Discussion on:

Deploy Outlook profiles with Profile Maker 5.1

This seems to be a kewl product, but what is the difference between this product and the IEAK that comes free with microsoft. What does this application do that is different.

ALso if users already have mail in netscape or outlook. Can this program change the settings, without deleting the mail that already existing there?

.prf files, by design, replace the current configuration in the MAPI profile of the client machine. Use of the .prf file in a login script will remove specialty configurations for all users who exectue the code so specialty configurations will needto be handled within the script based on login name. Users who need a specialty configuration will require a seperate .prf file for them and your script will have to contain the logic to decide which .prf file to place onto the machine. The easiest way to handle personal folders is to place them all in a common yet variable location, such as \\ \users\%username\profile and either name the file something common (outlook.pst for example) or something controlled by a viarable such as .pst This will allow the .prf to correct map the personal folder. Essesntial IEAK allow you to create or modify a .prf file. This utility help do the same thing. It may, however, give easier access to the list of variables that can be used in a .prf file. As for netscape and outlook express, these email clients are not controlled by the .prf (at least the last time I looked at these packages for such things). This tool is more used for the properties of Windows Messaging/Outlook clients.

We also pm 5.1 and yes it is very good,but we have had instances of when the profile disappears, have any of you had this experience, and if so did you find out what was happening

I'm looking for a utiloty that will allow me to set up multiple profiles, duplicated easily on multiple workstations.

Gavin

The main difference between AutoProf and the ODK (I don't what the IE Admin Kit has to do with Outlook Profiles). Is that AutoProf covers other (ie non-MS) systems in the same set up. So for example, if you use Outlook with an HP OpenMail back end then there are settings in the profile that are unique to OpenMail. The MS tool does not even feature these, whereas the AutoProf tool does.

In Summary, AutoProf is ODK + other stuff.

I've been using richprofile for years. It does one thing (sets up Exchange accounts) and it does it well. No bells or whistles and creating a GPO for it is simple. Oh yeah and it's freeware. It was written by an administrator with the same frustations we have. The only thing I wish it would do is to provide a switch that would enable cache mode. If that was there you wouldn't need anything else.

The most current location to download the program is http://desktopengineer.com/story_20011129081953709 which is dated 2002. I just checked with our crew and it hasn't been tested against Office 2007 yet.