locked
Profile Can not be loaded RRS feed

  • Question

  • I re-installed Windows steady state and it says that the profile can not be loaded (Due to the Lock Profile option), when the profile permanently resides on the PC.  How can this be fixed and keep the locked profile option?


    I get two error windows.

    The first window shows the following message:

    Windows cannot copy file <super long address here> to location <super long address here>

    Possible causes of this error include network problems or insufficient security rights.  If this problem persists, contact your network administrator.

    The second window shows the following message:

    Windows cannot log your on because your profile cannot be loaded.  Check that you are connected to the network, or that your network is functioning correctly.  If this problem persists, contact your network administrator.



    This account is NOT a network/domain account.  I have locked the account and given it several restrictions using my secondary admin account and got the error windows after restart.



    Also,  when attempting a Remote Desktop connetion, I get the windows message informing me that the user is currently logged in.



    ---------------------------------------------------

    If I unlock the profile, the problem DOES NOT disappear. (Mistakenly excluded important words)

    Thursday, July 26, 2007 8:03 PM

Answers

  •  

    Hi Ed,

     

    Please check if there is exact error message in event logs. For example, the following error indicates that another application is accessing the profile so it cannot be loaded.

     

    ~~~~~~

    Windows cannot copy file C:\Documents and Settings\Default User\Local Settings\Application Data\Microsoft\Windows\UsrClass.dat.LOG to location C:\Documents and Settings\HIUSETN\Local Settings\Application Data\Microsoft\Windows\UsrClass.dat.LOG. Contact your network administrator.

     

    DETAIL - The process cannot access the file because it is being used by another process.

    ~~~~~~

     

    Note: Event viewer can be found from Control Panel ->Administrative Tools -> Event Viewer. If there are related error messages, you can post them here or send email to me at v-shshao@microsoft.com

     

    As the error messages can be caused by the profile loading issue, we can perform the following suggestions to check the result:

     

    Suggestion 1: Disable Antivirus applications

     

    Suggestion 2: Install UPClean

    -----------------------------

    Download and install the UPHCLEAN tool on the terminal server to test this issue again. UPHClean monitors the computer while Windows is unloading user profiles and forces resources that are open to close. Therefore, the computer can unload and reconcile user profiles. This tool can be downloaded from the link below:

     

    User Profile Hive Cleanup Service

    http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=1b286e6d-8912-4e18-b570-42470e2f3582&DisplayLang=en

     

    For more information about this tool, please refer to the following article:

     

    Troubleshooting profile unload issues

    http://support.microsoft.com/?id=837115

     

    Best Regards,

     

    Monday, July 30, 2007 8:56 AM

All replies

  • Hi Eddie,

     

    If this is the same issue I'm thinking about, I've run into this problem a few times recently and found what looks like the username with the locked profile was "attempting" to create a new one. I received a message telling me about copying a file to a temp folder of sorts and the second was about a roaming profile. To resolve it, I logged in as an administrator and went to "C:/Documents and Settings" and in there, you will probably see two of the same username in there with the exception of the profile thats locked will end in ".orig". Deleting the other one has fixed this for me on a few different occasions. The folks at Microsoft might have a better solution for you but this has resolved the problem whenever I ran into it. Hope this helps!

     

    E

     

    Thursday, July 26, 2007 10:23 PM
  • Eparico,

    Did you lock the account back up?

    Did you restart or just log off your admin account and back in to the locked account.

    I actually got this problem on two machines I have tested this on.  On one I did find the that there were two of the same name.  I deleted the 'other' one and.....no fix.

    For the second PC, there was no second folder with the same name but did found an 'Owner' folder, the results.....no fix.
    Friday, July 27, 2007 12:07 AM
  • Eddie,

     

    Since I logged in as an administrator, I didn't have to unlock the user profile. Once I removed the extra account, I was able to log back into the locked profile without having to reboot.

     

    Unfortunately, from what you said, this isn't the same problem I ran into. You mentioned in your first post that you set your restrictions using a secondary administrator account. Maybe it has something to do with this but I've never tried that before. You also mentioned that you could not remote into the machine(s) in question...maybe this might help but did you uncheck the option in your folder options to use simple file sharing? I've found that this option has to be unchecked to be able to use my remote software (Dameware).

     

    Maybe someone at Microsoft can give you a better solution for this but my only other suggestion would be to completely delete and recreate the locked profile. If you do this, just make sure you relax all of your restrictions first. Sorry I couldn't help you better. I hope you find your solution. Good luck!

     

    E

     

    Friday, July 27, 2007 5:08 AM
  •  

    Hi Ed,

     

    Please check if there is exact error message in event logs. For example, the following error indicates that another application is accessing the profile so it cannot be loaded.

     

    ~~~~~~

    Windows cannot copy file C:\Documents and Settings\Default User\Local Settings\Application Data\Microsoft\Windows\UsrClass.dat.LOG to location C:\Documents and Settings\HIUSETN\Local Settings\Application Data\Microsoft\Windows\UsrClass.dat.LOG. Contact your network administrator.

     

    DETAIL - The process cannot access the file because it is being used by another process.

    ~~~~~~

     

    Note: Event viewer can be found from Control Panel ->Administrative Tools -> Event Viewer. If there are related error messages, you can post them here or send email to me at v-shshao@microsoft.com

     

    As the error messages can be caused by the profile loading issue, we can perform the following suggestions to check the result:

     

    Suggestion 1: Disable Antivirus applications

     

    Suggestion 2: Install UPClean

    -----------------------------

    Download and install the UPHCLEAN tool on the terminal server to test this issue again. UPHClean monitors the computer while Windows is unloading user profiles and forces resources that are open to close. Therefore, the computer can unload and reconcile user profiles. This tool can be downloaded from the link below:

     

    User Profile Hive Cleanup Service

    http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=1b286e6d-8912-4e18-b570-42470e2f3582&DisplayLang=en

     

    For more information about this tool, please refer to the following article:

     

    Troubleshooting profile unload issues

    http://support.microsoft.com/?id=837115

     

    Best Regards,

     

    Monday, July 30, 2007 8:56 AM
  • I have had this exact same problem. 

     

    From what I can tell SteadyState copies from the ???.orig profile to ??? profile everytime the computer is reset.  This is how it reverts the profile back to its original state upon reboot.  It appears that SteadyState doesn't check to see if the profile exists before trying to copy the original profile over.  SteadyState attempts to copy the profile over and cannot because the files are already there.

     

    To fix this problem, I bypassed AutoLogin by holding down the left shift key as windows starts.  Logged in as administrator, deleted the c:\documents and settings\??? profile, logging off and logging back on as the locked user.

     

    So far I have had this happen on my pc's twice.

     

    I am sure that Microsoft will fix SteadyState so that it checks for a profile before it tries to copy one over.  It is just a minor oversight and easily remedied.

    Thursday, August 9, 2007 1:56 PM
  • Hi W.Scott,

     

    When you choose the “Lock profile to prevent the user from making permanent changes” option, SteadyState will change the ntuser.dat of the corresponding user profile to ntuser.man (mandatory profile) and rename the profile folder to <UserName>.orig. When the locked user logs on, a temporary profile with the same user name will be created based on the locked profile. User can customize the temporary profile, the changes will be saved to the temporary profile. When user logs off, changes under temporary profile will be removed. On the next log on, a new temporary profile will be created again.

     

    Based on my experience, if a locked user profile was not modified, it should be recognized after reinstalling SteadyState.  However, I recommend unlocking your accounts when uninstalling SteadyState. Thus, related file and registry changes can be restored properly.

