\Microsoft

\Windows

\CurrentVersion

\Policies

\Explorer

Registry Value

Registry Data

Description

NoNetHood

REG_DWORD

Off = 0 or value is removed; On = 1

Network Neighborhood Display

Category:

Subcategory:

Selection:

Key:

Windows NT Shell

Restrictions

No Entire Network in Network Neighborhood

HKEY_CURRENT_USER

\Software

\Microsoft

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\Windows

\CurrentVersion

\Policies

\Network

Registry Value

Registry Data

REG_DWORD

Description

NoEntireNetwork

Off = 0 or value is removed; On = 1

Network Neighborhood Workgroup Contents

Category:

Subcategory:

Selection:

Key:

Windows NT Shell

Restrictions

No workgroup contents in Network Neighborhood

HKEY_CURRENT_USER

\Software

\Microsoft

\Windows

\CurrentVersion

\Policies

\Network

Registry Value

Registry Data

Description

NoWorkgroupContents

REG_DWORD

Off = 0 or value is removed; On = 1

Desktop Display

Category:

Windows NT Shell

Restrictions

Subcategory:

Selection:

Hide all items on desktop

Description:

Hides all desktop items regardless of menus, folders, and

shortcuts defined either by profiles or by other pointers in

the policy file for custom program folders, custom desk-

top icons, and so on.

HKEY_CURRENT_USER

\Software

Key:

\Microsoft

\Windows

\CurrentVersion

\Policies

\Explorer

Registry Value

Registry Data

REG_DWORD

Description

NoDesktop

Off = 0 or value is removed; On = 1

Start Menu Shut Down Command

Category: Windows NT Shell

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Subcategory:

Selection:

Restrictions

Disable Shut Down command

Description:

Disables the Shut Down option on the Start menu. Note

that this does not disable the user’s ability to shut down

the computer using the CTRL-ALT-DEL sequence. If you

want to remove the user’s ability to use CTRL-ALT-DEL,

remove the user’s name from the “Shut down the system”

user right in User Manager.

HKEY_CURRENT_USER

\Software

Key:

\Microsoft

\Windows

\CurrentVersion

\Policies

\Explorer

Registry Value

Registry Data

Description

NoClose

REG_DWORD

Off = 0 or value is removed; On = 1

Saved Settings

Category:

Windows NT Shell

Subcategory:

Selection:

Restrictions

Don't save settings at Exit

Description:

Disables or enables the ability to save modifications that

the user makes during the logon session.

Key:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER

\Software

\Microsoft

\Windows

\CurrentVersion

\Policies

\Explorer

Registry Value

Registry Data

Description

NoSaveSettings

REG_DWORD

Off = 0 or value is removed; On = 1

Registry Editing Tools

Category:

System

Subcategory:

Selection:

Restrictions

Disable registry editing tools

Disable user’s ability to run Regedit.exe or

Regedt32.exe.

Description:

Key:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER

\Software

\Microsoft

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\Windows

\CurrentVersion

\Policies

\System

Registry Value

Registry Data

Description

DisableRegistryTools REG_DWORD

Off = 0 or value is removed; On = 1

Windows Applications Restrictions

Category:

System

Subcategory:

Selection:

Restrictions

Run only allowed Windows applications

Restricts the applications that the user can start through

the Explorer interface. If an application is not specified, a

dialog box is presented that states: “Restrictions: This

operation has been canceled due to restrictions in effect

on this computer. Please contact your system adminis-

trator.” Be sure to include Systray.exe in the list of

allowed applications if this policy is to be enforced. Note

that users may still have the ability to start restricted ap-

plications from the command prompt if you give them

access to Cmd.exe.

Description:

Key:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER

\Software

\Microsoft

\Windows

\CurrentVersion

\Policies

\Explorer

Registry Value

Registry Data

Description

RestrictRun

REG_DWORD

Off = 0 or value is removed; On = 1

Key:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER

\Software

\Microsoft

\Windows

\CurrentVersion

\Policies

\Explorer

\RestrictRun

Registry Value

Registry Data

Description

Number Increment REG_SZ

Starting with 1

Off = value is removed; On = text of applica-

tion name

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Custom Programs

Category:

Windows NT Shell

Subcategory:

Selection:

Custom Folders

Custom Program folder

Description:

Specifies the UNC path for the folder to use when dis-

playing folders, files, and shortcuts available when the

user selects Programs from the Start menu. The user’s

profile Programs is an additional selection.

