Questions[user-profile](server)

I need to set the environment variable COMPLUS_FORCEENC=1 in an ASP.NET application. This variable must be set at the time the worker process starts to have an effect.

Therefore, I did this:

1. Create a new user using the Computer Management console.
2. Set a password.
3. Make sure it is a member of Users and IIS_IUSRS.
4. Configure the IIS Application Pool to use that user and load the user profile. This is using a custom pool, not the default one.
5. Log in as that user to set the variable.
6. Relogin to make sure the variable is set.
7. Restart the OS.
8. Make sure the application loads and works.

Unfortunately, the ASP.NET app does not see the variable. I printed the whole environment from within the app.

When I use Process Explorer on the worker process I see that it runs under the correct user but the variable is not set. Also, the TEMP variable points to C:\Windows\Temp and not (as expected) to the user profile's temp directory (which exists). I understand this is a sign of the user profile not being loaded.

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\hivelist shows the hive of that user loaded. The Environment key for that user appears to be populated correctly:

What did I do wrong? How can I make the variable appear?

This is a Windows 7 machine.

We're a small college, where every student is assigned an Active Directory account. We have a couple computer labs where the machines are all joined to the domain and students can log in to any machine. Over the course of a semester, most students will log in to most machines.

In the past, under Windows XP, we have managed this using the old Copy Profile functionality, along with a product called Deep Freeze, such that profiles are effectively cleaned up automatically. A lot of schools have used this technique successfully for a long time.

Unfortunately, Windows 7 breaks all this. We can no longer use the Copy Profile feature to prepare template profiles for the workstations. Group Policy could work for setting up the machines, and this is the official method for handling the problem. Unfortunately, this doesn't work as well, for two reasons. The first is that Group Policy is no where near as friendly for setting up the profile tweaks. We can't move as quickly on changes we want to make, and some things can only be done to the machine before running sysprep (which would require more frequent re-imaging of the entire OS). The result is that we end up with a less-polished desktop experience.

We could bite the bullet on the that first issue, but the second issue is that all the group policy settings result in incredibly slow login times when used in conjunction with Deep Freeze, because you have to re-apply nearly all the GP tweaks with every login. Windows 7's improved security features over XP (namely UAC) allow me to feel comfortable trying a semester without Deep Freeze... except that we'd still end up with hundreds of user profile accounts on each machine by the end of each semester, and that's after putting in more work to get group policy set up to produce a diminished result.

So are there any suggestions for better ways to approach this problem?

We want to do things like map the documents libraries to network shares, set a default wallpaper, add specific shortcuts to the bookmarks toolbars in IE and Safari (we deploy safari because we have a 1:1 iPod Touch program and need iTunes as well), and lots of other tweaks to these public workstations. We want to be able to do it quickly, where we can get good feedback on the results of a change, and we need to do it so that hundreds of users can log in with their Active Directory credentials. We've gone down the roaming profile path in the past, and that's not really a good option either.

Currently our domain controllers are still running Server 2003, and we'd also much rather use CloneZilla than sysprep to handling imaging the machines.

I'm also reluctant to use group policy simply as a matter of workflow. When we could use template profiles, if you found something you wanted to change you just logged in as the correct user, changed it, log out, and the change would be applied the next time we updated the machines. Now we have to hunt down the right GP setting, if it even exists. It could take more than hour to complete what used to be a five minute thing.

I am administering a Windows Server 2008 R2 environment that is using roaming profiles and folder redirection. The client machines are running Windows 7. Due to the nature of the business, users rarely logoff and frequently have logons on multiple machines at once. This obviously creates a lot of problems with "last writer wins" conflicts and each session overwriting changes made in another session.

I have tried different methods to reduce the conflicts, but still do not have a satisfactory solution. I am using the new feature of background uploading of user profiles, but as this article explains that really does not solve the problem: http://blogs.sepago.de/helge/2009/04/02/microsoft-tackles-the-last-writer-wins-problem-of-roaming-profiles-in-windows-7-server-2008-r2/. I have also ran a few trials of third party software such as ProfileUnity, but still had some issues with that. And of course I suggested that users could just be more conscientious about logging off when they leave their computer and before they start a new session. But management said that that just will not happen and will not work for our environment.

So the question is, do any of you have experience with this issue? Do you know of any settings or third party apps that at least minimize the conflicts even if it does not eliminate them? Is there any way to make it so that the computer does a periodic logoff and log back on that is transparent to the user?

I would like to know how to change my the location my $profile variable points to.

PS H:\> $profile
H:\WindowsPowerShell\Microsoft.PowerShell_profile.ps1

H:\ is a network share, so when I create my profile file, and load powershell I get the following:

Security Warning Run only scripts that you trust. While scripts from the Internet can be useful, this script can potentially harm your computer. Do you want to run H:\WindowsPowerShell\Microsoft.PowerShell_profile.ps1? [D] Do not run [R] Run once [S] Suspend [?] Help (default is "D"):

According to Microsoft, the location of the $profile is determined by the %USERPROFILE% environment variable. This is not true:

PS H:\> $env:userprofile
C:\Users\username

For example, I have an XP machine working how I want:

PS H:\> $profile
C:\Documents and Settings\username\My Documents\WindowsPowerShell\Microsoft.PowerShell_profile.ps1
PS H:\> $env:userprofile
C:\Documents and Settings\username
PS H:\> $env:homedrive
H:
PS H:\> $env:homepath
\

Here's the same output from the Vista machine where the $profile points to the wrong place:

PS H:\> $profile
H:\WindowsPowerShell\Microsoft.PowerShell_profile.ps1
PS H:\> $env:userprofile
C:\Users\username
PS H:\> $env:homedrive
H:
PS H:\> $env:homepath
\

Since $profile isn't actually determined by %USERPROFILE% how do I change it? Clearly anything that involves changing the homedrive or homepath is not the solution I'm looking for.

I started working for a medium sized company (approx. 150 users). When user's workstations need to be reformatted for any variety of reasons, we reformat, reinstall windows from an oem disk, install drivers, install shop desired software, and restore user's documents from latest backup.

While the process isn't very difficult it is very time consuming. What are some options to simplify / speed up this process?

Mostly a complete Windows shop with most servers running Win2k3 Enterprise and workstations running a variety of XP, Vista, and 7. Workstations are purchased through a variety of OEMs mostly Dell.