Group Policy Files Missing

[tom2008]

We are running Windows Server 2003 Domain. I have created a GPO to assign software packages to all computers in a domain. The GPO worked as expected for a number of weeks but one day when after I imaged a PC using RIS the software failed to install. I look at the event logs on the PC and saw an event indicating that the gpt.ini file could not located.

Opened GPMC and saw that the GPO was listed and I could browse the settings within this console but when I tried to open the policy (Right Click > Edit) I got the error message "The system cannot find the specified File".

I looked in the policies folder.(\\<domain>\SYSVOL\<domain>\policies and the folder for the policy was missing.

I then recreated the policy with the same settings, gave it a different name, applied it to the same OU and then deleted the old GPO from GPMC.

The PC then applied the software and all was good but a couple of days ago I happend to check on the GPO just to check everything was OK and I got the same error again. The GPO file was missing.

Any help is shedding some light on this mystery is greatly appreciated.

 

[sutors]

Do you have more than one domain controller?
Wild guess, but I would start with checking FRS logs. Could be that FRS+AV could be wacking the files.
I'd also put auditing on that file.
Also I'd check if this file exists on all domain controllers under sysvol.

Lukasz

 

[tom2008]

Thanks for the response. We have 10 domain controllers accross multiple sites and the file is not on any of them which I guess suggests that FRS is working.

 

[sutors]

Yes, you are correct.
I would start with auditing then. You can set auditing on a single DC. FRS will replicate that everywhere.
I've seen similar problem once, and we could not find a cause. As a workaround we made all files under that affected policy folder read only. I know it's kind of a hack, but it worked.
Good luck