HKEY_CURRENT_USER

\Software

Key:

\Microsoft

\Windows

\CurrentVersion

\Explorer

\User Shell Folders

Registry Value

Registry Data

REG_ REG_SZ

Description

Programs

Off = value is removed; On = text of UNC path

to folder. Default = %USERPROFILE%\Start

Menu\Programs

Custom Desktop Icons

Category:

Windows NT Shell

Subcategory:

Selection:

Custom Folders

Custom desktop icons

Description:

Specifies the UNC path the folder is to use when dis-

playing the folders, files, and shortcuts the user receives

on the desktop.

HKEY_CURRENT_USER

\Software

Key:

\Microsoft

\Windows

\CurrentVersion

\Explorer

\User Shell Folders

Registry Value

Registry Data

Description

Desktop

REG_SZ

Off = value is removed; On = text of UNC path

to folder. Default =

%USERPROFILE%\Desktop

Start Menu Subfolders

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Subcategory:

Selection:

Custom Folders

Hide Start menu subfolders

Description:

Hides subfolders, such as the user’s Programs folder, if a

custom Programs folder exists.

HKEY_CURRENT_USER

\Software

Key:

\Microsoft

\Windows

\CurrentVersion

\Policies

\Explorer

Registry Value

Registry Data

Description

NoStartMenuSubFolders

REG_DWORD

Off = 0 or value is removed; On = 1

Custom Startup Folder

Category:

Windows NT Shell

Subcategory:

Selection:

Custom Folders

Custom Startup folder

Description:

Specifies the UNC path the folder is to use when folders,

files, and shortcuts are to start at user logon.

HKEY_CURRENT_USER

\Software

Key:

\Microsoft

\Windows

\CurrentVersion

\Explorer

\User Shell Folders

Registry Value

Registry Data

REG_SZ

Description

Startup

Off = value is removed; On = text of UNC path to

folder. Default = %USERPROFILE%\Start

Menu\Programs\Startup

Custom Network Neighborhood

Category:

Windows NT Shell

Subcategory:

Selection:

Custom Folders

Custom Network Neighborhood

Specifies the UNC path the folder is to use to create the

folders, files, and shortcuts the user receives when navi-

gating through Network Neighborhood.

HKEY_CURRENT_USER

\Software

Description:

Key:

\Microsoft

\Windows

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\CurrentVersion

\Explorer

\User Shell Folders

Registry Value

Registry Data

REG_SZ

Description

NetHood

Off = value is removed; On = text of UNC path

to folder. Default =

%USERPROFILE%\NetHood

Custom Start Menu

Category:

Windows NT Shell

Subcategory:

Selection:

Custom Folders

Custom Start menu

Description:

Specifies the UNC path the folder is to use when dis-

playing the folders, files, and shortcuts the user receives

as part of the Start menu.

HKEY_CURRENT_USER

\Software

Key:

\Microsoft

\Windows

\CurrentVersion

\Explorer

\User Shell Folders

Registry Value

Registry Data

Description

Start Menu

REG_SZ

Off = value is removed; On = text of UNC path

to folder. Default = %USERPROFILE%\Start

Shell Extensions

Category:

Windows NT Shell

Subcategory:

Selection:

Restrictions

Only use approved shell extensions

HKEY_CURRENT_USER

\Software

Key:

\Microsoft

\Windows

\CurrentVersion

\Policies

\Explorer\

Registry Value

Registry Data

Description

EnforceShellExtensionSecurity

REG_DWORD

Off = 0 or value is removed;

On = 1

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Explorer File Menu

Category:

Windows NT Shell

Subcategory:

Selection:

Restrictions

Remove File menu from Explorer

Description:

Removes the File option from Explorer’s toolbar. (This

option was added in Service Pack 2.)

HKEY_CURRENT_USER

\Software

Key:

\Mcrosoft

\Windows

\CurrentVersion

\Policies

\Explorer\

Registry Value

Registry Data

REG_DWORD

Description

NoFileMenu

Off = 0 or value is removed; On = 1

Start Menu Common Program Groups

Category:

Windows NT Shell

Subcategory:

Selection:

Restrictions

Remove common program groups from Start menu

Description:

Disables the display of common groups when the user

selects Programs from the Start menu.

