Problem migrating XP local profile to domain profile

[blockcipher]

As you know when you are joining a computer to a domain, and logon as the domain user it creates a completely different profile. These are the steps I take to do it with Win2k and try to apply the same steps with XP, but does not work.

1. Join computer, logon as a domain user so it creates a profile for the user on a local machine.

2. Logon as domain admin and copy the local profile and overwrite the one that it created in step 1. Assign permission to the domain user, to that profile.

3. Logon as domain user, done.

This DOES NOT work with XP. I always get access denied errors even when doing it when local admin or domain admin account.

Any ideas?

Thanks.

[LiVeWiRe]

blockcipher,

Is this for a handful of users or do you need to do this with a lot of user accounts?

-LW

[KHT]

You might want to try a similar approach but slightly different.

Assuming you are trying to do this with the user Judy. Join the domain signed on as domain admin and rename Judy profile on the local machine to Judy1. Then give Judy domain admin rights.

Logon to the domain as Judy. Once Judy`s domain profile is established, copy the files\folders from Judy1 to Judy, don`t try to overwrite the entire profile but just copy what`s in Judy1 to Judy.

You can then logon as domain admin and reassign Judy`s normal user authority.

This approach worked with XP machines on a Server 2000 domain.

edit: Server 2002 domain, should work on 2000 also I think.

[blockcipher]

Is this for a handful of users or do you need to do this with a lot of user accounts?

At the time of this post it was only a couple boxes. I have a network job coming up where its about 30 XP machines and the users have their profiles the way they want. I will need to make their existing profiles accessable when joined to a domain.

I don't mind doing them one by one if the steps are quick, like with win2k that is a piece of cake. For some reason not XP.

You might want to try a similar approach but slightly different. Assuming you are trying to do this with the user Judy. Join the domain signed on as domain admin and rename Judy profile on the local machine to Judy1. Then give Judy domain admin rights. Logon to the domain as Judy. Once Judy`s domain profile is established, copy the files\folders from Judy1 to Judy, don`t try to overwrite the entire profile but just copy what`s in Judy1 to Judy. You can then logon as domain admin and reassign Judy`s normal user authority. This approach worked with XP machines on a Server 2000 domain. edit: Server 2002 domain, should work on 2000 also I think.

This would work probably yes, but to many steps for doing the amount of machines I will be doing in the next week.

Do you both have any other suggestions? Is there anyway I can in a script send the local profile to the server, and link it up somehow. I dunno.

Thanks everyone.

[KHT]

You could try using roaming profiles, this saves the profile to the server and supposedly downloads it to the local machine at logon.

Haven`t tried it myself though so not sure exactly how well it would work. Just an idea.

[blockcipher]

I'll take a look at that. Might be the only way I can do this!

Thanks again!

[LiVeWiRe]

blockcipher,

Since you have 30+ users, roaming profiles would be the easiest way to do things and would save you quite a bit of time at each workstation. Plus (if you left the profiles as roaming) users could logon to any machine and have their settings applied. However, you will need a location to store all of the roaming profiles with enough space to hold them. Some profiles can get quite large due to folders like My Documents and temporary files.

There is also the Files & Settings Transfer Wizard in Windows XP but that can be time consuming especially for a lot of users. Microsoft also has a 'User State Migration Tool' which is basically a beefed up version of the Files & Settings Transfer Wizard in XP.

Here's a link to the migration tool:

http://support.microsoft.com/default...b;en-us;321197

HTH,
-LW

[blockcipher]

LiVeWiRe,

I appreciate the post. I was also talking to some other techs and they suggested, as you guys did, to use roaming profiles. I will look into how to implement this easily.

Appreciate the link as well, for some reason I was only able to bring up the Win2k USMT, this will help me get started.

Thanks again everyone for your time!

[LiVeWiRe]

No problem...

Good luck!

-LW

[blockcipher]

I'll report back to let you guys know how it goes