Setting up profiles 1

[Compositor]

I am a bit of a server novice so sorry if I am asking a dumb question.

I have 3 groups of users in active directory. All the users have roaming profiles in a shared folder on the server.

Could someone please tell me how I can keep certain parts of each user's profile individual (eg. IE Favourites) but have other parts (eg. desktop icons) managed as a group? Is this possible?

Thanks to anyone that can help.

 

[markdmac]

You can accomplish what you are looking for with mandatory profiles if you ONLY want them to have the desktop icons you specify.

Otherwise you will want to look at configuring the different aspects that you want via a combination of GPO and vbscript.

I hope you find this post helpful.

Regards,

Mark

Check out my scripting solutions at

http://www.thespidersparlor.com/vbscript

 

[Compositor]

Thanks for getting back to me so soon Mark.

I have had a look at mandatory profiles and even though they are 90% what I want, I am not entirely sure they will be right.

Sorry if this is a wide branching question but can I just ask your advice?

The network is in a junior youth club and all of the clients on the network will have the same software installed. If a Group 1 user logs on, i'd like them to see all of the software icons arranged in folders on the desktop. If a Group 2 user logs on I would like them to see some of the icons and for a Group 3 user, an empty desktop. The only thing that I want to be modified by the users is their favourites in Internet Explorer. The wallpaper and other profile settings can be locked.

Is this something that has to be done with profiles or group policy. I'm a little confused. From all the various techniques I have read about, if you had to install a new piece of software and put a shortcut on the desktop it would take forever.

Am I being completely ignorant and looking at this the wrong way? If this is too much to answer in one go then don't worry.

Many thanks again.

 

[markdmac]

You could accomplish your goal either way. It all depends on your applications of course and your knowledge of the technologies. Using GPO you can push out the IE favorites and also specify a start menu to use etc. A mandatory profile will make the desktop icons an easy thing to configure, but so would using vbscript.

I hope you find this post helpful.

Regards,

Mark

Check out my scripting solutions at

http://www.thespidersparlor.com/vbscript

 

[porkchopexpress]

If your workstations are all 2k or above then you can use 'folder redirection' GPO's as Mark suggested, simply place a folder containing the shortcuts in a share or Netlogon will do. Organize it like the structure below.

Netlogon -
- Desktops
- Desktop 1
- Start Menu
- Desktop
- Desktop 2
- Start Menu
- Desktop

Take a look at this link for more info.

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/232692

 

[Compositor]

Thank you both for your help. I think I have it figured.

 

[porkchopexpress]

In the past as Mark also suggested i've used VBscript to redirect IE faves to users home folders, this usually does the trick it will move the location at logon from the users profile to their mapped network drive. All users will require their own mapped work drive for this to work.

Option Explicit

On Error Resume Next

Dim WSHShell, WSHNetwork, MyObj, path

Set WSHShell = CreateObject("WScript.Shell")
Set WSHNetwork = CreateObject("WScript.Network")



'---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

'This section redirects the users IE favorites to their homedrive from their user profile

WSHShell.RegWrite "HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\User Shell Folders\Favorites", "H:\Favorites", "REG_EXPAND_SZ"
WSHShell.RegWrite "HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Shell Folders\Favorites", "H:\Favorites", "REG_SZ"

'---------------------------------------------------------------------------------


set WSHNetwork = Nothing
set WSHSHell = Nothing


wscript.quit

 

[Compositor]

Thank you for that...

Can I just ask..is that VB executed as a logon script?

 

[porkchopexpress]

Yes it is you can also add allot more functionality to the logon script if you like e.g. map drives add printers and so on.

Take a look here faq329-5798