     

    Best Regards,

     

    Monday, August 13, 2007 3:46 AM
  •  

    My problem is that if windows is not shutdown correctly (user holds down power button on pc, or there is a power surge) the temporary profile is not deleted.  When windows tries to boot again, it tries to copy the Demo.orig profile to Demo, which already exists and throws errors, preventing automatic logon.  I am able to remote into the computers, hold down the left shift key, click OK on the errors to get to the logon window.  Then I am able to logon as admin, delete the Demo profile, log out, and logon as Demo and everything works correctly. 

     

    It is just a hassle to do this all of the time.  Other than this problem, I really like SteadyState.

    Monday, August 13, 2007 2:18 PM
  • Hi W.Scott,

     

    Based on my test, the locked profile still can be copied to the temporary profile folder when the system is shut down incorrectly. Thus, the problem should be caused by other factors such as account problem. You can refer to the steps in my first post. 

     

    If the issue remains after performing the suggestions, I recommend creating a new user profile to test this issue.

     

    Except the event log files, you can also help me collect an Userenv.log to analysis the logon process. To enable this log, please refer to the following article:

     

    How to enable user environment debug logging in retail builds of Windows

    http://support.microsoft.com/kb/221833

     

    Regards,

     

    Tuesday, August 14, 2007 11:46 AM
  • I am having the same problem. When the CPU is not shutdown properly and when the profile is locked, the PC is not logging in with the Steady state user ID and throwing profile loading error. I logged in with Admin account and imported the profile again and it worked. It's a hassle to do this when ever there's a power surge or improper shutdown. Do we have a fix for this.

     

    Tuesday, August 14, 2007 11:49 AM
  •  

    Uphclean has been installed on the computers since I installed SteadyState.  I cleared out the event logs on the computers so that I can get more relevant information about this issue.  I don't feel comfortable uninstalling the antivirus software on these computers and just leaving them unprotected to determine if it is the problem.  These computers are public internet access computers and must have some sort of antivirus protection.

     

    Background information about the computers is:

     

    Dell GX280 small form factor

    512mb ram

    40 gig drive

    Windows XP SP2 installed from Dell disc

    All windows updates performed

    McAfee VirusScan 8.0.0 with nightly updates performed

    Windows SteadyState with UPHClean installed

    Systems are setup to automatically logon to locked profile, only allowing access to internet explorer
    Tuesday, August 14, 2007 2:32 PM
  • Hi W.Scott,

     

    Thank you for your update on this issue.

     

    If related information can be found in the event logs. Please paste the information here and we can discuss it together. When the problem occurs on the logon screen, please also write down the exact message thus we can determine the problematic folders or files.

     

    I performed some research, and the following website may be helpful on this issue:

     

    http://www.eventid.net/display.asp?eventid=1000&eventno=1156&source=Userenv&phase=1

     

    Please Note: Microsoft provides third-party contact information to help you find technical support. This contact information may change without notice. Microsoft does not guarantee the accuracy of this third-party contact information.

     

    Regards,

    Wednesday, August 15, 2007 10:58 AM
  • Anti-Virus is not the problem.  I have the same logon problems as discussed here on various computers with Steady State loaded and none of the computers access the internet or have anti-virus loaded.  My user profile is called Medic.  Some computers have Medic and Medic.orig.  The error message is just like one of the other posts.  Trying to copy the profile from medic to Medic.orig and can't........I've deleted the Medic profile, but it returns.

    Thursday, August 23, 2007 1:36 AM
  • Hi Medic458,

     

    Please post the error message here thus we can determine whether it’s the same issue.

     

    Since there is no Antivirus program involved, have you tried other suggestions such as installing UPClean. UPHClean monitors the computer while Windows is unloading user profiles and forces open resources to close. Therefore, the computer can unload and reconcile user profiles. This tool can be downloaded from the link below:

     

    User Profile Hive Cleanup Service

    http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=1b286e6d-8912-4e18-b570-42470e2f3582&DisplayLang=en

     

    If there is any update, please feel free to let me know.

     

    Best Regards,

    Friday, August 24, 2007 8:46 AM
  • The exact wording of the errors is as follows:

     

    Windows cannot copy file c:\documents and settings\username.orig\desktop to location c:\documents and settings\username\desktop.  Possible causes of this error include network problems or insufficient security rights.  If this problem persists, contact your...

     

    Windows cannot log you in because your profile cannot be loaded.  Check that you are connected to the network, or that your network is functioning correctly.  If this problem persists, contact your network administrator.

     

    Logging in as adminsitrator, deleting c:\documents and settings\username corrects the problem and allows the profile to be created.

    Monday, August 27, 2007 3:02 PM
  • Hi W.Scott,

     

    When the issue occurs, do you have some restore software such as DeepFreeze installed? Based on other customers’ feedback, this kind of program can affect locked user profiles’ logon.

     

    We can perform a Clean Boot to avoid software conflicts  

    --------------------

    1. Click Start, go to Run, and type "msconfig" in the open box to start the System Configuration Utility.

    2. Click the Services tab, check the "Hide All Microsoft Services" box and click Disable All (if it is not gray). Select Windows SteadyState Service.

    3. Click the Startup tab, click Disable All and click OK.

    4. Please check this issue again.

     

    If this issue persists, you can help me collect an Userenv.log to analysis the logon process. To enable this log, please refer to the following article:

     

    How to enable user environment debug logging in retail builds of Windows

    http://support.microsoft.com/kb/221833

     

    Best Regards,

    Tuesday, August 28, 2007 9:30 AM
  •  

    The only software installed on the computers is UPHClean, McAfee Corporate 8.0.0, Windows SteadyState and LogMeIn (remote control that we use).  The problem occurs every monday.  I am beginning to wonder if it has something to do with the updates that are run.
    Tuesday, August 28, 2007 1:45 PM
  • If the issue only occurs on every Monday, we can monitor the changes between the last good logon and Monday logon. If updates were scheduled during this period, we can temporarily disable update or schedule another time to check if the issue is reproducible.

     

    Best Regards,

    Wednesday, August 29, 2007 10:32 AM
  • Now that I have some more time to dedicate to this project, I have picked back up where we left off.

     

    I took the time to build another public pc.  I installed a fresh version of Windows XP SP2 and all MS Updates.  I installed McAfee Corp 8.0.0 and UPHClean.  Nothing else is installed on the system.

     

    I have suspected that there have been some problems with the update that we allow the systems to do over the weekend, but I have been able to rule this out.

     

    I am able to replicate the problem at anytime.  All I have to do is simulate a power failure of the system.  To do this I perform the following:

     

    1.  Have the system up and running in the Locked user.
    2.  Remove power cord from the back of the PC.
    3.  Systems are setup to repower themselves once power is restored.
    4.  Systems are setup to automatically logon once at the Welcome screen.
    5.  Once system tries to log itself in, you get the error

     

    "Windows cannot copy file c:\documents and settings\demo.orig\desktop to location c:\documents and settings\demo\desktop.  Possible causes of this error include network problems or insufficient security rights.  If this problem persists, contact your..."

     

    Once you click on OK on this error, you get the following error:

     

    "Windows cannot log you in because your profile cannot be loaded.  Check that you are connected to the network, or that your network is functioning correctly.  If this problem persists, contact your network administrator."

     

    I know that it isn't a rights issue because I have graned Everyone Full Control of the profile.

