How to Create and Assign User Profiles for Users in a Domain

The information in this article applies to:

• Microsoft Windows NT Workstation version 3.5, and 3.51
• Microsoft Windows NT Server version 3.5, and 3.51

SUMMARY

This article provides specific instructions for creating and assigning user profiles for Windows NT users in a domain.

MORE INFORMATION

1. Create a working User Profile on the server. You will use this as a template for all user accounts.

   a. Create an Administrator account (for example, ProfileAdmin). You will

         use this account to create this initial profile template.
   

   b. Create a directory and share where you want to save the user

         profiles. For example, create D:\PROFILES, and share it as Profiles.
         The examples included in this article use a server called MyServer in
         a domain called MyDomain.
   

   c. Logon as ProfileAdmin on MyServer.

   d. Configure the Windows NT environment of your computer to be exactly

         as you want it for the user profile you are creating. The following
         environment settings are saved:
   

         Source              Parameters saved
         ---------------     -------------------------------------------------
   
         Program Manager     All user-definable settings for Program Manager,
                             including personal program groups and their
                             properties, program items and their properties,
                             and all settings saved by the Save Settings On
                             Exit and Save Settings Now commands.
   
         File Manager        All user-definable settings for File Manager,
                             including network connections, and everything
                             saved by the Save Settings On Exit command.
   
         Command prompt      All user-definable settings for the command
                             prompt, including fonts, colors, settings for the
                             screen size buffer, and window position.
   
         Print Manager       Network printer connections and all settings
                             saved by the Save Settings On Exit command.
   
         Control Panel       All settings for the Color, options Mouse,
                             Desktop, Cursor, Keyboard, International, and
                             Sound options. For the System option, only the
                             entries in the User Environment Variables box.
                             The other Control Panel options do not contain
                             user- specific settings.
   
         Accessories         All user-specific application settings affecting
                             the user's Windows NT configuration. These
                             accessory applications include Calculator,
                             Calendar, Cardfile, Clock, Notepad, Paintbrush,
                             and Terminal.
   
         Third-party         Any application written specifically for Windows
         Windows NT          NT can be designed so that it tracks application
         applications        settings on a per-user basis. If this user-
                             specific information exists, it is saved in the
                             user profile.
   
         Online Help         Any bookmarks placed in the Windows NT Help
         bookmarks           system.
   
   
         NOTE: For Common items (such as .BMP wallpaper files) point to a
         central server share so everyone can access them.
   
      e. Run Program Manager, choose Options, and then choose Save Settings
         Now.
   
      f. Run User Profile Editor and select desired options.
   
      g. From the User Profile Editor File menu choose Save As File. Save the
         profile with a generic name (for example, USERPROF.USR) and save it
         in the shared profiles directory (for example,
         D:\PROFILES\USERPROF.USR). If you want to use the profile as a
         mandatory profile, give it a name such as USERPROF.MAN
        (D:\PROFILES\USERPROF.MAN).
   
   

2. Create a template user that will use profile based on the template.

   a. Log on to MyServer with your regular Administrator account.

   b. Run User Manager for Domains, create a new user account (for example,

         GenUser), and assign the user the following profile:
   

             \\myserver\profiles\%username%.usr
   
         Use %username%.man if you are using mandatory profiles.
   
      c. In User Profile Editor, open the following template user profile:
   
            d:\profiles\userprof.usr (or .man)
   
      d. Choose the Browse button next to Permitted To Use Profile." Permit
         the user to use the profile. For example, permit MyDomain\GenUser to
         use the profile. If you want everyone to use the same profile, you
         can permit Domain Users to use the profile. If you do this, ensure
         (with share or NTFS permissions), that the users won't be able
         to save any modifications to the profile. If uses save changes to
         their profile, the next person to log on gets the previous user's
         modified profile. For example, if UserBob makes a change to the
         profile, and then UserJane makes a change to the profile, the next
         time UserBob logs on, his environment will look different than when
         he had saved it.
   
      e. From the User Profile Editor File menu, choose Save As File.
   
      f. Save the file with a new name that matches the user name you just
         gave permissions to. For example, if you just gave permissions to
         GenUser, save the file as:
   
            d:\profiles\GenUser.usr (or .man)
   
         If you permitted a group of users to use the profile, such as
         Domain Users, give it a name such as DOMUSR.USR (or .MAN)
   
   

3. To create profiles for individual users:

   a. In User Manager for Domains, copy the template user to the new user

         name. For example, copy GenUser to JaneX.
   

   b. Repeat steps 2.c. through 2.f. to assigning the proper user profile

         for each user you create. If you permitted Domain Users to use the
         profile, then all you have to do is make sure that the users have
         that profile specified.
   

For additional information, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

   ARTICLE-ID: Q140417
   TITLE     : Controlling Common Program Groups Seen In User Profiles