Key:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER

\Software

\Microsoft

\Windows

\CurrentVersion

\Policies

\Explorer

Registry Value

Registry Data

Description

NoCommonGroups

REG_DWORD Off = 0 or value is removed; On = 1

Taskbar Context Menus

Category:

Windows NT Shell

Subcategory:

Selection:

Restrictions

Disable context menus for the Taskbar

Removes the context menus for the tray, including the

Start button, Tab control, and Clock. (This option was

added in Service Pack 2.)

Description:

Key:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER

\Software

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\Microsoft

\Windows

\CurrentVersion

\Policies

\Explorer

Registry Value

Registry Data

REG_DWORD

Description

NoTrayContextMenu

Off = 0 or value is removed; On = 1

Explorer Context Menu

Category:

Windows NT Shell

Subcategory:

Selection:

Restrictions

Disable Explorer’s default context menu

Description:

Removes the context menu that would normally appear

when the user right clicks on the desktop or in the Ex-

plorer right results pane. (This option was added in

Service Pack 2.)

HKEY_CURRENT_USER

\Software

Key:

\Microsoft

\Windows

\CurrentVersion

\Policies

\Explorer

Registry Value

Registry Data

Description

NoViewContextMenu REG_DWORD

Off = 0 or value is removed; On = 1

Network Connections

Category:

Windows NT Shell

Subcategory:

Selection:

Restrictions

Remove the Map Network Drive and Disconnect Net-

work Drive options

Description:

Prevents users from making additional network connec-

tions by removing the Map Network Drive and

Disconnect Network Drive buttons from the toolbar in

Explorer and also removing the menu items from the

Context menu of My Computer and the Tools menu of

Explorer. (This option was added in Service Pack 2.)

HKEY_CURRENT_USER

Key:

\Software

\Microsoft

\Windows

\CurrentVersion

\Policies

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\Explorer

Registry Value

Registry Data

Description

NoNetConnectDisconnect

REG_DWORD

Off = 0 or value is removed; On = 1

Explorer Context Menu

Category:

Windows NT Shell

Subcategory:

Selection:

Restrictions

Disable link file tracking

Description:

When enabled, link file tracking uses the configured path

shown in properties for the shortcut to an application in-

stead of the absolute path. This option disables link file

tracking. (This option was added in Service Pack 2.)

Key:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER

\Software

\Microsoft

\Windows

\CurrentVersion

\Policies

\Explorer

Registry Value

Registry Data

Description

LinkResolveIgnoreLinkInfo

REG_DWORD Off = 0 or value is removed; On = 1

Autoexec.bat

Category:

Windows NT System

Selection:

Parse Autoexec.bat

Description:

When this value is 1, the environment variables declared

in the Autoexec.bat file are included in the user’s envi-

ronment.

Key:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER

\Software

\Microsoft

\Windows NT

\CurrentVersion

\Winlogon

Registry Value

Registry Data

REG_SZ

Description

ParseAutoexec

Off = 0 or value is removed; On = 1

Logon Scripts

Category:

Windows NT System

Selection:

Run logon scripts synchronously

Description:

Determines whether the shell waits for the logon script to

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complete or not. If the value is 0, the logon script is run

during the startup of the shell and allows items in the

Startup group to start. If the value is 1, the logon script

completes before the shell or any items in the Startup

group are started. If this value is also set in the Computer

section, the Computer section value takes precedence.

HKEY_CURRENT_USER

Key:

\Software

\Microsoft

\Windows NT

\CurrentVersion

\Winlogon

Registry Value

Registry Data

Description

RunLogonScriptSync

REG_DWORD

Off = 0 or value is removed; On = 1

Task Manager

Category:

Windows NT System

Selection:

Disable Task Manager

Description:

Enables or disables the user’s ability to start Task Man-

ager to view processes, applications running, and make

changes to the priority or state of the individual proc-

esses. (This option was added in Service Pack 2.)

Key:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER

\Software

\Microsoft

\Windows

\CurrentVersion

\Policies

\System

Registry Value

Registry Data

Description

DisableTaskMgr

REG_DWORD

Off = 0 or value is removed; On = 1

Welcome Tips

Category:

Windows NT System

Selection:

Show welcome tips at logon

Enables or disables the display of the Welcome screen

when the user logs on for the first and second time. (This

option was added in Service Pack 2.)