     

    To correct this error, you can logon as Admin, and unlock and relock the account.  This corrects the profile error and you are able to logoff as Admin and back on as Demo.

     

    This has become a major source of frustrations for the users of these PC's and myself.  If it wasn't for some remote control software that we have on the systems, I would spend half of my week driving around to the various sites to correct the profile problem.

    Thursday, September 27, 2007 7:11 PM
  • Hi,

     

    Thank you for your time and effort on this issue.

     

    I finally reproduced this issue on my own computer. Based on my test, if a account is locked and automatic logon with the locked profile is enable, the following error will occur if I have power supply unplugged under the locked user profile: 

     

    "Windows cannot copy file c:\Documents and Settings\username.orig\Desktop to location c:\Documents and Settings\username\Desktop.  Possible causes of this error include network problems or insufficient security rights.  If this problem persists, contact your network administrator

    DETAIL – Access is denied. "

     

    "Windows cannot log you in because your profile cannot be loaded.  Check that you are connected to the network, or that your network is functioning correctly.  If this problem persists, contact your network administrator.

    DETAIL – The operation completely  successfully. "

     

    However, the locked user still can log into the system. If I log off that locked profile and log on again, the errors no longer appear. If I restart the computer normally, the error messages will not occur either.

     

    If the circs is different on your side, please feel free to tell me. I will perform additional tests on my computer.

     

    Regards,

    Friday, September 28, 2007 10:28 AM
  •  

    I don't understand your 5th paragraph.  You are saying that you cannot logon and receive the error messages, but then you say that you can logon and logoff normally.  I don't understand how you got from point a to point c without going through point b.  If I get the error message, I have to logon as Admin, unlock then relock the account to clear the error, otherwise, I just continue to get the error messages stated above.

     

    I agree that if you logoff normally or the computer is shutdown normally this error doesn't occur.

    Friday, September 28, 2007 1:42 PM
  • Hi,

     

    In my tests, although the above errors were encountered, after clicking the OK button, the user account continues logging on. Thus, I don’t need to log on with admin to perform further actions. After logging off or restarting normally, issue will not occur either. Please check if the DETAIL parts exactly match the errors you encountered. Otherwise, the error messages we encountered may be different. I have included my reproduce steps for your reference:

     

    1. Create a user (Test) from SteadyState and configure it as High Restrictions. Lock the user profile.

    2. Configure it to log on automatically from “Control userpasswords2”.

    3. Restart the computer and user Test logs on automatically.

    4. Unplug the power supply and then plug it. My computer cannot power on automatically. I have to press the power button to start it.

    5. The above two errors appear.

    6. Click OK twice and user Test log on.

    7. Log off Test and log on again. No problem. Restart the computer to test. Still no problem.

     

    Note: My test computer has no other software except SteadyState. You may need to temporarily disable/uninstall McAfee to test the above steps.

     

    Regards,

    Monday, October 1, 2007 5:33 AM
  •  

    I have the same problem when my 'stupid' users use the power button to shut down instead of doing it properly. Unlike  Shawn, my users cannot get past the error and are returned to the login prompt.

     

    In my investigations, I hove found that if I log on as an Admin and delete the temporary profile created by SteadyState, then log off, the user can then log back on with no issues.

     

    I found a nice little VBS script that I put in the computer's Startup scripts that deletes all profiles except those that are listed in an exceptions list. It works great, except it doesn't resolve the issue. For some reason I have to first log on and off as an Admin at least once before the user is able to log on. If I could find out why this is happening I'd be set. Or, if SteadyState would automatically reset the temporary profile on it's own.....

     

    So I added a procedure in the script that recreates the user's temporary folder, but that didn't work because the permissions are wrong, so my next step will be to add a call to XCACLS.VBS to set the permissions on the folder and see if that works.

     

    Learning something new every day.....

     

    Marc

    Thursday, October 18, 2007 4:01 PM
  • I modified my script to recreate the folder that SteadyState was copying the profile into and pre-set the permissions for full control for the user, but I still get the error. There are no access issues with the new folder, so I'm lost on this one.

     

    The wierd part is the fact that if I run my script and log on and off as an admin, it works and the user can log on again. However, if I just run the script the user still gets the error even after multiple restarts. Something else is going wroing with the way SteadyState is working (or not in this case) and I can't figure out what the issue is.

     

    Very frustrating.....

     

    Marc

    Thursday, October 18, 2007 10:00 PM
  • Hi Marc,

     

    Thanks for your sharing on this issue. I suspect the different result may have something to do with the system status when it was shutdown forcibly.

     

    FYI, you can configure power options to shut down the system properly when the power button is pressed:

    -----------------------------

    1. Open Control Panel -> Power Options.

    2. Click Advances tab. Under "When I press the power button on my computer", select "Shut down" or "Ask me what to do".

    3. Click OK. Press the power button to test.

     

    Regards,

    Friday, October 19, 2007 6:36 AM
  • Hi Shawn;

     

    Thanks for the tip, but that's how I have the Power Options set currently. Unfortunately, certain users have pressed and held the power button until it powers down.

     

    This issue is preventing us from releasing our current laptop build so I hope someone can find a solution soon.

     

    Regards,

     

    Marc

    Friday, October 19, 2007 3:17 PM
  • Hi Marc,

     

    Thanks for the feedback! Please understand that as this issue doesn't occur on all computers. It will take some time and effort to find the root cause and fix it once for all. You can also make some small tips for these computers, or organize a short presentation if possible. Anyway, it's a bad manner to shutdown the computer like that. It may cause some other problems in the future.

     

    Regards,

    Monday, October 22, 2007 8:30 AM
  • Hi, I am having the same problem here on some of our public machines. Some details:

    not on a domain
    XP SP2 latest patches
    locked profile for users, called "reader"
    administrator profile for management

    Some mornings, we get the error about being unable to copy Desktop from "reader.orig" to "reader" when reader tries to log in. This has happened a few times, and involves about 4 machines total. All our SteadyState machines (11 total) are the same hardware and configuration, all delivered and imaged at same time.

    Logging in as administrator and deleting "reader" profile folder fixes problem.

    In theory, all the machines should be shutting down properly, as we are in a library and 15 minutes before closing they run a scheduled task to shut down the machines after warning the users.

    --galoot
    Monday, October 29, 2007 1:05 PM
  • Hi Galoot,

     

    If these machines have identical hardware and configurations and this issue only occurs on four of them, I am sure that something different should have happened on the four computers.

     

    Please pay attention to the DETAIL part of the error message and check if there is any clue of this issue.

    We can also manually unplug the power supply of a computer and then check if this issue can be reproduced. If issue reoccurs, this can be the root cause.

     

    Regards,

    Tuesday, October 30, 2007 2:37 AM
  • Hi Shawn,

    The message is:

    Windows cannot copy file C:\Documents and Settings\reader.orig\Desktop to location C:\Documents and Settings\reader\Desktop. Possible causes of this error include network problems or insufficient security rights.

    DETAIL - Access is denied.

    I did notice this morning that two problem machines had the wrong date set somehow, so they may have been shutting down improperly since the script shuts them down at different times for weekdays and weekends. Now that I've fixed that, it will be interesting to see if the problem goes away.

    --galoot
    Tuesday, October 30, 2007 9:58 AM
  • Hi Galoot

     

    Thank you for your prompt feedback!

