Managing User accounts

[Mike]

Archived from groups: microsoft.public.windowsxp.help_and_support (More info?)

As an administrator, how can I apply settings to User accounts globally,
without having to change each one individually, e.g. to set display options
etc?

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: microsoft.public.windowsxp.help_and_support (More info?)

Mike,

The "Default User" is a template for creating new users. When you create a
new user account and login the first time, all of the Start menu entries and
Document entries from the "Default User" are initially assigned to your new
user account.

Windows XP uses the built-in default user profile as a template to assign a
profile to each new user. Many users customize this built-in profile with a
custom default user profile so that each new user receives a custom version
of the profile. If you wish to customize the "Default User" profile, see
this MS-KB for more information:

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?kbid=319974

If OTOH, you want to modify the settings for other user profiles, you can
load their NTUSER.DAT hive and then alter it via the Registry Editor. The
following links will help.

Load a hive into the registry:
http://www.dougknox.com/xp/tips/xp_adv_reg_editing.htm
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;307016
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/prodtechnol/windowsserver2003/library/ServerHelp/967e371b-40f8-4562-ac7c-91e8f251d65b.mspx

How to add, modify, or delete registry subkeys and values by using a
registration entries (.reg) file:
http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=310516

P.S: Display setting is a per-machine setting, not per-user.

--
Ramesh, Microsoft MVP
Windows XP Shell/User
http://windowsxp.mvps.org


"Mike" <Mike@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:C326C53F-DDC8-448A-981F-AF195CE1ED17@microsoft.com...
> As an administrator, how can I apply settings to User accounts globally,
> without having to change each one individually, e.g. to set display
> options
> etc?

 

[Mike]

Archived from groups: microsoft.public.windowsxp.help_and_support (More info?)

Thank-you, Ramesh. Forgive me for not having looked in detail at the second
option to 'modify settings for other user profiles' yet. But if this only
allows editing of one user's settings at a time, what is the advantage over
just going into their desktop and changing the settings that way (unless of
course their account is password protected)?

Mike

"Ramesh, MS-MVP" wrote:

> Mike,
>
> The "Default User" is a template for creating new users. When you create a
> new user account and login the first time, all of the Start menu entries and
> Document entries from the "Default User" are initially assigned to your new
> user account.
>
> Windows XP uses the built-in default user profile as a template to assign a
> profile to each new user. Many users customize this built-in profile with a
> custom default user profile so that each new user receives a custom version
> of the profile. If you wish to customize the "Default User" profile, see
> this MS-KB for more information:
>
> http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?kbid=319974
>
> If OTOH, you want to modify the settings for other user profiles, you can
> load their NTUSER.DAT hive and then alter it via the Registry Editor. The
> following links will help.
>
> Load a hive into the registry:
> http://www.dougknox.com/xp/tips/xp_adv_reg_editing.htm
> http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;307016
> http://www.microsoft.com/technet/prodtechnol/windowsserver2003/library/ServerHelp/967e371b-40f8-4562-ac7c-91e8f251d65b.mspx
>
> How to add, modify, or delete registry subkeys and values by using a
> registration entries (.reg) file:
> http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=310516
>
> P.S: Display setting is a per-machine setting, not per-user.
>
> --
> Ramesh, Microsoft MVP
> Windows XP Shell/User
> http://windowsxp.mvps.org
>
>
> "Mike" <Mike@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
> news:C326C53F-DDC8-448A-981F-AF195CE1ED17@microsoft.com...
> > As an administrator, how can I apply settings to User accounts globally,
> > without having to change each one individually, e.g. to set display
> > options
> > etc?
>
>

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: microsoft.public.windowsxp.help_and_support (More info?)

Mike,

>> what is the advantage over just going into their desktop and changing the
>> settings that way.

