Windows 7 Default Profile

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Mabrito

Supreme [H]ardness
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Dec 24, 2004
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Trying to make a custom Default Profile folder so anyone who logs in get the same start menu, desktop background, etc. In Windows XP this was easy as all that needed to be done was copy the contents of a profile folder that is tweaked to my liking and paste it into and overwrite the original default profile. Seems like in Windows 7 it is not as easy and tried the simple copy and paste method and still can't get the start menu and desktop copy over.

Everything I found on the subject is saying to use the Windows Deployment Kit, unattended XML file, etc. Is there some easier way on doing this?
 
I was afraid of that. Well looks like its time to Sysprep the machine solely for the purpose of creating a default profile.
 
Great, damn unattend.xml file failed and now I can't boot into my image. Sigh......

I only had the copy profile switch triggered for specialize, dont know why it couldn't parse it. Moving this to virtual machine development now until I get the unattended.xml file worked out to create a default profile. Hurray snapshots!!!
 
Well did a quick test of a Windows 7 environment in VMware Workstation and it worked like a charm. Must of been some of the registry editing I ended up doing or something that caused it to fail on the physical machine. Time to rebuild the image and go for round 2!
 
Use the 'User Profile Manager 2.0" from forensit.com
It works perfectly on Win7, Vista and XP, I just built Win7 x64 images for our produciton machines and everything tested fine.
Just uninstall after using it (15 day trial)
LINKY
 
There is a tool in the WAIK to help you build the XML file. It's pretty intimidating when you see it for the first time. The tool will make it much easier. WSIM I think it's called...
 
Demon10000 said:
There is a tool in the WAIK to help you build the XML file. It's pretty intimidating when you see it for the first time. The tool will make it much easier. WSIM I think it's called...
Click to expand...

Yeah I used it, pretty familiar with it. Actually used it to create the XML file that failed. Like I said, I was playing with the registry and probably messed some of it up. The image I am making is really small and just have a couple of programs installed on it (using SCCM to deploy the large programs). Was just quite annoying that it happened.
 
So I got it working besides one part. Everything copies besides the icons I pinned to the taskbar. I pinned Firefox, IE, and the Libraries shortcut and when I Sysprep it defaults back to Libraries and Windows Media icons. Any ideas?
 
pinned settings dont translate over. To fix this you have to create a loginscript: http://blogs.technet.com/b/deployme...art-menu-or-windows-7-taskbar-via-script.aspx

As an alternative, you can configure the bar as you wish, export the following reg key to a file: HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Taskband. And then copy the contents of %appdata%\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Quick Launch\User Pinned\TaskBar to somewhere. Then in a login script execute the reg file, move the shortcuts to the user's taskbar folders, and then toggle explorer.exe

One more alternative is TaskbarLinks in the unattended file (i have not tried this): http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ff715544(WS.10).aspx

this is defiantly something the MS overlooked though there has been talks to add this to group policy at a later date.
 
xenios said:
pinned settings dont translate over. To fix this you have to create a loginscript: http://blogs.technet.com/b/deployme...art-menu-or-windows-7-taskbar-via-script.aspx

As an alternative, you can configure the bar as you wish, export the following reg key to a file: HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Taskband. And then copy the contents of %appdata%\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Quick Launch\User Pinned\TaskBar to somewhere. Then in a login script execute the reg file, move the shortcuts to the user's taskbar folders, and then toggle explorer.exe

One more alternative is TaskbarLinks in the unattended file (i have not tried this): http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ff715544(WS.10).aspx

this is defiantly something the MS overlooked though there has been talks to add this to group policy at a later date.
Click to expand...

Haha thanks, you been a lot of help!! VBS script worked great, just need to figure out how to remove a pinned item now so I can get rid of Windows Media Player and all will be good.

Ha that was easy, just change it to Unpin.
 
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