HKEY_CURRENT_USER

\Software

Description:

Key:

\Microsoft

\Windows

\CurrentVersion

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\Explorer

\Tips

Registry Value

Registry Data

REG_DWORD

Description

Show

Off = 0; On = 1

Default Computer Settings

The following data is specific to the options found in the Default Computer por-

tion of the System Policy Editor.

Remote Update

Category:

Network

Subcategory:

Selection:

System Policies update

Remote update

Description:

Controls how policies are applied to a Windows NT 4.0-

based machine. With UpdateMode set to 1 (Automatic,

the default), Windows NT makes a connection to the

NETLOGON share of the validating domain controller in

the user’s context, and checks for the existence of the

policy file, NTconfig.pol. With UpdateMode set to 2

(Manual), Windows NT reads the string specified in the

NetworkPath value, and checks that path for the exis-

tence of the policy file (in this case, the policy file name

should be included in the NetworkPath value). With Up-

dateMode set to 0 (Off), a policy file is not downloaded

from any system, and therefore is not applied.

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE

Key:

\System

\CurrentControlSet

\Control

\Update

Registry Value

UpdateMode

NetworkPath

Verbose

Registry Data

REG_DWORD

REG_SZ

Description

Off = 0, Automatic=1; Manual=2

Text of UNC path for manual update

Display error messages. Off = 0 or value not

present; On = 1

REG_DWORD

LoadBalance

REG_DWORD

Off = 0 or value not present; On = 1

Communities

Category:

Subcategory:

Selection:

Key:

System

SNMP

Communities

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE

\System

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\CurrentControlSet

\Services

\SNMP

\Parameters

\ValidCommunities

Registry Value

Increment numbers

beginning with 1

Registry Data

REG_SZ

Description

On = text of Valid Community #x; Off = value

is removed from registry

NOTE: There may be multiple entries in this subkey.

Permitted Managers

Category:

Subcategory:

Selection:

Key:

System

SNMP

Permitted managers

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE

\System

\CurrentControlSet

\Services

\SNMP

\Parameters

\PermittedManagers

Registry Value

Increment numbers

beginning with 1

Registry Data

Description

REG_SZ

On = text of Permitted Manager #x; Off =

value is removed from registry

NOTE: There may be multiple entries in this subkey.

Public Community Traps

Category:

Subcategory:

Selection:

Key:

System

SNMP

Traps for public community

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE

\System

\CurrentControlSet

\Services

\SNMP

\Parameters

\TrapConfiguration

\Public

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Registry Value

Increment numbers

beginning with 1

Registry Data

Description

REG_SZ

On = text of Trap Configuration #x; Off =

value is removed from registry

NOTE: There may be multiple entries in this subkey.

Run Command

Category:

System

Run

Subcategory:

Selection:

Run

Description:

Allows one or more applications to be run when the user

logs on interactively.

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE

\Software

Key:

\Microsoft

\Windows

\CurrentVersion

\Run

Registry Value

Application Text

Name

Registry Data

Description

REG_SZ

On = executable text name (for example,

Notepad is Notepad.exe) which may include

parameters; Off = value is removed from the

registry

NOTE: There may be multiple entries in this subkey.

Drive Shares – Workstation

Category:

Windows NT Network

Subcategory:

Selection:

Sharing

Create hidden drive shares (workstation)

When enabled, creates administrative shares for physical

drives. These shares were created automatically under

Windows NT 3.51. This policy setting gives administra-

tors the ability to control this feature. This setting is

specific to Windows NT Workstation.

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE

Description:

Key:

\System

\CurrentControlSet

\Services

\LanManServer

\Parameters

Registry Value

Registry Data

REG_DWORD

Description

AutoShareWks

NT Workstation specific: Off = 0; On = 1

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Drive Shares – Server

Category:

Windows NT Network

Subcategory:

Selection:

Sharing

Create hidden drive shares (server)

When enabled, creates the administrative shares for

physical drives. These shares were created automatically

under Windows NT 3.51. This policy setting gives ad-

ministrators the ability to control this feature. This setting

is specific to Windows NT Server.

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE

Description:

Key:

\System

\CurrentControlSet

\Services

\LanManServer

\Parameters

Registry Value

Registry Data

Description

AutoShareServer

REG_DWORD

NT Server specific: Off = 0; On = 1

Printer Browse Thread

Category:

Windows NT Printers

Subcategory:

Selection:

Sharing

Disable browse thread on this computer

Description:

When this option is enabled, the print spooler does not

send shared printer information to other print servers.