     

    Regarding “Detail – Access is denied” error, it can be related to the following factors:

     

    1. Corrupted source or destination folder.

    2. Incorrect permission settings on the folder.

     

    I also include some troubleshooting suggestions in case the issue reoccurs in the future:

    --------------------

    1. Log on with an administrator account. If auto logon is enabled, hold Shift key or enter Safe Mode to perform these operations.

    2. Delete all the contents under C:\documents and settings\<user name>\. Restart to test. Continue with the following steps if issue remains.

    3. Locate the source folder under C:\documents and settings\user.org

    4. Right click the problematic folder and choose Properties.  Please check if there is Security tab.

     

    If there is no Security tab and this is a Windows XP Professional computer, let’s disable simple file sharing to show the Security tab:

     

      a. Click Start, and then click My Computer.

      b. On the Tools menu, click Folder Options, and then click the View tab.

      c. In the Advanced Settings section, clear the Use simple file sharing (Recommended) check box. Click OK.

     

    If the system is Windows XP Home Edition, please press F8 when the computer starts and boot into Safe Mode with an administrator account to perform the following steps.

     

    5. Select the Security tab of the Desktop folder.

    6. Please check if user is in the “Group or user names” list. If so, please make sure it has Full Control permission. Otherwise, click the Add button to add user to the list. High light the account we added. Select the Allow check box for “Full Control”. Click OK.

     

    Best Regards,

    Wednesday, October 31, 2007 5:06 AM
  • I too have had the same issues with the power failures and then not being able to login...  this suggestion might seem silly
    but I have tried it several times and it has worked..

    When you login after a power failure it gives you the two errors and then doesn't login.
    Login again and the second time it should allow you to login all the way.

    This has worked for me more than a few times.

    Let me know how it works for you

    Wednesday, October 31, 2007 10:50 PM
  • Hi, thanks for the info - in my case, once this error starts I cannot get rid of it except by deleting the reader profile folder.

     

    -galoot

     

    Friday, November 9, 2007 11:54 AM
  •  

    Hi Shawn;

     

    Any more progress on this issue. I keep having to have laptops sent back to me from the field to reset the profile. Very annoying.

     

    Thanks,

     

    Marc

    Monday, November 26, 2007 7:30 PM
  • Hi Marc,

     

    To analysis the logon process,  would you please help me collect an Userenv.log? To enable this log, please refer to the following article:

     

    How to enable user environment debug logging in retail builds of Windows

    http://support.microsoft.com/kb/221833

     

    By the way, would you please share the startup script with us? It sounds a good workaround if we can fix this problem with this kind of script.

     

    Regards,

     

    Tuesday, November 27, 2007 9:39 AM
  • Hi Shawn;

     

    I'll get the log file for you today. Would you like me to post it here or email it to you?

     

    The script I developed does delete the profile as required, but it doesn't resolve the issue. For some reason I still have to log on and off as an administrator before the profile issue is resolved. I don't have to do anything once I've logged on, it's just the act of logging on and off as an admin that fixes some issue and the profile problem dissapears for the user. Very wierd.

     

    Regards,

     

    Marc

    Tuesday, November 27, 2007 3:45 PM
  • Hi Marc,

     

    You can post the script here and send the log file to me at: v-shshao@microsoft.com

     

    Thanks a lot!

     

    Regards,

     

    Wednesday, November 28, 2007 3:24 AM
  • I found a script that will delete all profiles off of a Windows XP PC except profiles specified to be excluded. The script was placed in the C:\Windows folder and run as a startup script for the computer. This script does delete the corrupted profile, but as stated previously, it doesn't resolve the issue as an administrator still needs to log on and off in order to fully restore the ability of the SteadyState controlled user to log on.

     

    To run the script create the following registry entry:

    HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run

     

    Create a new String Value and enter the path and name of the script. (ie. C:\Windows\ProfileCleanup.vbs)

     

    You may need to put cscript in front of the path and enclose it all in quotes.

    (ie. "cscript C:\Windows\ProfileCleanup.vbs")

     

     

    Code Block

    '***************************************************************************
    '*
    '*  Delete Profiles script written by Joe Shonk
    '*  Version 1.7
    '*

    '*  Modified by Marc Ramsay - 2007-10-19

    '*
    '*  This script is provided as-is, no warrenty is provided or implied
    '*  The author is NOT responsible any damages or data loss that may occur
    '*  through the use of this script.  Always test, test, test before
    '*  rolling anything into a production environment
    '*
    '*  Syntax: cscript.exe DeleteProfiles.vbs <LogFile Location>
    '*
    '*  LogFile Location will default to %systemroot%\TEMP\DeleteProfiles.log
    '*  if one is not specified.
    '*
    '***************************************************************************
    On Error Resume Next

    Const DeleteReadOnly = TRUE
    Const HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE = &H80000002
    Const SIDExclusionList = "|S-1-5-18|S-1-5-19|S-1-5-20|"

    '***************************************************************************
    '*  To add your own profiles to the exclusion list simply add the
    '*  account to the end of the ProfileExclusionList.  Note: Each account
    '*  is delimited by a | (pipe) and is all lowercase
    '*
    Const ProfileExclusionList = "|administrator|all users|default user|localservice|networkservice|ofsc.orig|test1|"

    Dim strComputer, strLogFileName, strSystemRoot, strDocAndSettingsLocation
    Dim strKeyPath, arrValueNames, arrValueTypes, arrSubKeys
    Dim i, strHiveExclusionList, strHiveOpenSkipped, strHiveValue
    Dim strSubKey, strGuid, strUserName, strProfileImagePath
    Dim dwProfileExclusion, dwSIDExclusion, dwHiveOpenExclusion

    strComputer = "."

    Set objReg = GetObject("winmgmts:{impersonationLevel=impersonate}!\\" & strComputer & "\root\default:StdRegProv")
    Set objFSO = CreateObject("Scripting.FileSystemObject")
    Set WshShell = Wscript.CreateObject("WScript.Shell")
    Set objArgs = WScript.Arguments

    strSystemRoot = ""
    strSystemRoot = WshShell.ExpandEnvironmentStrings("%SYSTEMROOT%")
    If strSystemRoot = "" then
        strSystemRoot = "C:\WINDOWS"
    End if

    '**********************************************************************************
    '*   Set log location to %SYSTEMROOT%\TEMP\DeleteProfiles.log if one is not
    '*   specified as an Argument
    If objArgs.Count > 0 Then
        strLogFileName = objArgs(0)
    Else
        strLogFileName = strSystemRoot & "\Temp\DeleteProfiles.log"
    End If

    Set objLogFile = objFSO.CreateTextFile(strLogFileName)

    WriteHeader

    '**********************************************************************************
    '*   Enumerate a list of loaded Registry Hives.  Delimited by the | character
    strHiveExclusionList = "|"
    strHiveOpenSkipped = "|"
    strKeyPath = "SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\hivelist"
    objReg.EnumValues HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE, strKeyPath, arrValueNames, arrValueTypes
    For i=0 To UBound(arrValueNames)
        strHiveValue = trim(arrValueNames(i))
        strHiveExclusionList = strHiveExclusionList & Right(strHiveValue, len(strHiveValue) - instrrev(strHiveValue, "\")) & "|"
    Next

    '**********************************************************************************
    '*   Enumerate a list of known profiles from the registry
    strKeyPath = "SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\ProfileList"
    objReg.EnumKey HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE, strKeyPath, arrSubKeys

