Sample Folders Contained In A User Profile Folder

By Author: Henry Brown
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Also in the User Profile Folder is the Ntuser.dat file. The Ntuser.dat file is the registry portion of the user profile. When a user logs off the computer, the system unloads the user-specific section of the registry (HKEY CURRENT USER) into Ntuser.dat and updates the file.
Using the My Documents folder centralizes all user settings and personal documents into a single folder that is part of the user profile. Windows Server 2003 automatically sets up the My Documents folder, and it is the default location for storing users' data for Microsoft applications. Home folders, covered later in this lesson, can also contain files and programs for a user.
User Profile Types
There are four types of user profiles: Local;Roaming;Mandatory; Temporary.
Local User Profiles
A local user profile is based at the local computer and is available at only the local com?puter. When a user logs on to the client computer running Windows Server 2003, he or she always receives his or her individual desktop settings and connections, regardless of how many users share the same client computer. Windows Server 2003 automati?cally ...
... creates a local user free Microsoft certification exam papers the first time that a user logs on to a workstation or server computer. The local user profile is stored in the CADocuments and SettingsX llser logon name folder on the computer, where C is the name of your system drive and llser logon name is the name the user types when logging on to the system.

A user changes his or her local user profile by changing desktop settings. For example, a user might make a new network connection or add a file to My Documents. Then, when a user logs off, Windows Server 2003 incorporates the changes into the user pro?file stored on the computer. The next time the user logs on to the local computer, the new network connection and the file are present.
Roaming User Profiles
To support users who -work at multiple computers, you can set up roaming user pro?files. A roaming user profile is based at the server and is downloaded to the local com?puter every time a user logs on. In contrast to a local user profile, which resides on only one client computer, a roaming user profile is available at any workstation or server computer on the MCSE Certification network. Changes made to a user's roaming user profile are updated locally and on the server when the user logs off. This profile is created by a system administrator and is stored in a shared folder on a server.
The first time that a user logs on at a computer, Windows Server 2003 copies all docu?ments to the local computer. Thereafter, when the user logs on to the computer, Windows Server 2003 compares the locally stored user profile files and the roaming user profile files. It copies only the files that have changed since the last time the user logged on at the computer, which makes the logon process shorter.
Mandatory User Profiles
To specify a profile for individuals or an entire group of users, you can set up manda?tory user profiles. A mandatory user profile is a read-only roaming profile, based at the server and downloaded to the local computer every time a user logs on. It is available at any workstation or server IT certification on the network. Users can modify the desktop settings of the computer while they are logged on, but none of these changes are saved when they log off. The next time that the user logs on, the profile is the same as the last time that he or she logged on. Only system administrators can make changes to man?datory user profiles. The mandatory profile settings are downloaded to the local com?puter each time the user logs on. You can assign one mandatory profile to multiple users who require the same desktop settings. If you need to change the desktop envi?ronment for this set of users, you can do so by changing only one profile.
Preferably, profiles should be managed by using Group Policy. Although mandatory user profiles are permitted, they are more likely to create administration problems. For infor?mation about Group Policy, see Chapter 11, "Administering Group Policy."