Key:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE

\System

\CurrentControlSet

\Control

\Print

Registry Value

Registry Data

Description

DisableServerThread REG_DWORD

Off = 0 or value is removed from registry;

On = 1

Server Scheduler

Category:

Subcategory:

Selection:

Key:

Windows NT Printers

Sharing

Scheduler priority

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE

\System

\CurrentControlSet

\Control

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\Print

Registry Value

Registry Data

Description

SchedulerThreadPriority

REG_DWORD

Above normal = 1; Normal = 0, Less

than normal = ffffffff

Error Beep

Category:

Windows NT Printers

Subcategory:

Selection:

Sharing

Beep for error enabled

Description:

Enables beeping (every 10 seconds) when a remote job

error occurs on a print server.

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE

\System

Key:

\CurrentControlSet

\Control

\Print

Registry Value

Registry Data

REG_DWORD

Description

BeepEnabled

Off = 0; On = 1

Authentication Retries

Category:

Selection:

Description:

Windows NT Remote Access

Max number of unsuccessful authentication retries

Specifies the number of times authentication will be at-

tempted for a user.

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE

\System

Key:

\CurrentControlSet

\Services

\RemoteAccess

\Parameters

Registry Value

Registry Data

Description

AuthenticateRetries

REG_DWORD

Off = value is removed, On =Number of re-

tries in hexadecimal. Decimal = 1-10; default

= 2.

Authentication Time Limit

Category:

Selection:

Description:

Windows NT Remote Access

Max time limit for authentication

Defines the maximum time limit in seconds for authenti-

cation to occur.

Key:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE

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\System

\CurrentControlSet

\Services

\RemoteAccess

\Parameters

Registry Value

Registry Data

Description

AuthenticateTime REG_DWORD

Off = value is removed , On = time in sec-

onds in hexadecimal. Decimal = 20-600;

default = 120.

RAS Call-back Interval

Category:

Selection:

Description:

Windows NT Remote Access

Wait interval for callback

Specifies the time in seconds that Windows NT will wait

before initiating the callback from a RAS dial-in user.

Key:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE

\System

\CurrentControlSet

\Services

\RemoteAccess

\Parameters

Registry Value

Registry Data

REG_DWORD

Description

CallbackTime

Off = value is removed, On = time in seconds in

hexadecimal. Decimal = 2-12; default = 2.

RAS Auto-disconnect

Category:

Selection:

Description:

Windows NT Remote Access

Auto disconnect

Specifies the amount of idle time in minutes to wait be-

fore disconnecting the RAS client.

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE

\System

Key:

\CurrentControlSet

\Services

\RemoteAccess

\Parameters

Registry Value

Registry Data

Description

AutoDisconnect

REG_DWORD

Off = value is removed, On = time in min-

utes in hexadecimal. Decimal: minimum =

0; default = 20.

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Shared Programs Folder Path

Category:

Windows NT Shell

Subcategory:

Selection:

Custom shared folders

Custom shared Programs folder

Description:

Specifies the UNC path for the folder to use when dis-

playing folders, files, and shortcuts below the division line

(common groups) when the user selects Programs from

the Start menu.

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE

\Software

Key:

\Microsoft

\Windows

\CurrentVersion

\Explorer

\User Shell Folders

Registry Value

Common

Registry Data

Description

REG_EXPAND_SZ (Note: Off = value is removed from registry;

Programs

REG_SZ can be used if

no variables exist.)

On = text of UNC path to folder. De-

fault = %SystemRoot%\Profiles\All

Users\Start Menu\Programs

Shared Desktop Icons Path

Category:

Windows NT Shell

Subcategory:

Selection:

Custom shared folders

Custom shared desktop icons

Description:

Specifies the UNC path the folder is to use when dis-

playing the folders, files, and shortcuts the user receives

as part of the desktop.

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE

\Software

Key:

\Microsoft

\Windows

\CurrentVersion

\Explorer

\User Shell Folders

Registry Value

Registry Data

Description

Common Desktop

REG_EXPAND_SZ (Note: Off = value is removed from registry;

REG_SZ can be used if

no variables exist.)

On = text of UNC path to folder.

Default = %SystemRoot%\

Profiles\All Users\Desktop.

Shared Start Menu Path

Category: Windows NT Shell

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Subcategory:

Selection:

Custom shared folders

Custom shared Start menu

Specifies the UNC path the folder is to use when dis-

playing the folders, files, and shortcuts the user receives

as part of the Start menu.