    '**********************************************************************************
    '*   Parse through the Profile list and Delete the Registry entries and Files associated to the Profile
    '*   Provided the profile is not listed in an Exclusion list
    WriteLog "Checking Profile List"
    WriteLog "---------------------"
    For Each subkey In arrSubKeys
        strSubKey = ""
        strGuid = ""
        strUserName = ""
        strProfileImagePath = ""
        strSubKey = trim(subkey)
        if (instr(SIDExclusionList, "|" & strSubKey & "|") = 0) and (strSubKey <> "") then
            strKeyPath = "SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\ProfileList\" & strSubKey
            objReg.GetStringValue HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE,strKeyPath,"Guid", strGuid
            objReg.GetStringValue HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE,strKeyPath,"ProfileImagePath", strProfileImagePath

            strUserName = Right(strProfileImagePath, len(strProfileImagePath) - instrrev(strProfileImagePath, "\"))
            WriteLog "Profile"
            WriteLog "  SID         : " & strSubKey
            WriteLog "  GUID        : " & strGuid
            WriteLog "  Profile Path: " & strProfileImagePath
            WriteLog "  UserName    : " & strUserName

            dwProfileExclusion = instr(ProfileExclusionList, "|" & trim(lcase(strUserName)) & "|")
            dwSIDExclusion = instr(strHiveExclusionList, "|" & strSubKey & "|")
            If (dwProfileExclusion = 0) and (dwSIDExclusion = 0) then
                WriteLog "  Profile OK to Delete"

                strKeyPath = "SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\ProfileList\" & strSubKey
                DeleteKey HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE, strKeyPath

                strKeyPath = "SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Group Policy\" & strSubKey
                DeleteKey HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE, strKeyPath

                strKeyPath = "SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Group Policy\State\" & strSubKey
                DeleteKey HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE, strKeyPath

                strKeyPath = "SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Installer\UserData\" & strSubKey
                DeleteKey HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE, strKeyPath

                If strGuid <> "" then
                    strKeyPath = "SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\PolicyGuid\" & strGuid
                    DeleteKey HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE, strKeyPath

                    strKeyPath = "SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\ProfileGuid\" & strGuid
                    DeleteKey HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE, strKeyPath
                Else
                    WriteLog "  Guid is Blank, Deleting Registry Keys based of Guid has been skipped."
                End if

                If objFSO.FolderExists(strProfileImagePath) then
                WriteLog "  Folder Exists - Deleting"
                    objFSO.DeleteFolder(strProfileImagePath), DeleteReadOnly
                Else
                    WriteLog "  Folder Does not Exist"
                End if
            Else
                If dwProfileExclusion then
                    WriteLog "  Profile not Deleted --- Username in Profile Exclusion List"
                End if
                If dwSIDExclusion then
                    WriteLog "  Profile not Deleted --- User Hive is currently loaded"
                    strHiveOpenSkipped = strHiveOpenSkipped & trim(lcase(strUserName)) & "|"
                End if
            End if
        End if
    Next

    '**********************************************************************************
    '*   Get Document and Settings Directory Location from the Registry
    strKeyPath = "SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\ProfileList"
    objReg.GetStringValue HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE,strKeyPath,"ProfilesDirectory", strDocAndSettingsLocation
    WriteLog ""
    WriteLog "Documents and Settings Path: " & strDocAndSettingsLocation
    WriteLog ""
    WriteLog "Checking for Orphaned Profile Directories"
    WriteLog "-----------------------------------------"
    Set objFolder = objFSO.GetFolder(strDocAndSettingsLocation)
    Set colSubfolders = objFolder.Subfolders

    '**********************************************************************************
    '*   Parse through the directory a check for orphaned profile folders and Delete
    For Each objSubfolder in colSubfolders
        strUserName = lcase(Right(objSubfolder.Path, len(objSubfolder.Path) - instrrev(objSubfolder.Path, "\")))
        dwProfileExclusion = instr(ProfileExclusionList, "|" & trim(lcase(strUserName)) & "|")
        dwHiveOpenExclusion = instr(strHiveOpenSkipped, "|" & trim(lcase(strUserName)) & "|")
        If (dwProfileExclusion = 0) and (dwHiveOpenExclusion = 0) then
            WriteLog "Deleting Orphaned Profile Directory: " & objSubfolder.Path
            objFSO.DeleteFolder(objSubfolder.Path), DeleteReadOnly
        Else
            If dwHiveOpenExclusion then
                WriteLog "Hive Loaded      -- Skippped Delete: " & objSubfolder.Path
            End if
            If dwProfileExclusion then
                WriteLog "Profile Excluded -- Skippped Delete: " & objSubfolder.Path
            End if
        End if
    Next

    WriteFooter
    objLogFile.Close
    objReg = Nothing
    objFSO = Nothing
    WshShell = Nothing
    objArgs = Nothing

    '**********************************************************************************
    '*   Deletes All Subfolders and Files within a Given directory
    Sub DeleteFolderContent (strFolderName)
        If objFSO.FolderExists(strFolderName) Then
            Set objFolder = objFSO.GetFolder(strFolderName)
            Set colSubfolders = objFolder.Subfolders
            For Each objSubfolder in colSubfolders
                objFSO.DeleteFolder(objSubfolder.Path), DeleteReadOnly
            Next
            objFSO.DeleteFile(strFolderName & "\*"), DeleteReadOnly
        End If
    End Sub

    '**********************************************************************************
    '*   Deletes All Subkeys and Values within a Given Registry Key
    Sub DeleteKey(dwHiveType, strDeleteKeyPath)
        Dim dwReturn, arrDeleteSubKeys, strDeleteSubKey
        dwReturn = objReg.EnumKey(dwHiveType, strDeleteKeyPath, arrDeleteSubKeys)
        If (dwReturn = 0) And IsArray(arrDeleteSubKeys) Then
            For Each strDeleteSubKey In arrDeleteSubKeys
                DeleteKey dwHiveType, strDeleteKeyPath & "\" & strDeleteSubKey
            Next
        End If
        objReg.DeleteKey dwHiveType, strDeleteKeyPath
        WriteLog "  Deleting: " & strDeleteKeyPath
    End Sub

    '**********************************************************************************
    '*   Log Header
    Sub WriteHeader
        ObjLogFile.WriteLine "---"
        ObjLogFile.WriteLine "-- Profile Deletion Script Executed: " & Now
        ObjLogFile.WriteLine "---"
    End Sub

    '**********************************************************************************
    '*   Log Footer
    Sub WriteFooter
        ObjLogFile.WriteLine "---"
        ObjLogFile.WriteLine "-- Profile Deletion Script Completed."
        ObjLogFile.WriteLine "---"
    End Sub

    '**********************************************************************************
    '*   Write String to Log File
    Sub WriteLog(strString)
        objLogFile.Writeline strString
    End Sub

     

     

    Wednesday, November 28, 2007 4:20 PM
  • Hi,

     

    How about running it as a System Startup Script (script will run before logging on)?

     

    Let's try the following steps:

    ----------------

    1. Click Start and then Run.

    2. Type in gpedit.msc and click OK.

    3. Click Computer Configurations -> Windows Setting -> Scripts (Startup/Shutdown).

    4. Double click Startup in the right panel, click Add then Browser to locate your script.

    5. Click OK.

    6. Restart the computer.

     

    The script change can also be found under the following registry branch:

     

    [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\System\Scripts\Startup]

     

    I haven't test this yet. Feel free to post the result whether it works or not.

     

    Regards,

     

    Friday, November 30, 2007 11:57 AM
  • Hi Shawn;

     

    I had actually done it your way in my original tests. I had another project on my mind when I posted my previous response. I did have the script run as a computer startup script so it cleaned out the profiles on restart.

