Roaming profiles - limiting to one or two folders

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Clockworks

Supreme [H]ardness
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Aug 23, 2004
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Is it possible to copy JUST the My Documents (XP) or Documents (Win7) folders? I don't care about links, desktop, music, videos, or anything else for that matter.
 
Clockworks said:
Is it possible to copy JUST the My Documents (XP) or Documents (Win7) folders? I don't care about links, desktop, music, videos, or anything else for that matter.
Click to expand...

sure, you can exclude directories from a roaming profile via group policy.

User Config -> Admin Templates -> System -> User Profiles -> "Exclude directories in roaming profile"
 
CaseyBlackburn said:
Well, folder redirection doesn't copy the files over. Folder redirection is just having My Documents point to a network location. Files aren't stored locally on the computer, so if the network goes down the files go away.
Click to expand...
If you need files locally then you use offline files which is enabled by default.
 
j-sta said:
sure, you can exclude directories from a roaming profile via group policy.

User Config -> Admin Templates -> System -> User Profiles -> "Exclude directories in roaming profile"
Click to expand...

Well, I found the location in the GPO to exclude some folders (Desktop, My Music, and the sort). I input the folder name (Application Data; Desktop; Favorites; My Documents\My Music) and it still grabs the entire profile. What's going on?
 
Clockworks said:
Well, I found the location in the GPO to exclude some folders (Desktop, My Music, and the sort). I input the folder name (Application Data; Desktop; Favorites; My Documents\My Music) and it still grabs the entire profile. What's going on?
Click to expand...

you sure it's not loading the cached profile on the local machine?
Or
I believe that option only prevents those folders from getting pushed up to the server from the desktop.

So, if those folders already exist in the server-side profile folder, it will continue to pull them down.
 
j-sta said:
you sure it's not loading the cached profile on the local machine?
Or
I believe that option only prevents those folders from getting pushed up to the server from the desktop.

So, if those folders already exist in the server-side profile folder, it will continue to pull them down.
Click to expand...

I think I am loading the entire cached profile. How do I prevent that?
 
Clockworks said:
I think I am loading the entire cached profile. How do I prevent that?
Click to expand...

cached profile on the computer?
another group policy for that...

Computer Config -> Admin Templates -> System -> User Profiles -> "Delete cached copies of roaming profiles" change to Enabled.

the local profile folder will get deleted when the user logs off (assuming Windows is able to close all open registry hives)
 
Actually, I discovered something else. Group Policy is not applying for anything beside software installation. Great, I love environments that are not standardized. :mad: I say this because this company still buys software from retailers as opposed to VLKs. "Let's expand as fast as the users grow!" 25 people here....

So now the question has changed, why isn't GP applying?
 
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Clockworks said:
Actually, I discovered something else. Group Policy is not applying for anything beside software installation. Great, I love environments that are not standardized. :mad: I say this because this company still buys software from retailers as opposed to VLKs. "Let's expand as fast as the users grow!" 25 people here....

So now the question has changed, why isn't GP applying?
Click to expand...

Open your Group Policy Management console and use the Group Policy Results Wizard to show you exactly what is applying for whatever OU, Computer, User you want.
 
any errors in event logs?

do a:
gpresult /v > gpresult.txt
to list applied gpo's into a text file.

Then...

gpupdate /force /boot /sync

after the reboot, do a gpresult /v > gpresult2.txt

compare the 2?
also check event logs for any possible errors before and after the reboot
 
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Alot of things to check for that. First I would check the event log (this will probably tell you everything you need to know, if you see nothing, gpupdate and look again). Then I would take a look at gpresult and/or rsop.msc. If those dont give any info then I would make sure all the right services are running.

edit: doh beat, and by a lot thanks to phone call :)
 
For one thing, I discovered that the User Configuration was disabled. Now to troubleshoot some more, after I go to the bathroom.
 
Clockworks said:
For one thing, I discovered that the User Configuration was disabled. Now to troubleshoot some more, after I go to the bathroom.
Click to expand...

That's usually a standard practice on a GPO. If there are no User settings in a GPO, you disable the User side of it.
 
Cardinals said:
That's usually a standard practice on a GPO. If there are no User settings in a GPO, you disable the User side of it.
Click to expand...

Yeah, decided to look into it for tomorrow. I have plenty of other things to keep me occupied for the moment.
 
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