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE

\Software

Description:

Key:

\Microsoft

\Windows

\CurrentVersion

\Explorer

\User Shell Folders

Registry Value

Common Start

Registry Data

Description

REG_EXPAND_SZ

Off = value is removed from registry,

On = text of UNC path to folder.

Default = %SystemRoot%\Profiles\

All Users\Start Menu

(Note: REG_SZ can be

used if no variables exist.)

Shared Startup Folder Path

Category:

Windows NT Shell

Subcategory:

Selection:

Custom shared folders

Custom shared Startup folder

Description:

Specifies the UNC path the folder is to use to find folders,

files, and shortcuts that should be started when the user

logs on.

Key:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE

\Software

\Microsoft

\Windows

\CurrentVersion

\Explorer

\User Shell Folders

Registry Value

Registry Data

Description

Common Startup

REG_EXPAND_SZ

(Note: REG_SZ can be

Off = value is removed from registry,

On = text of UNC path to folder.

used if no variables exist.) Default = %SystemRoot%\Profiles\

All Users\Start Menu\Programs\

Startup

Logon Banner

Category:

Windows NT System

Logon

Subcategory:

Selection:

Logon banner

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Description:

Before the user logs on, displays a custom dialog box

with text.

Key:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE

\Software

\Microsoft

\Windows NT

\CurrentVersion

\Winlogon

Registry Value

LegalNoticeCaption

LegalNoticeText

Registry Data

REG_SZ

Description

Off = value is removed; On = text of caption

Off = value is removed; On = text of notice

REG_SZ

Logon Dialog Shut Down Button

Category:

Windows NT System

Subcategory:

Selection:

Logon

Enable shutdown from Authentication dialog box

Description:

Enables or disables the Shut Down button on the logon

dialog window.

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE

\Software

Key:

\Microsoft

\Windows NT

\CurrentVersion

\Winlogon

Registry Value

Registry Data

Description

ShutdownWithoutLogon REG_SZ

Off = 0; On = 1

Logon Name Display

Category:

Windows NT System

Subcategory:

Selection:

Logon

Do not display last logged on user name

Description:

Enables or disables display of the last logged on user

name when the user presses CTRL+ALT+DEL and the

logon dialog is displayed.

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE

\Software

Key:

\Microsoft

\Windows NT

\CurrentVersion

\Winlogon

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Registry Value

Registry Data

Description

DontDisplayLastUserName

REG_SZ

Off = 0; On = 1

Logon Scripts

Category:

Windows NT System

Logon

Subcategory:

Selection:

Run logon scripts synchronously

Determines whether the shell waits for the logon script to

complete or not. If the value is 0, the logon script is run

during the startup of the shell and allows items in the

Startup group to start. If the value is 1, the logon script

completes before the shell or any items in the Startup

group are started. If this value is also set in the User sec-

tion, this value takes precedence.

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE

Description:

Key:

\Software

\Microsoft

\Windows NT

\CurrentVersion

\Winlogon

Registry Value

Registry Data

Description

RunLogonScriptSync

REG_SZ

Off = 0 or value is removed; On = 1

Long File Names

Category:

Windows NT System

Subcategory:

Selection:

File system

Do not create 8.3 file names for long file names

Key:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE

\System

\CurrentControlSet

\Control

\FileSystem

Registry Value

Registry Data

Description

NtfsDisable8dot3NameCreation REG_DWORD Off = 0 or value is removed; On = 1

Extended Characters in 8.3 File Names

Category:

Windows NT System

Subcategory:

Selection:

File system

Allow extended characters in 8.3 file names

Short file names with extended characters may not be

viewable on computers that do not have the same char-

acter code page.

Description:

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Key:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE

\System

\CurrentControlSet

\Control

\FileSystem

Registry Value

Registry Data

Description

NtfsAllowExtendedCharacterIn8dot3Name

REG_DWORD Off = 0 or value is

removed; On = 1

Read Only Files – Last Access Time

Category:

Windows NT System

Subcategory:

Selection:

File system

Do not update last access time

Description:

For files that are only to be read, specifies do not update

the last access time. (This increases the file system’s

performance.)

