[K12OSN] Redirect "My Documents" folder to home folder

[Burke Almquist]

Don't they loose things like an address book and POP3 email this way  
though. If it's just documents and files you want to save then a  
network drive is easier, but if you want to save application  
preferences, settings and other arcane things, then it's probably  
best to use a roaming profile.

On Aug 9, 2006, at 3:25 PM, Doug Simpson wrote:

> Indeed is *may be* easier to show them how to save to their "My  
> Documents"
> folder, but I prefer to be able to just connect a computer and it just
> work.  You will have to have the registry key to se their "My  
> Documents"
> to somewhere else, and then that will only be applied if that user has
> appropriate rights.
>
> Another reason to teach them to use their H: drive is simjply  
> this. . .
>
> When a user logs in on a computer with XP on it, they get a  
> profile.  On
> that computer. . . If they already have one on the server  
> somewhere, that
> it the one they get.  So, if their "My Documents" folder is bloated  
> (most
> are) then that entire foder (regardless of it's actual location)  
> will get
> copied to that local computer they just logged in on.  Now, that  
> user had
> a complete copy of their "My Documents" folder on that computer,  
> and if
> they just logged in to do a single thing and they never log in again,
> there sits their local copy of the profile, wasting space on that  
> computer.
>
> If they login on many computers, every single one will get a local  
> copy of
> their "My Documents" folder (regardless of where it is actually  
> located)
> because it lives in their profile.
>
> MUCH wasted drive space.  Also, if they happen to be a counselor or
> whatever, their profile (including their "My Documents" folder  
> (which may
> contain classified data and documentation)) get copied to that local
> computer's hard drive. . . MAJOR security and confidentiality risk.
>
> Any user who sits down at the computer and can browse the local  
> drive can
> see into those files.
>
> For our student computers, we use DriveShield (similar to  
> DeepFreeze) and
> the local drive is restored to our settings and etc. (all local  
> data is
> deleted (including profiles)). The server also deletes their  
> profile when
> they log off.  It only takes once or twice (three times for the really
> slow ones) to figure out that if they save to their H: drive, it  
> doesn't
> disappear and will be there the next time they need it.
>
> One major reason for this is that in the profile, there are copies  
> of your
> "Temporary Internet Files". Yup! your CACHE! Imagine. . .hundreds of
> students, thousands in some districts, each with a full-blown copy of
> "Temporary Internet Files" on the server in their profiles! We had
> hundreds of gigs in server space and it was running at 60% when their
> profiles were living there.  Once I set up the auto-profile-removal  
> thing,
> that usage went to below 10%.  Pprofiles don't live in each user's  
> home
> directory, either. . . they live in their own share and the directory
> structure is created on the fly when they login, and deleted on the  
> fly
> when they log out.
>
> WHAT A WASTE of drive space!.  We don't have that problem anymore on
> student computers.  They also learn that their cutesy screensavers,
> wallpapers, and other stuff disappears as well and they eventually  
> learn
> that and will quit messing with them.
>
> BEEE--YOUOUOUUUUU--TEE-FUUULLL!
>
>
> Doug Simpson
> Technology Specialist
> DeQueen Public Schools
> DeQueen, AR 71832
> simpsond at leopards.k12.ar.us
> Tux for President!
>
> On Wed, 9 Aug 2006, Paul Lemke wrote:
>
>> Hi all,
>> Is there a way in windows 2000 to script the changing of the "My  
>> Documents"
>> from "c:\docs and settings\blah\blah\mydocuments" to their mapped  
>> home
>> directory? Specifically their startup.bat file that get's executed  
>> when they
>> log in.
>>
>> I've googled it and can't see to come up with an easy answer. The  
>> reason
>> behind this is I have roaming profiles turned on, but I don't want  
>> the users
>> to wait all the time to copy their entire home directory. Sure I  
>> could tell
>> them to save everything to their "X drive" but it's easier to show  
>> them how
>> to save it to their "my documents" folder.
>>
>> Thanks for the help!
>> Paul
>>
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>
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