Windows user creation and change the default user profile

Question

Hi everyone,

This is the first time i use this site so I have no idea how it works, anyway...

In the company where I work we need to create different users but with the same applications and configurations, but on different PCs.

I tried to use the guide to enable Microsoft's CopyProfile, but there doesn't seem to be any way out, it's long and difficult and every route I walked doesn't seem to work.
So we can say I was looking for a method to change the default user account "template".
Is ther any method to create a default user that acts as a "father" for the users that will be created (with the same applications, configuration, connections etc ...), or any application that I can use for the scope?

Answer 1

Thanks for the reply Mark,
I preferred to continue with the tests with the CopyProfile, I tried to use the profile path in the user's properties in the active directory on a domain controller, modifying the ntuser file with the extension .man every time I create a user and when I login it recreates the profile with the folder, if instead I use the extension .dat all the users who use the copy profile share the folders and creating a file creates it for all users.
I was wondering: is there a way to ensure that by entering the folder with which to create the user the user is created locally and every time I log in I have the files that I have previously saved, while logging in on a different PC the profile is created from start.
I hope I have explained myself properly.
Thanks.

Mattia

Answer 2

[...] I was looking for a method to change the default user account "template".

Hi,
the easiest way is to work with "reg load" in CLI and load temporarly the C:\Users\Default\ntuser.dat file. Then you can apply all reghacks via script. I have never recommend Copyprofile or any other method of copying the ntuser.pol from one user to another, because a lot of applications and even Microsoft are not consequently aware of variables. 3rd Party apps still use "shell forders" and string values, so in the end you can end in a broken profile, because your "TEMPLATEUSER"-Name will appear in all profiles and pathes.

Files an folders within the profile are not critical, they will get the right ACLs at creation time,

Mark

Answer 3

Hello,

Thank you so much for posting here.

Are our users are domain users and are our PCs are domain joined?

If they are domain users which will be logged on to the domain joined PCs, we could consider roaming user profile. Roaming User Profiles redirects user profiles to a file share so that users receive the same operating system and application settings on multiple computers.

Or we could think about mandatory user profile. A mandatory user profile is a roaming user profile that has been pre-configured by an administrator to specify settings for users. When a user logs out, the changes to his desktop working environment will not be saved in the mandatory user profile, so the user uses the fixed desktop working environment every time he logs in.

For more information, we could refer to:
https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-server/storage/folder-redirection/deploy-roaming-user-profiles

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/client-management/mandatory-user-profile

For any question, please feel free to contact us.

Best regards,
Hannah Xiong

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Answer 4

Hello,

Thank you for your help.
The solution partially resolves my issue,
I was looking for a solution that works in local and without a server or shared folder.
Like the Microsoft "CopyProfile", it could be the best solution but it doesn't work really well, so i was asking if there was any method that could replace it; because i have to create a lot of different user but with the same desktop shortcuts, programs, configurations and settings.

Answer 5

Hello,

You are welcome. Thank you so much for your kindly reply.

So sorry that I am at the end of what help I can offer since we mainly focus on Active Directory, which is related to the domain users. Maybe someone else has ran into something similar before and can share their knowledge or experience here.

According to my research, we could kindly check whether the discussion in the below link helps.

https://superuser.com/questions/1579265/windows-server-multiple-remote-desktop-user-logins-but-the-same-setup-programs

Or we could check whether the following information are what we are looking for.
https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-hardware/manufacture/desktop/sysprep--generalize--a-windows-installation

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/configuration/customize-and-export-start-layout

Thank you so much for your understanding and support.

Best regards,
Hannah Xiong

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