Creating a default windows 7 profile before imaging - outlook 2010 and shortcut problems....
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Monday, September 13, 2010 8:01 AM
Hi All,
I already posted this in a Partner forum but I don't think that was the best place for it, apologies if you've already read this.
I'm creating a reference PC with windows 7 pro in order to image. I decided I wanted all the users of the new PCs should have a default user profile (we've done this with TS server 2008 etc and XP before) but obviously discovered that you can't simply 'copy' a profile to the dc/netlogon folder other than the default one, so then I hunted around finding out how to modify the default profile in order to apply my profile to it, in order to then copy the default one.
I used microsoft's own solution for this (sysprep with generalize and copyprofile in an answer file), which seems fine, but after some testing there were some really frustrating problems:
When I log in to a win 7 computer (the reference one for now) with a different (less privialaged) account(s)
There's a shortcut to an 'admin only' application on the start menu, which wasn't there on the profile before I 'copied' it. This is a pain, the less privilaged users cant use the app, so security isnt really an issue, but I dont want a useless shortcut!
The white background I chose underneath my wallpaper isnt applied.
Most annoyingly, and critically, when I launch Outlook 2010 with a users new profile, rather than looking for their mailbox settings from our exchange server (2007), as always happens, it tries to connect to my domain admin email account! Why is this, and how can I get rid of it?
I've tried to remove various settings in profiles, deleting profiles, re-creating the default one etc, but it always looks for my domain admin email account, even when I've syspreped the machin again and it isnt even connect to the domain, and with different users.
I'd like to know why this has happened, but more importantly how to fix this. I can't image the machine as it is. It looks like the setting is in the default profile too, rather than from the machine. I've tried to uninstall outlook, recreate the default profile, but it's still trying to connect to my account.
No problems with exchange or previous windows deployments on different PCs by the way.
Many thanks, any input would be useful.
Answers
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Tuesday, September 14, 2010 2:07 PM
Hi,
thanks for the reply.
Over the past 2 days I've realised where I've gone wrong. The main thing was joining the PC to the domain, and as you suggested, running Outlook with my account. I didn't use the audit mode to configure my reference PC, and I fell over at the sysprep licenense rearming process.
I started from scratch, but I've learned a lot and all is working beautifully, the new image, and the new default profile.
- Proposed As Answer by Alex ZhaozxMicrosoft Contingent Staff, Moderator Wednesday, September 15, 2010 2:54 AM
- Marked As Answer by daveHassen Wednesday, September 15, 2010 8:15 AM
All Replies
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Monday, September 13, 2010 12:50 PM
Regarding the white background, I would suggest that you create your own theme with required settings and then save the settings as a file and apply this within the sysprep xml file. This should be set in the specialize, microsoft-windows-shell-setup section.
(The below is the process I use for Outlook 2007 and haven't yet tried it with 2010, but I assume it's the same)
For Outlook, it sounds as though you might have run Outlook on the master workstation before creating your master image.
For installing and configuring Outlook I would firstly create an Outlook PRF file that configures Outlook as you require, including defining which server to use etc.
You then need to set a couple of settings within the registry of the user that will become Default User (Administrator code probably) to define which PRF file to use, and that the Outlook profile has not been configured and so needs configuring.
To do this, import the following REG file, obviously with the PRF file in c:\prf for this example. A network share would be a better option though really.
Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\14.0\Outlook\Setup]
"First-Run"=-
"ImportPRF"="C:\\PRF\\Outlook.PRF"- Proposed As Answer by Alex ZhaozxMicrosoft Contingent Staff, Moderator Wednesday, September 15, 2010 2:54 AM
- Unproposed As Answer by daveHassen Wednesday, September 15, 2010 8:15 AM
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Tuesday, September 14, 2010 2:07 PM
Hi,
thanks for the reply.
Over the past 2 days I've realised where I've gone wrong. The main thing was joining the PC to the domain, and as you suggested, running Outlook with my account. I didn't use the audit mode to configure my reference PC, and I fell over at the sysprep licenense rearming process.
I started from scratch, but I've learned a lot and all is working beautifully, the new image, and the new default profile.
- Proposed As Answer by Alex ZhaozxMicrosoft Contingent Staff, Moderator Wednesday, September 15, 2010 2:54 AM
- Marked As Answer by daveHassen Wednesday, September 15, 2010 8:15 AM
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