• The default profile is used when new user profiles are created. When a new user logs on for the first time, Windows 7 copies the default user profile to create a profile for the new user. The folder structure in the default profile is the same as a user profile. However, the folders are empty by default. When you install applications, the applications often modify the default profile. You can modify the default profile to ensure that new users get consistent applications settings. For example, Microsoft Office saves documents to a default location. You may want to define the default location as a shared network location.


• User profiles contain information about the Windows 7 environment for a specific user. For example, profile settings include the Desktop arrangement, program groups, and screen colors that users see when they log on. Each time you log on to a Windows 7 computer, the system checks to see if you have a local user profile in the Users folder, which was created on the boot partition when you installed Windows 7.


• The first time users log on, they receive a default user profile. A folder that matches the user's logon name is created for the user in the Users folder. The user profile folder that is created holds a file called ntuser.dat, as well as subfolders that contain directory links to the user's Desktop items.


• To configure the default profile, you configure a proflie for a local user and then copy it. After this process is completed, all new users get the modified default proflie the first time they log on. Although you can see user profiles in the file system, you cannot copy them using Windows Explorer. If you copy a profile using Windows Explorer, the security permissions are incorrect, and the user experiences many errors. Previous versions of Windows, including Windows Vista, allowed you to copy an existing user profile by using the User Profiles applet available in Advanced System Settings, and use it as the default user profile. This process was officially unsupported starting with Windows XP and Windows 7 does not allow or support this. Instead, the default profile is configured by using Sysprep and should be performed as part of preparing a system image for distribution to users.


• Windows 7 copies the default user profile to create a profile for the new user. The steps to configure the default profile include:
1. If desired, create a new local user with administrative privileges to allow for creation of a blank user prof le. Domain users are not supported.
2. Log on as the designated local user with administrative privileges.
3. Modify the user's profile as desired and delete all other user profiles. You must delete the other prof les to ensure that the correct user prof le is copied.
4. Create an answer file with CopyProf le parameter set to true.
5. Run Sysprep with the /generalize option and specify the location of the answer file.
6. Image the computer and deploy the image. When the image is started after deployment, the default user prof le is created from the prof le of local user account used in the preceding steps.


• After a default user profile is configured, you can manually copy the default user prof le to the prof le of an existing user. This can be useful to reset the profile of existing users to match the default configuration. However, in most cases, you would delete the existing user profile instead. The next time the user logs on a new prof le is created based on the default user profile.


• To edit the default user profile without using Sysprep, you can use the Registry Editor to manually edit the user settings in the ntuser.dat file for the default user profile. You can modify individual settings or import registry keys exported from an already configured profile.

You can also update specific files in the default user profile. You can place new files into the profile or edit existing files. For example, you may want to add shortcuts on the user desktop or favorites in Internet Explorer. In this case, all that is needed is placing the files in the appropriate location in the default user profile. The files are copied when a new profile is created.

Activity 6-4

Activity 6-5