Roaming profiles ensure that users can access their personal
settings no matter what machine they log on to. But these profiles can grow
over time and consequently make logons very slow.
However, you can use Windows NT’s ExcludeProfileDirs
registry setting to exclude certain directories from replication, which can
help control the size of user profiles. Follow these steps:
- Start
the Registry Editor. (Go to Start | Run, and type regedt32.exe.) - Navigate
to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon. - From
the Edit menu, select New | String Value. - Enter ExcludeProfileDirs, and press
[Enter]. - Double-click
the new value, and enter the relevant areas to exclude, separating them by
semicolons (for example, Local Settings\Application Data\Microsoft\Outlook;
Temporary Internet Files; Personal). - Close
the Registry Editor, and restart the system.
You can also exclude certain directories from roaming
profiles by creating a system policy. Follow these steps:
- Start
the System Policy Editor, and load the Common.adm and Winnt.adm templates. - Create
a new policy. - Double-click
Default User. - Expand
Windows NT User Profiles. - Select
Exclude Directories In Roaming Profile. - In the
data box, enter the names of the directories you want to exclude.
Note: Editing the
registry is risky, so be sure you have a verified backup before making any
changes.