Nothing. If you have access to the other user accounts/ password, then you
can simply login and change the settings. Loading other users Hive doesn't
require you to know the password for that user account, but you need to be
an Admin (obviously)

--
Ramesh, Microsoft MVP
Windows XP Shell/User
http://windowsxp.mvps.org


"Mike" <Mike@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:CE9FF53D-1887-4AB6-B79F-1C6A5FA9C7DC@microsoft.com...
> Thank-you, Ramesh. Forgive me for not having looked in detail at the
> second
> option to 'modify settings for other user profiles' yet. But if this only
> allows editing of one user's settings at a time, what is the advantage
> over
> just going into their desktop and changing the settings that way (unless
> of
> course their account is password protected)?
>
> Mike
>
> "Ramesh, MS-MVP" wrote:
>
>> Mike,
>>
>> The "Default User" is a template for creating new users. When you create
>> a
>> new user account and login the first time, all of the Start menu entries
>> and
>> Document entries from the "Default User" are initially assigned to your
>> new
>> user account.
>>
>> Windows XP uses the built-in default user profile as a template to assign
>> a
>> profile to each new user. Many users customize this built-in profile with
>> a
>> custom default user profile so that each new user receives a custom
>> version
>> of the profile. If you wish to customize the "Default User" profile, see
>> this MS-KB for more information:
>>
>> http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?kbid=319974
>>
>> If OTOH, you want to modify the settings for other user profiles, you can
>> load their NTUSER.DAT hive and then alter it via the Registry Editor. The
>> following links will help.
>>
>> Load a hive into the registry:
>> http://www.dougknox.com/xp/tips/xp_adv_reg_editing.htm
>> http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;307016
>> http://www.microsoft.com/technet/prodtechnol/windowsserver2003/library/ServerHelp/967e371b-40f8-4562-ac7c-91e8f251d65b.mspx
>>
>> How to add, modify, or delete registry subkeys and values by using a
>> registration entries (.reg) file:
>> http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=310516
>>
>> P.S: Display setting is a per-machine setting, not per-user.
>>
>> --
>> Ramesh, Microsoft MVP
>> Windows XP Shell/User
>> http://windowsxp.mvps.org
>>
>>
>> "Mike" <Mike@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
>> news:C326C53F-DDC8-448A-981F-AF195CE1ED17@microsoft.com...
>> > As an administrator, how can I apply settings to User accounts
>> > globally,
>> > without having to change each one individually, e.g. to set display
>> > options
>> > etc?
>>
>>

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: microsoft.public.windowsxp.help_and_support (More info?)

I have been using the method for customizing default user profiles in
the following KB article for quite sometime:

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?kbid=319974

Not that it's that big a deal, but it has always bugged me that when
you do this, and new user profiles are subsequently created , some of
the shell folders (notebly "My Documents"), somehow retain information
from the account name that was used in performing the customizations.
For example, I create a user named "temp", log onto it and customize
settings, use this profile to overwrite "Default User", then log onto a
different account (call it userX), thus creating a new profile. Now if
I remotely browse and view the profile, the My Documents folder for
userX displays "temp's Documents".

Does anyone know of a way around this? I read a posting from someone
at MS that this method of customizing the Default User profile is "not
recommended" although I can't find any information on doing another
way. Does anyone know if it's possible to load the ntuser.dat hive
from the Default User profile and customize the registry entries
directly? Are there any limitations in doing this?

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: microsoft.public.windowsxp.help_and_support (More info?)

Known issue, Scott. It's documented here:

The Desktop.ini File Does Not Work Correctly When You Create a Custom
Default Profile:
http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=321281

--
Ramesh, Microsoft MVP
Windows XP Shell/User
http://windowsxp.mvps.org


"Scott Cooper" <imscoop22@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:1127135107.478470.229820@f14g2000cwb.googlegroups.com...
>I have been using the method for customizing default user profiles in
> the following KB article for quite sometime:
>
> http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?kbid=319974
>
> Not that it's that big a deal, but it has always bugged me that when
> you do this, and new user profiles are subsequently created , some of
> the shell folders (notebly "My Documents"), somehow retain information
> from the account name that was used in performing the customizations.
> For example, I create a user named "temp", log onto it and customize
> settings, use this profile to overwrite "Default User", then log onto a
> different account (call it userX), thus creating a new profile. Now if
> I remotely browse and view the profile, the My Documents folder for
> userX displays "temp's Documents".
>
> Does anyone know of a way around this? I read a posting from someone
> at MS that this method of customizing the Default User profile is "not
> recommended" although I can't find any information on doing another
> way. Does anyone know if it's possible to load the ntuser.dat hive
> from the Default User profile and customize the registry entries
> directly? Are there any limitations in doing this?
>

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: microsoft.public.windowsxp.help_and_support (More info?)

Thanks Ramesh!

The article says that the supported method for customizing the profile
is by using sysprep. I've been using sysprep for a long time and have
no idea what they're talking about. Am I missing something obvious?