Samba Administration Guide - Windows 2000/XP Professional

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Warning

Before deleting the contents of the directory listed in the ProfilePath (this is likely to be c:\windows\profiles\username), ask whether the owner has any important files stored on his or her desktop or start menu. Delete the contents of the directory ProfilePath (making a backup if any of the files are needed).

This will have the effect of removing the local (read-only hidden system file) user.DAT in their profile directory, as well as the local “desktop,” “nethood,” “start menu,” and “programs” folders.

If all else fails, increase Samba's debug log levels to between 3 and 10, and/or run a packet sniffer program such as ethereal or netmon.exe , and look for error messages.

If you have access to an Windows NT4/200x server, then first set up roaming profiles and/or netlogons on the Windows NT4/200x server. Make a packet trace, or examine the example packet traces provided with Windows NT4/200x server, and see what the differences are with the equivalent Samba trace.

Windows NT4 Workstation

When a user first logs in to a Windows NT workstation, the profile NTuser.DAT is created. The profile location can be now specified through the logon path parameter.

There is a parameter that is now available for use with NT Profiles: logon drive. This should be set to H: or any other drive, and should be used in conjunction with the new logon home parameter.

The entry for the NT4 profile is a directory, not a file. The NT help on profiles mentions that a directory is also created with a .PDS extension. The user, while logging in, must have write permission to create the full profile path (and the folder with the .PDS extension for those situations where it might be created).

In the profile directory, Windows NT4 creates more folders than Windows 9x/Me. It creates Application Data and others, as well as Desktop, Nethood, Start Menu, and Programs. The profile itself is stored in a file NTuser.DAT. Nothing appears to be stored in the .PDS directory, and its purpose is currently unknown.

You can use the System Control Panel to copy a local profile onto a Samba server (see NT help on profiles; it is also capable of firing up the correct location in the System Control Panel for you). The NT help file also mentions that renaming NTuser.DAT to NTuser.MAN turns a profile into a mandatory one.

The case of the profile is significant. The file must be called NTuser.DAT or, for a mandatory profile, NTuser.MAN.

Windows 2000/XP Professional

You must first convert the profile from a local profile to a domain profile on the MS Windows workstation as follows:

Log on as the local workstation administrator.
Right-click on the My Computer icon, and select Properties.
Click on the User Profiles tab.
Select the profile you wish to convert (click it once).
Click on the Copy To button.
In the Permitted to use box, click on the Change button.
Click on the Look in area that lists the machine name. When you click here, it will open up a selection box. Click on the domain to which the profile must be accessible.

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