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Q: Speeding up Roaming Profiles on a WinXp/2000 network ( Answered,   0 Comments )
Question  
Subject: Speeding up Roaming Profiles on a WinXp/2000 network
Category: Computers > Operating Systems
Asked by: sherpaj-ga
List Price: $6.00
Posted: 26 Oct 2002 03:39 PDT
Expires: 25 Nov 2002 02:39 PST
Question ID: 90120
I am looking for some fixes or tips on how to speed up the login in
process for Windows XP machines that are using the Roaming Profiles
feature of Win 2000 server (and SBS 2000).  We have a domain with
about 10 users and each time a user has to login for the first time it
takes at least 3-10 minutes before it actually logs in.

I make them keep their email all on the exchange server, so that can't
be hogging space.   I tell them that they have to store 90-95% of
their files on the file server, so that clog things in roaming
profiles (and I check to make sure they are doing it:)

Any other tips to slimming down these roaming profiles so they
load/save faster.

I found a bunch of white papers on it, but I just need some SIMPLE
step-by-step things I can implement fast.
Answer  
Subject: Re: Speeding up Roaming Profiles on a WinXp/2000 network
Answered By: aditya2k-ga on 26 Oct 2002 04:04 PDT
 
Hi sherpaj,

  Good day and thank you for your question.

  Over time, the logon time for a user with a roaming profile can
increase, taking several minutes to complete. The main reason for this
is the size of the profile. Because the profile includes the user’s
documents and other files, the profile size can grow to be several
hundred megabytes. Those files are copied to the user’s logon computer
when the user logs on. To view the size of a user’s profile, log on as
that user and open the Control Panel. Right-click My Computer and
choose Properties. Click the User Profiles tab to view the profiles on
the computer and their size.

There are a handful of things you can do to decrease your user profile
size and speed up logon time. First, take a look at your desktop and
the folders under your desktop to make sure you aren’t saving large
files there that should go elsewhere. Also make sure your My Documents
folder is pointing to a network share available to you from all logon
locations. This will prevent your documents from following you around
the network.

Another potential cause is the user’s Internet Explorer cache, which
is located by default in the \ Documents and Settings\ user\ Local
Settings\ Temporary Internet Files folder (or the same folder under \
WINNT\ Profiles for systems upgraded from Windows NT.)

You can configure a couple of settings in Internet Explorer to
alleviate this problem. Open Internet Explorer and choose Tools,
Internet Options. Click the Advanced tab and scroll down to the
Security section. Select the option Empty Temporary Internet Files
Folder When Browser Is Closed. With this option enabled, Internet
Explorer deletes cached pages when the user exits Internet Explorer
but leaves the cookies intact.

To enforce the change administrators can apply a group policy setting
that prevents the user from changing various Internet Explorer
settings. These policies are found in the \ User Configuration\
Administrative Templates\ Windows Components\ Internet Explorer
branch. For example, you probably want to enable the Disable Changing
Advance Page Settings policy.

Other things I would encourage you to do

- implement mandatory profiles where applicable;
- do not delete local profile after logout, if possible;
- do not include in the roaming profile temp and internet temp files
(do not
forget to clean server copy);

What else is this server doing? Maybe you need another server to
handle only profiles.

I hope this answers your question. If you have any clarifications,
then please don't hesitate to ask.

Thank you for using this service and have a good day.

Regards,
Aditya2k.

Request for Answer Clarification by sherpaj-ga on 26 Oct 2002 15:09 PDT
Concerning these recomendations (see belowO I had a few questions.

Other things I would encourage you to do 
 
- implement mandatory profiles where applicable;
(How do I do this, are there downsides to this?)
 
- do not include in the roaming profile temp and internet temp files
(I heard that XP does this be default when used with a W2k server, is
that true?  How about windows 2000?  If not, how to I exactly do this?


Also, I know you can apply a group policy to lock users out of
changing things, but what program do I use to do this win XP and W2k? 
 Even more importantly, once I create this policy, what are the steps
to assigning it to a profile?

Clarification of Answer by aditya2k-ga on 27 Oct 2002 18:33 PST
Hi again,

The following articles tell you how to implement mandatory profiles in
Windows 2000/XP

Windows 2000:
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=KB;EN-US;q323368&

Windows XP:
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=KB;EN-US;q307800&

One disadvantage of using mandatory profiles is that its not very
customizable once created, since creation is done before hand.

Both Windows XP and Windows 2000 do not normally include the temp and
temp internet files, however in some cases they do, like in the case
that the folder names are changed.

As far as your question on group policies is concerned, I advise you
to post a different question. As far as I know, group policies do not
require a program, and you need to be the administrator (or
power/super user) to create/edit/delete policies for the group.

Cheers,
aditya2k
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