Why All Users.Windows is used as profile folder and not All Users

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Guest

When i install XPE all the shortcuts added by the "Standard Start Menu
Shortcuts" component are stored in the folder "C:\Documents...\All
Users\Startmenu...".
But windows uses the folder "C:\Documents...\All
Users.WINDOWS\Startmenu...", so the shortcuts don't showup.
I read that the All Users.WINDOWS folder is created when windows XP is
reinstalled. The system then leaves the "All Users" alone and creates a new
one called "All Users.WINDOWS" and uses tat one.
The thing is, this is a clean istallation.
So I'm lost, is there anyone that can help me?

ThijsK
 
ThijsK,

You would need to give us more details on how you deploy the image and if
you clone this image.

Does your XPe system computer name is "WINDOWS" or do you join a domain or
workgroup with such name?

KM
 
KM,

Build the image, in a target folder using TD. Used SDI loader to create
a disk and mount it in windows. Created an active partition on this disk
and formatted it with NTFS. Copied the content of the target folder to
this disk, (WINDOWS, Documents and Settings, Programs Files, ntldr .....and
so on).
Booted the taraget system suing the first CD of the embedded package..
Used sdimgr to deploy the image (sdimgr z:\disk.sdi /write:0 /yes).
After the target disk has been written, rebooted the system to start the FBA.
After FBA process started up the system.

If a normal windows XP setup finds a "C:\Documents and Settins\All Users"
folder
(in case of reinstall) it creates the folder "C:\Documents and Settins\All
Users.WINDOWS"
to use as the all user profile folder (found something about this at
http://castlecops.com/postitle118481-0-0-.html)

XPE also seems to have this feature (annoyance). The problem seems to be
that the
folder "C:\Documents and Settins\All Users" already exists before the FBA
process.
This folder is created in the target folder during the build in TD. It is
created
because I added the "Standard Start Menu Shortcuts" component.
I have an old target folder, build WITHOUT the "Standard Start Menu Shortcuts"
component. This folder contains only a ""C:\Documents and Settins\Default
users"
folder and NO "C:\Documents and Settins\All Users" folder.

So now i think i understand what happens, but still not why.

Adding shortcuts in in TD should work, without having to copy or correct them
afterwards.

Any help or thoughts would be appreciated.

ThijsK
 
ThijsK,

Your conclusions are basically right. Whenever a new profile is created, if the folder with the profile name already exist under
"Documents & Settings", Windows will add some unique postfix to the profile path. Usually it is a domain, workgroup or computer
name.
However, usually there is no problem for FBA to pick up the right profile (or all profile) folders created during build time since
the profile paths are already set up in registry again during build.

Take a look at the [HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\ProfileList] key in your pre-FBA and post-FBA images to see
how profiles are set up.

What you should really pay attention to is where the "WINDOWS" postfix is coming from. This is why I asked you whether you join a
domain during FBA or your join a workgroup.
What is the computer name you set up in TD for the configuration?
 
KM,

First the information:
Domain, workgroup and computername were not filled out, so they were empty.

Next, I looked at the
[HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\WindowsNT\CurrentVersion\ProfileList] for both pre
and post FBA.

Pre-FBA contains 2 values:
DefaultUserProfile="Default User"
ProfilesDirectory="C:\Documents and Settins"

Post-FBA contains 3 values:
AllUsersProfile="All Users.WINDOWS"
DefaultUserProfile="Default User"
ProfilesDirectory="C:\Documents and Settings"

I modified the pre-FBA so that it also contains this value:
AllUsersProfile="All Users"

Then I installed the image and let the FBA-process do its work. This works
fine, but it can't be the correct way.

I think the presence of the "C:\Documents And Settings\All Users" folder
without having a registry key telling the FBA that it is the folder that is
to be used makes the FBA create a new All Users folder with a 'random'
postfix and add the appropriate reference key to the registry.

I decided to install the SP2 version of embedded we bought over the
evaluation version that I was working with. Go into some trouble while doing
this
-Installing the official version over the evaluation version does not work
properly
-XP pro SP2 must be installed otherwise the installation of the Tool SP2
Update keeps asking for the Disc 3 (which is already in the drive).
-Manually starting the installation of the ToolsSP2 Update seems to work but
fails to install the component help files. So just update to XP to SP2.

The official SP2 version finally installed I filled out the Computername and
Workgoup build the image in the TD.
Checked the pre-FBA
[HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\WindowsNT\CurrentVersion\ProfileList] key and found
everything to be in order.
AllUsersProfile="All Users"
DefaultUserProfile="Default User"
ProfilesDirectory="C:\Documents and Settings"

Installed the image and checked the post-FBA
[HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\WindowsNT\CurrentVersion\ProfileList] key and found
nothing had changed, (Yeah).

So the problem is solved, but I don't know if it was the computername and
workgroup or the official SP2 version that did the trick.

If I have some extra time left I'll try so set the computername and
workgroup back to nothing, retry and report back.

Thanks for showing me the way.

Thijs,
 
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