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE

\System

Key:

\CurrentControlSet

\Control

\FileSystem

Registry Value

Registry Data

Description

NtfsDisableLastAccessUpdate REG_DWORD

Off = 0 or value is removed; On =

Cached Roaming Profiles

Category:

Selection:

Description:

Windows NT User Profiles

Delete cached copies of roaming profiles

After a user logs off from an interactive session, if this

value is enabled, the locally cached version of the roam-

ing User Profile is deleted.

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE

\Software

Key:

\Microsoft

\Windows NT

\CurrentVersion

\Winlogon

Registry Value

Registry Data

Description

DeleteRoamingCache

REG_DWORD

Off = 0 or value is removed; On = 1

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Slow Network Detection

Category:

Selection:

Description:

Key:

Windows NT User Profiles

Automatically detect slow network connections

Enables or disables detection of a slow network.

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE

\Software

\Microsoft

\Windows NT

\CurrentVersion

\Winlogon

Registry Value

Registry Data

Description

SlowLinkDetectEnabled

REG_DWORD

Off = 0; On = No value (empty) or 1.

Default = On.

Slow Network Timeout

Category:

Selection:

Description:

Windows NT User Profiles

Slow network connection timeout

Specifies the amount of time in milliseconds that

Windows NT waits before a slow network is determined.

Key:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE

\Software

\Microsoft

\Windows NT

\CurrentVersion

\Winlogon

Registry Value

Registry Data

Description

SlowLinkTimeOut

REG_DWORD

Off = 0 or value is removed; On = time in milli-

seconds in hexadecimal. Decimal: 1-20000;

default = 2000.

Dialog Box Timeout

Category:

Selection:

Description:

Windows NT User Profiles

Timeout for dialog boxes

When the user is presented with a dialog box requesting

User Profile information, this specifies the amount of time

in seconds before the dialog box is closed and the default

is accepted.

Key:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE

\Software

\Microsoft

\Windows NT

\CurrentVersion

\Winlogon

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Registry Value

Registry Data

Description

Show

REG_DWORD

Off = 0 or value is removed; On = time in sec-

onds in hexadecimal. Decimal = 0-600; default

= 30.

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The following section describes the locations and values for useful registry

entries that are available in the operating system, but not available in the Sys-

tem Policy Editor.

REGISTRY ENTRIES

NOT INCLUDED IN THE

SYSTEM POLICY EDITOR

Autorun

Category:

Windows NT Shell

Subcategory:

Description:

Removable media

Determines whether the Autorun feature is enabled on

each drive connected to the system. When Autorun is

enabled, media is started automatically when it is in-

serted in the drive. This value is comprised of 32 bits.

The lower 26 bits each represent a drive, with the lowest

(right-most) bit representing drive A and the 26th bit from

the right representing drive Z. If a bit is set to 0, the

autorun feature is enabled on that drive. If a bit is set to

1, the autorun feature is disabled on that drive.

For example, if the value of this entry is 0x8 (1000 bi-

nary), autorun is disabled on drive D. Note that a value of

1 in the bit representing the CD-ROM drive takes prece-

dence over the value of Autorun.

Key:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER

\Software

\Microsoft

\Windows

\CurrentVersion

\Policies

\Explorer

Registry Value

Registry Data

Description

NoDriveAutoRun

REG_DWORD

0x0 - 0x3FFFFFF

Start Banner

Category:

Windows NT Shell

Subcategory:

Description:

Start banner

Hides the arrow and "Click here to start" caption that ap-

pears on the taskbar when you start Windows NT.

Key:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER

\Software

\Microsoft

\Windows

\CurrentVersion

\Policies

\Explorer

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Registry Value

Registry Data

Description

NoStartBanner

REG_DWORD

0 = enabled; 1= disabled.

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For more information when configuring your network, refer to the following:

FOR MORE

INFORMATION

Windows NT Server Concepts and Planning Guide - Chapter 3, “Manag-

ing User Work Environments” (part of the Windows NT Server product

documentation).

Kixtart Resource Kit Utility available in the Windows NT Server Resource

Kit for version 4.0.

For the latest information on Windows NT Server, check out our World Wide

Web site at http://www.microsoft.com/backoffice or the Windows NT Server

Forum on the Microsoft Network (GO WORD: MSNTS).

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User Profile Flowcharts

APPENDIX A –

FLOWCHARTS

These flowcharts illustrate how User Profiles operate within the Windows NT

4.0 operating system, and give the administrator an at-a-glance look at the

procedures to take and the internal processing that occurs when User Profiles

are implemented under Windows NT 4.0.

