Group Policy: My Documents redirection

[Beard36]

We've got a small network of 1 server and about 20 computers all of them running Windows 2000 (and Windows 2000 Server). We have only recently introduced saving data onto user network shares and some users are still saving to "My Documents" from time to time (old habits die hard). Following the steps in the article below (specifically the "To create a shared folder for users' My Documents folders" section) -

http://www.microsoft.com/windows2000/techinfo/planning/management/userdata.asp#heading3

I set up a suitable group policy for our users so that their network share and My Documents folder would be one and the same. However, when I log on to test it, I find that My Documents hasn't been redirected at all and is still pointing to C:\Document and Settings.

I've been looking around elsewhere on-line to see if I've done something wrong or missed something out, but I'm drawing a blank. If any one can think of anything I should check, or point me in the right direction, it would be much appreciated.

Thanks in advance,

Dan.

 

[philbeardmore]

Once you have setup folder re-direction, you can still save to my documents under c:\documents and settings, however the files are moved to the users home account at logoff.

 

[twicki]

You can set a group policy up within active directory that will set all there My Document folders to a place on the network. Say you have an organisational unit called Staff, right click it, properties, group policies, User Configuration, Windows Settings, Folder Redirection, Properties then set setting = Basic and Target Folder Location to \\Servername\folder\%username% (this is used if you have all the users folder in the same place and they are named the same as there username)

 

[Beard36]

The way that twicki has described is the way that I have had it set up, but it doesn't seem to work. In fact I've just logged on again and there is now no way to access the "My Documents" folder (wherever it is pointing to). If I try to save a document then there is no mention on My Documents in the standard save dialog box, and no shortcut to it in Windows Explorer.

The folder that I've set My Documents to be redirected to exists and there are no permissions problem (at least I don't think there are). I'm getting more and more confused now.

Any further advice much needed!
Cheers for the swift responses so far, though.

 

[humaniversity]

Hi,

This is another approach for redirection to shares on the server:
1) Create a directory for user files
2) Within the directory for user files, Create a home directory for each user login
3) Share the home directory as a $ -share (invisible) e.g. USER1-HOMEDIR$
4) In the account-properties of the user-login map a drive (e.g. I to the $ -share: \\server\USER1-HOMEDIR$
5) When logged in with the user-logon, redirect My Documents to the mapped drive letter ( e.g. I

On top of this set up, I use roaming profiles for my users, because they share the workstations and move from place to place ever so often....
NOTE:! With roaming profile feature, it is important to disable off-line folders on each and every workstation, to avoid the confusion of spreading different copies of off-line files on each and every workstation.

Hope it works,
Regards

Vigy

 

[twicki]

The reason it doesn't work is that your users must be set up in the folder that you set the policy against. I.E if you have done this against the a organisation unit call users the policy must be set against this specific policy