     

    Sorry for the confusion.

     

    Marc

    Friday, November 30, 2007 3:22 PM
  • Marc,

     

    Did you ever figure out a way to fix this?  I am having the exact same problem with some public machines at work with WSS loaded on them and I cannot figure out how to fix it.  I tried running your script at startup and you're right - it does work, but it doesn't eliminate the error.  I would really like to find a way to prevent this from happening.  Everytime updates run and shut down the pc's I have to go and fix them.  If you found anything, please let me know.  Thanks...

     

    Besides this error, Steady State is a great app...

     

    Tuesday, December 18, 2007 8:43 PM
  • Dave;

     

    No, still waiting on Shawn to come up with something. I hope Microsoft puts some resources into this soon as it is seriously hampering our willingness to use it.

     

    Marc

    Tuesday, December 18, 2007 8:47 PM
  • Hello,

     

    I just rolled out 15 machines running Windows XP SP2, Symantec Antivirus and Steady State on Friday. I used Steady State to lock the user profile down and Deep Freeze to lock down the machine itself. Out of these 15 machines, 14 came up with that error this morning (Wednesday). They are all built on the same image and are using the same hardware. At the first site, I assumed the problem was caused by a power outage, but when I went to another site this afternoon, they were experiencing the same problem (and they did not experience a power outage). After visiting the second site, I was thinking the problem was caused by updates that run overnight....

     

    As far as the fix, I did find that after thawing and removing the offending profile folder, the problem is resolved.  Unfortunately, I do not have remote access to machines at the different sites, so it involves a site visit for me.

     

    If there is any information I can provide to assist with the troubleshooting process, please let me know. Any suggestions to alleviate the problem would be appreciated.

     

    Thanks,

    Beth

     

    Thursday, December 20, 2007 2:26 AM
  • I was wondering if there were any updates to this problem. It is happening quite often and is very frustrating. The problem is always the "desktop" folder within the profile. There are only standard icons on the desktop as well as various shortcuts. I have given full access to the .orig file and it has not helped.

     

    I have a feeling that part of the problem is with the updates. I have two "versions" out there. One has trouble every Wednesday and the other has trouble every Wednesday plus a few have had trouble other days. I have turned off the Windows update setting within Steady State, but am not convinced it is actually off. Can someone tell me where that setting is located either in the registry or in policy so I can double check?

     

    I would be open to any other suggestions as well.

     

    Thank you.

    Monday, December 31, 2007 6:40 PM
  • I think I might be on to something and was hoping a few of you could test this on your systems and let me know if it helped.

     

    Under User Settings, General Restrictions, I removed the check mark on "Prevent users from saving files to the desktop". Although it is early in my testing, I have not gotten the error since making the change. Of course the real test will be when I come in Wednesday morning and see whether the error has popped up again or not.

     

    Happy New Year!

     

    Beth

    Tuesday, January 1, 2008 12:11 AM
  •  

    Hi Beth;

     

    I have tried your 'fix' and it seems to resolve the issue. On machines where I was able to create the issue on demand I'm not able to any more.

     

    However, this is only a work-around that now defeats one of the primary purposes for using this product by unchecking "Prevent users from saving files to the desktop".

     

    So now hopefully Microsoft can narrow down the problem code and post a resolution soon.

     

    Regards,

     

    Marc 

    Wednesday, January 2, 2008 4:50 PM
  •  

    Hi Marc,

     

    I am glad to hear that it solved the problem and I agree that it defeats one of the main reasons we are using the product. I am happy to report that I did not have the error on any of the machines that I made that change on. I would typically find the error was there on Wednesday mornings.

     

    Beth

    Wednesday, January 2, 2008 4:59 PM
  • I would certainly agree - one of the main reasons I use SteadyState in our public library is to prevent users from saving files to the hard drive and Desktop.  I have experienced a lot of frustration with this error, which seems to be related to improper shutdown - either a power loss or system hang.  I have logged into Safe Mode, unlocked the affected account, logged into that account, then locked it again. 

    If Microsoft could fix this error, I would praise SteadyState for its ease of use, simple interface, and intuitive programming.  As it stands, I believe this is a major problem.

    Thank you.

    Justin Soluna - Tech Support
    Athens Public Library
    Athens, OH 45701
    Saturday, January 5, 2008 5:27 PM
  • I have the same problem and now all the pc's at a class of Univercity of Thessaloniki does not open. The program is now useless without this fixed.

    Tuesday, January 8, 2008 12:42 PM
  •  

    Hi,

     

    Thank you very much for everyone's input, especially for Beth's suggestions:

     

    Based on my tests, this issue can be closely related to the permissions of the temporary Desktop folder.

     

    As you may know, when you choose "Lock profile to prevent the user from making permanent changes" option, SteadyState will change the ntuser.dat of the corresponding user profile to ntuser.man (mandatory profile) and rename the profile folder to <UserName>.orig. When the locked user logs on, a temporary profile folder with the same user name will be created based on the locked profile (copy profile files from <UserName>.orig to <UserName> folder). User can customize the temporary profile, the changes will be saved to the temporary profile folder. When user logs off, the temporary profile folder will be deleted. On the next log on, a new temporary profile will be created again.

     

     

    If we have "Prevent users from saving files to the desktop" restriction enabled, the permission of the Desktop folder under <UserName>.orig will not be changed. However, when a restricted user logs on, user profile is copied to <UserName> folder, the Desktop folder’s permissions will be modified. The following permissions were removed in order to "Prevent users from saving files to the desktop":

     

    -      Full Control

    -      Modify

    -      Write

     

    To check the permissions of the Desktop folder, try the following steps:

    ==================

    1. Right click the Desktop folder, choose Properties.

    2. Click the Security tab, and select the restricted user, the permissions for this user account will be listed below.

     

    Note: If there is no Security tab and this is a Windows XP Professional computer, let's disable simple file sharing to show the Security tab:

     

      a. Click Start, and then click My Computer.

      b. On the Tools menu, click Folder Options, and then click the View tab.

      c. In the Advanced Settings section, clear the Use simple file sharing (Recommended) check box. Click OK.

     

    If the system is Windows XP Home Edition, please press F8 when the computer starts and boot into Safe Mode with an administrator account to perform the above steps.

     

     

    If the "Prevent users from saving files to the desktop" option was not selected, restricted user has Full Control to the Desktop folder under the temporary profile. Thus, even the temporary profile was not cleared due to some reason ( like power outage), this folder should still be able to overwritten when logging on.

     

    If this option was selected, there is no problem when user accounts log off normally. ( I suspect the delete operation was performed by Administrator account or system account, as only these accounts have Full Control to this Desktop folder). However, when power outage (or a reset) happens, from the error message we received, obviously, the restricted user doesn’t have permission to overwrite the Desktop folder under the temporary profile (Access is denied). As the temporary profile creation processed failed, the system assume the profile cannot be loaded and then back to the Welcome screen. That’s the problem we are experiencing.

     

    Based on the above information, the remaining solution will be: log on with an administrator account. Delete the temporary profile folder, or reset the Desktop folder permission to Full Control, then it can be overwritten properly. If there is power outage (or reset) occurs frequently, we can also consider disabling this restriction.

     

     

    I have reported this issue to our product team, I hope there is some other suggestion or this issue can be fixed in the final version of 2.5. (Based on my test, 2.5beta also has this issue).

     

    Thanks again for everyone's effort.