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Begin Profile Process: Does the

user already have a profile from

Windows NT 3.5x?

Yes

Will the user be

mandated to receive

the profile for logon?

Is the profile

.usr or .man?

Configure the user profile path for

the account with:

\\server\share\<username>.man

Yes

Create a directory for the Windows NT

4.0 profile with the .man extension in

the share where profiles are stored.

(\\server\share\<username>.man)

.man

Configure the user profile

path for the account with:

\\server\share\<username>

(no extension used)

.usr

Create a directory for the Windows NT

4.0 profile with the .pdm extension in

the share where profiles are stored.

(\\server\share\<username>.pdm)

Create a directory for the Windows NT

4.0 Profile without an extension in the

share where profiles are stored.

(\\server\share\<username>)

Nothing needs to be done to

the profile path or to the

profile. The Windows NT4.0

profile will be automatically

upgraded and be placed in a

directory called

Will the profile be

mandatory such that

the user cannot make

changes?

1. Log on to a Windows NT 4.0-

based computer and create a

User Profile with the settings

for the mandatory profile. This

will be a template profile.

2. Log off the computer and log

back on as Administrator.

3. Using the User Profile Tab in

Control Panel\System, select

the template profile, click the

Copy To: option, set the

"<username>.pds".

Yes

Will the user log

on from Windows NT

3.5x machines in

the future?

Will the user

permissions on the profile for

the account or group that will

have rights to use this profile.

4. Enter or browse for the profile

directory created earlier, and

click OK.

use a default profile

from the server?

Yes

5. Rename the NTuser.dat file

located in the profile directory

created earlier to NTuser.man.

Yes

No changes are

necessary. The

Windows NT 3.5x

profile will be used

automatically when the

user logs on from

Windows NT 3.5x-based

computers.

Copy the default user profile from the

\profiles directory to the NETLOGON share,

and modify it to meet specific needs. When

users log on for the first time without a local

profile or a server based profile, the default

user profile from the server will be used.

After the user has successfully

logged on and off for the first

time and has saved the new

Windows NT 4.0 profile,

remove the .usr profile that

exists for the user. No changes

to the Windows NT 4.0 profile

directory are necessary.

No changes necessary. The "Default User" profile

from the user's workstation will be used when no

profile is found on the server or locally for the user

on first logon. When the user logs off, their profile

will be written to the server, and will be available on

subsequent logons.

Flowchart 1. Administrator’s First Tasks

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Workstation boots,

computer account is validated, and

user enters logon credentials

Receive data from Domain

Controller about User Account

Does the user

account contain a

User Profile path?

Yes

Is the server copy

available? See

flowchart

"Accessing Server-

based Profile"

Yes

Does user override

by having selected

Local?

Flag as not available

Yes

Set the Ignore Central internal

flag

Determine if local copy of profile is

available

Flag profile as mandatory or

roaming

Central not available;

local is available

Central is available;

local is available

Central not available;

local not available

Central is available;

local not available

Is the Ignore Central

flag set?

Is this a new

user?

Yes

Load local

Reconcile both

by comparing

time stamps

Yes

profile

(continue to

Part 2)

Issue the

default

profile. Is

Is the central

profile newer?

Yes

Load central profile

(continue to Part 2)

available?

Is the local

profile newer?

Flag profile

as a new

local profile

(continue to

Part 2)

Yes

Load local profile

(continue to Part 2)

Is profile

mandatory?

Yes

Load local version of

Download

profile from

server

(continue to

Part 2)

Yes

profile

Return error

Flag profile to only

save changes to local

profile at log off.

Changes will not be

written to the profile

stored on the server.

(continue to Part 2)

Copy the default

User Profile and

load (continue to

Part 2)

Create temporary

profile/local copy

(continue to Part 2)

Ask user preference for

server or local copy

and load

(continue to Part 2)

Flowchart 2. User Logon (Part 1)

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(Continued) from

Command to Load Profile

Load the User Profile

Set USERPROFILE environment variable

Check build number for version

Different?

Same?

Process UserDiff

Registry changes (from

major version change)

Apply System Policy

Save settings to

Registry

Flowchart 3. User Logon (Part 2)

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Call made to check

server profile

Check for .man extension in

profile path

Yes

Flag as mandatory

Start timer, check the existence of

the profile path, and after

completion, stop timer

Determine type and

version of profile