Windows 7 roaming profiles on W2k3 domain

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Mister Natural

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I have a Windows 7 laptop which won't save the user profile locally on the machine. Whenever user is out of the office the desktop and profile won't load. I've done a lot of google searches and tried a number of things. Already tried creating a new profile, created the .v2 user profile extension on the server. I'm wondering if anyone else came across this and had a definitive fix.
 
First things first, how is the GPO for roaming profiles set-up?

Are you using redirected folders?
This an issue on other laptops?
Do you use Windows 7 in the office?
Does it work on other Windows 7 machines in that case?
Does this user login to both Windows XP and Windows 7 machines?

We need more info!
 
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Yes using redirected folders. I do have "only use local profiles" enabled. This was enabled long ago to speed up the loading of the profile at boot since I was getting a lot of complaints on that until I enabled that.

This user used to have a windows xp laptop and I setup this new windows 7 laptop for the user. They no longer use Windows XP. I have 2 other windows 7 laptop machines I setup a number of months ago and as far as I know it works fine on the other machines. No reported issues with them.

I have around 10 W7 machines on the network now and rolling out more. Most are pc's and no issues with any of them.

As mentioned I eventually deleted the user entirely from the domain and created a new profile with a completely different name and problem still exists. Nothing being reported in the logs and the logs even show profile loading when connected to the network. Seems like some setting on the laptop itself is not allowing the profile to be save locally.

Last thing I've come across is someone mentioned trying to turn off windows firewall to see if it will work. I haven't tried that yet.
 
Are you manually creating the profile, or are you letting the GPO settings and first user logon create the redirected profile folders automatically? Shouldn't make much of a difference as long as permissions are set correctly.

Let me get this right, his profile loads and works correctly while hes inside your business network, but as soon as he(laptop) disconnect, he can still log in but his profile gets loaded with a "temporary profile" without his personalized settings and etc, instead of the locally cached profile. Is that correct?
 
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If you are redirecting the desktop then his desktop is stored on the server and will not roam with him. If you are using the roaming profiles (horrible things) then there is another issue here.
 
Chilly said:
Are you manually creating the profile, or are you letting the GPO settings and first user logon create the redirected profile folders automatically? Shouldn't make much of a difference as long as permissions are set correctly.

Let me get this right, his profile loads and works correctly while hes inside your business network, but as soon as he(laptop) disconnect, he can still log in but his profile gets loaded with a "temporary profile" without his personalized settings and etc, instead of the locally cached profile. Is that correct?
Click to expand...

I tried both ways. Let it create automatically and copying files into a new profile.

Second question....you are correct. Profile loads fine when connected to network. When disconnected from network error comes up "unable to load \\server\user\profile\desktop". Blank desktop screen, missing all desktop icons, profile, etc.
 
Jay_oasis said:
If you are redirecting the desktop then his desktop is stored on the server and will not roam with him. If you are using the roaming profiles (horrible things) then there is another issue here.
Click to expand...

Doesn't matter, the redirected folders should cache on the desktop/laptop, allowing interactive log on and use of (cached) profile offline and synced back to the server upon reconnection, uploading only the changes(Remote Differential Compression). To the user it appears in the form of "offline folders" and "sync center"

I have redirected folders/roaming profiles working with "offline/mobile users" in my lab perfectly, and I have done NOTHING special to enable this usage.

Which brings me to my next question, do you have any GPO settings related to offline folders being applied to the W7 laptop that could be preventing it from caching the profile? I know there's a few GPO settings that can break redirected folder caching, I just have to find them again. Once I find them I will chime in with what they should and shouldn't be set to to allow for proper offline roaming profile usage.
 
Mister Natural said:
When disconnected from network error comes up "unable to load \\server\user\profile\desktop". Blank desktop screen, missing all desktop icons, profile, etc.
Click to expand...

you're obviously redirecting his desktop folder.
what other folders are being redirected?

when the server is not available/accessible, it won't be able to load the redirected folders because they are not available/accessible.
 
j-sta said:
you're obviously redirecting his desktop folder.
what other folders are being redirected?

when the server is not available/accessible, it won't be able to load the redirected folders because they are not available/accessible.
Click to expand...

Doesn't matter, under normal circumstances, Windows 7 should then load the cached version of the profile until the connection to the server can be reconnected.

In Windows XP this may not be the case, I do not know, nor do I have experience with offline redirected profiles and XP. What you say may very true in XP.

However in Windows 7, what he wants to do SHOULD BE working, unless he has a GPO setting telling the computer otherwise. There are GPO settings to change this behavior(if desired, to disable the caching of redirected folders), and I have a feeling that hes got some sort of setting, maybe not a GPO setting, but a setting somewhere none the less, preventing the caching of the redirected folder.
 
Chilly said:
Doesn't matter, the redirected folders should cache on the desktop/laptop, allowing interactive log on and use of (cached) profile offline and synced back to the server upon reconnection, uploading only the changes(Remote Differential Compression). To the user it appears in the form of "offline folders" and "sync center"

I have redirected folders/roaming profiles working with "offline/mobile users" in my lab perfectly, and I have done NOTHING special to enable this usage.

Which brings me to my next question, do you have any GPO settings related to offline folders being applied to the W7 laptop that could be preventing it from caching the profile? I know there's a few GPO settings that can break redirected folder caching, I just have to find them again. Once I find them I will chime in with what they should and shouldn't be set to to allow for proper offline roaming profile usage.
Click to expand...

I agree. Works fine on all other machines, but for some reason not working on this machine. My problem now is getting the laptop back from the user. I had it all afternoon yesterday and part of this morning. I had to give it back so they could get some things done. Will wrestle with it more when I get it back unless I get a definite solution here.
 
Still wrestling with the solution. Whenever I figure out the fix I will update the thread. Thanks for the replies.
 
Chilly said:
Doesn't matter, under normal circumstances, Windows 7 should then load the cached version of the profile until the connection to the server can be reconnected.
Click to expand...

ah... yeah, did some more reading up and didn't realize redirected folders are cached by default.

Mister Natural said:
I agree. Works fine on all other machines, but for some reason not working on this machine. My problem now is getting the laptop back from the user. I had it all afternoon yesterday and part of this morning. I had to give it back so they could get some things done. Will wrestle with it more when I get it back unless I get a definite solution here.
Click to expand...

ok.. so does it not work for any and all users on this specific machine?

is it possible "Offline Files" is disabled on this machine for some reason?
 
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