     

    Best Regards,

     

    Friday, January 11, 2008 3:54 AM
  • I'd just like to give my thanks who have been working on this problem. Last year, being busy, the way I dealt with the issue was to unlock the profiles for shared users, and reinstall the entire image when the users had made too many changes.

     

    Now I can use workarounds suggested but which are still not in the hurlyburly of a teaching day.

     

    I agree with those who have said that this issue is a core issue. Users will inevitably use the power or reset buttons sometimes. Also I have a piece of educational software installed which locks up the computer occasionally and at this time the students will naturally reach for the power button.

     

    The solution of this issue is fundamental to the usefulness of SteadyState.

     

    Jim Brook

    Tuesday, February 5, 2008 1:34 AM
  • Shawn,

     

    Further to my previous post, I'm trying to set things up for the school year just about to start. The problem I have is that logging in as supervisor and setting the permissions on the desktop to full control (the workaround) is something that I can't expect other teachers to be able to do. Nor do I want to have to go to their rooms to do it for them.

     

    I'm looking for the most efficient workaround. The best I can think of, if it were possible to run a script, when an administrator logs in, which would reset this permission. (Actually I don't even know if one can set permissions in a script but I assume so.) That way my other teachers would simply have to logon and off... not too onerous.

     

    Would it be possible for you, who know much more than most of us, to think about this, and post a script with instructions?

     

    Regards

     

    Jim Brook.

     

    Tuesday, February 5, 2008 2:00 AM
  • I have this exact same problem with over 60 pc's installed in 7 libaries.

    I am constantly getting telephone calls from frustrated librarians when members of the public don't shut the pc down correctly or as happened 2 weeks ago there was a power outage and 14 pc's had to visited to log on as administrator and delete the user profile and reboot the pc.

    It is not feasible to allow librarians to perfom the admin log-in to clear the user profile and as the libraries are spread over a 100 mile radius it is proving almost impossible maintain the pc's in a reliable working condition.

    This is a major fault with steadystate which requires an immediate resolution.

    Tuesday, February 5, 2008 4:00 PM
  • Does anyone have a support contract with Microsoft that they can call and force them to support the issue?

    Tuesday, February 5, 2008 4:16 PM
  • The way I look at it is that Microsoft has done a lot of work here, making a product that is sorely needed in the real world. They have tried very hard to get it right; compare version 1 with 2. And they have shown, by putting somebody as proactive and knowledgeable as Shawn in charge of this forum, a real concern to help users.

     

    However something has slipped through the net, this issue of restricted users wanting to use the power or reset button.

     

    If the product had been a commercial one I would have been tempted to use the insulting term "broken" for this product. But I think that the good will of the development and support team is clearly such that we should just keep on trying to let them know how important this issue is to us.

     

    I couldn't imagine not using SteadyState now - it would take a vast amount of time to get a similar result by other means. But the product would shine much more brightly, if this time-eating support issue was fixed.

     

    I'm sure that it will be dedication and skill and the pride in their work of the development and support team which will get this issue resolved.

    Tuesday, February 5, 2008 8:18 PM
  • I agree this is potentially a really great product, but at the moment, I have to leave the "reader" profiles unlocked on our public library machines to avoid the power-down problem. This means I often have to reset the desktop image when people manage to change it, or reset the default home page. This is a little cumbersome since the only way I know to do this is turn off all the Steady State protection, log on with the public ID, make the changes, then go back in as administrator and turn the protection on again. Is there a simpler way to do this - reimport the profile?
    Wednesday, February 6, 2008 11:28 AM
  • Hi Guys

     

    I work for an Airlines and we've hundred's of Public Kiosk PCs of different kinds. Earlier we were using windows NT policy in XP for restrictions. But now we switched over to Windows Steady state. It's a real great product with a minor flaw of profile corruption when the PC is switched off or when a power outage happens. Thanks to Beth for his work around and it solved my problem completely.

     

    Since I am not using explorer shell, I am not much worried about users saving on the desktop. And I've set the PC to logoff automatically after 30mins of idle time. Means, even if the user is able to save anything it won't be visible or it'll be cleared when the PC logs off, as the profile is locked.

    You can change the shell from explorer to any other interface from the group policy  - User configuration > Administrative Templates > Sustem  and modify the 'Custom User interface'

    For example, if you want to launch iexplore in kiosk mode, you can enable the policy and enter the interface file name as "C:\Program Files\Internet Explorer\iexplore.exe" -k

    Like this you can call any other interface other than explorer.exe.

     

    My PC got 2 partitions. I've redirected the user folders to the non-OS partition through policy. Users can access and see only this partition. A task is created to clean-up this partition whenever the PC is logged off.

     

    Brgds

    Shanavas

     

     

    Friday, February 8, 2008 6:12 AM
  • First post was 26 Jul 2007 and since then no solution has been found. I have big problems where i work cause of this problem. PC doesnt open and the class cant do any lesson
    Wednesday, April 2, 2008 8:00 AM
  • I did find the cause of the problem and although it isn't a true fix, there is one setting you can change to prevent the problem from happening.

     

    To prevent the problem, go to Steady State and under User Settings, General Restrictions, remove the check mark on "Prevent users from saving files to the desktop".

     

    As I understand it, Microsoft is working on the problem. It sure would be nice for an update as it has been quite awhile since the problem was initially found....

    Wednesday, April 2, 2008 12:25 PM
  • I too am having this same problem.  It is preventing me from launching 300 PCs to our 50 US training centers.  Has anyone found a resolution yet?

     

    NV Lady,

    Thanks for the workaround.  I hope it does not come to having to use it, but it will be better than delaying the project.

    Monday, September 29, 2008 6:52 PM
  • PNIKOLAJ,

    I do recommend you install it on a couple machines for testing only.  I have tested Steady State from its birth and, don't get me wrong (For being a free product steady state is GREAT!), but I have found that this issue has not been resolved from its beginning; this bug is still too....for avoidance of a certain word.... critical for mass deployment.

    I recommend that you remove Steady State all together IF you are going to deploy that many machines. You are risking your systems stability, employee reputation and your sanity. The only way to keep a more stable system while using Steady State would be to use a 'freezing' software.

    It think that part of the difficulty to tackle here is that it is better for developers to find a fix without having to redesign.

    I have been wanting to get away from other software I am using, to implement Steady State but due to so many manual configuration and work arrounds, I have needed to keep the same software I have used in the past.

    My thanks and best wishes to the dev team for this project.
    Monday, September 29, 2008 8:14 PM
  • Which release are you using (2.0 or 2.5)?

    Friday, October 3, 2008 9:16 PM
  • Hi PNIKOLAJ ,

     

         After the first time you failed to logon,you can try logon the seocnd time,then you

    will logon successfully with the restricted user.

     

    Best Regards

     

    Saturday, October 4, 2008 12:53 AM
  • I have 60 + public machines and I use this script/batch file to solve the problem. I saved the script as a bat file, added in scheduled tasks and set to run at system startup. If you have more than one profile on a machine, such as me, you can add all of those profiles as well - example shows a system with 3 profiles. I've used it on PCT (Originial Gates workstations), SCT and WSS versions.
    DEL /F /S /Q "C:\Documents and Settings\<INSERT PROFILE NAME HERE>\Local Settings\Temp"
    DEL /F /S /Q "C:\Documents and Settings\<INSERT PROFILE NAME HERE>\Local Settings\Temporary Internet Files"
    DEL /F /S /Q "C:\Documents and Settings\<INSERT PROFILE NAME HERE>\Local Settings\Temporary Internet Files\Content.IE5"
    DEL /F /S /Q "C:\Documents and Settings\<INSERT PROFILE NAME HERE>\Local Settings\History"
    DEL /F /S /Q "C:\Documents and Settings\<INSERT PROFILE NAME HERE>\Local Settings\Cookies"
    DEL /F /S /Q "C:\Documents and Settings\<INSERT PROFILE2 NAME HERE>\Local Settings\Temp"
    DEL /F /S /Q "C:\Documents and Settings\<INSERT PROFILE2 NAME HERE>\Local Settings\Temporary Internet Files"
    DEL /F /S /Q "C:\Documents and Settings\<INSERT PROFILE2 NAME HERE>\Local Settings\Temporary Internet Files\Content.IE5"
    DEL /F /S /Q "C:\Documents and Settings\<INSERT PROFILE2 NAME HERE>\Local Settings\History"
    DEL /F /S /Q "C:\Documents and Settings\<INSERT PROFILE2 NAME HERE>\Local Settings\Cookies"
    DEL /F /S /Q "C:\Documents and Settings\<INSERT PROFILE3 NAME HERE>\Local Settings\Temp"
    DEL /F /S /Q "C:\Documents and Settings\<INSERT PROFILE3 NAME HERE>\Local Settings\Temporary Internet Files"
    DEL /F /S /Q "C:\Documents and Settings\<INSERT PROFILE3 NAME HERE>\Local Settings\Temporary Internet Files\Content.IE5"
    DEL /F /S /Q "C:\Documents and Settings\<INSERT PROFILE3 NAME HERE>\Local Settings\History"
    DEL /F /S /Q "C:\Documents and Settings\<INSERT PROFILE3 NAME HERE>\Local Settings\Cookies"



    Saturday, October 4, 2008 1:59 PM
  •  

    hi PNIKOLAJ

     

       Can you tell me your OS and the version of WIndows Steady State?

    Saturday, October 4, 2008 11:50 PM
  • All,

    Thank you for your help.  I believe we have resolved the concern by allowing users to save files to the desktop.  Since I checked the option where restricted users cannot make changes, logging offf and then back in clears out any files that were put on the desktop by the restricted user.

     

    Thanks again.

     

    Peter

    Monday, October 6, 2008 12:49 PM
  • Any news about this issue ?

     

    I am having the same problems with WSS 2.5 and about 12 PCs ...

    Thursday, November 27, 2008 9:25 AM
  • Still no news or update on this issue ???

    Save to desktop is enable, but it still hang on a random PC about once a week, I have to login as administrator to remove temporary profiles ...

    And then it work again for a week.

    UPHClean is up and running on every PCs.

    I love WSS, but I will have to find another solution is we can not fix this issue.
    Monday, January 5, 2009 9:44 AM
  • Hello,
    same issue for me with XP sp3, updated my PCs to steadystate 2.5 but i have still randomly user account blocked.

    I have to unlock it with my admin account open the user one, close it, re-lock in admin and it works ... but with 30+ PCs it is more than 10 interventions a week .. ;(

    Hope a patch or something soon, thanks for the job done so far.
    Monday, January 5, 2009 12:27 PM
  • Being it has been over a year since I figured out the setting that was causing the problem, I really doubt Microsoft plans on putting a fix in place. If you are looking for another product, we are also using Deep Freeze by Faronics (http://www.faronics.com/html/Deepfreeze.asp) and have found it to be a very good product. Their support is also very good. Unfortunately, we had to pay for this product, but I do believe they have a free trail if you want to play with it.

    Good luck!



    PS - we are using Steady State with Deep Freeze and I have only had the problem on one machine in about a year. I guess I have been pretty lucky...
    Tuesday, January 6, 2009 4:26 AM
  • Hi,

    There are two workarounds for this issue:

    Option 1: Disable the restriction "Prevent users from saving files to the desktop". Since the profile is locked, this restriction really isn't necessary. Any files the user happens to save to the desktop will be deleted automatically when he logs off.

    Option 2: Just try to log on a second time. In our tests, this always worked after the first attempt to log on failed.

    Thanks,
    Rob Elmer
    Development Lead
    Windows SteadyState
    Tuesday, January 6, 2009 5:48 AM
  • I deployed 4 PCs with WSS a month ago and every week I've had to fix one or two of them. Every time the errors are relating to Temp Internet Files, and the extension being too long. I thought maybe for some reason the cache wasn't cleared before locking the account prior to deploying. The first few times, I unlocked the account, logged on, closed IE (it's also set to clear the temp files upon IE close), logged off, and relocked the account. Finally I decided to dig deeper and came across this thread.

     

    Option 1 - I already had the "Prevent users..." unchecked. Since my problem is with temp internet files, it would make sense that this option wouldn't fix the problem.

     

    Option 2 - I've been informed that sometimes attempting to log on again will fix the problem, but of course when it doesn't, I hear about it.

     

    Option 3 - Today I checked the box to stop caching locked and roaming profiles - under Set Computer Restrictions. I also deleted all the duplicate profiles (3 copies on each PC). I rebooted all 4 about 5 times each, including holding in the power button while the user was logged on, and I was able to log on every time. The profile stopped duplicating itself multiple times. Now I just have the "Family Services.[computername].orig" profile and the "Family Services" profile.

     

    Hopefully I won't get any more calls for this issue. I'm sure I'll be back if I failed to solve it...

    -------------------------------

    Updated 2/6/09: 3 of the 4 PC's had the same issue again today - as always, it was the Temp Internet Files. However, I think I've finally come up with a solution. Looking back, it's along the same lines as the fix proposed by SAFH to delete the folders, but in a much simpler script that flushes the entire temporary profile.

    As I think most of us have noticed already, deleting the temporary profile folder (the one[s] without .orig) fixes the problem until the next occurence when it doesn't delete itself like it's supposed to. I wrote a simple bat and created a Scheduled Task to run this batch as the admin when the computer first turns on. Bingo! If the folder is there, even full of subfolders and files, it is deleted. If the folder is not there already, it makes no difference. Since the batch is run before login, you don't see anything happening.

    rd /s /q "c:\documents and settings\family services" 




    Since I can't replicate the problem, only time will tell if this is, in fact, the fix. I will note that the custodian of these PC's thinks the problem lies in my script to shut down the computers every night at 7 PM, after Steady State runs the updates at 6 PM.

    • Edited by Jonathan Hall Monday, February 9, 2009 7:56 PM 2 PC's still had errors. After rebooting they logged in normally.
    Friday, January 30, 2009 7:16 PM
  • One of my public library systems developed a problem similar to those above (a profile problem writing to Temporary Internet Files).  I stumbled on what may be a solution- it is working OK now, but I haven't field tested it yet:

    With my (right or wrong) understanding that IE, unlike Firefox, didn't have an option to clear up temp files, history, etc, on closing and a further (right or wrong) understanding  that WSS didn't do that for IE either, I decided to play it safe and install IE Privacy Keeper, freeware from http://www.browsertools.net/   Previously  under the Options tab- Auto Cleanup Options in IE Privacy Keeper, I DIDN'T have the first two options checked:
     
    Cleanup at Windows shutdown (logoff)   and
    Cleanup at Windows startup (logon)

    when I checked them both (likely the first would have been sufficient), the problem was solved- hopefully :-)   regards, **Joe**
    Friday, April 10, 2009 11:38 PM