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How to copy user's profile in XP?

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12 replies

by blue screen 2 views

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I have a user logging in with JBlow (alias) now user changed last name(got married) to Chow i created new username to JChow.
What i need to do now is copy user's documents and outlook settings with mail and all other related settings from the old username (JBlow) to the new login username JChow.
What will be the easiest way to do just that other than exporting, reconfiguring outlook express settings, copy user's documents manually and etc...

12 replies

by garydw

Logon to the PC as another user with local admin rights.
go to documents and settings folder
rename the folder
check the permissions.

Done.

by gary56789

Why not just rename the account in control Panel--User Accounts. Click the "Advanced" tab--under "Advanced User Management" click the "Advanced button"--expand (click) the User folder under "Tree"--under "Name" right-click the old user name to change--select "Rename"--type the new name and close all windows (be sure to delete the newly created JChow account).

by gary56789

Oops. Sent you the info for 2K. In Control Panel--User Accounts--click "Change an account"--select the account to change--click "Change my name"--type in the new name--click the "Change name" button.

by kylegeldmaker

XCOPY C:\docume~1\%username%\mydocu~1\*.* F:\MyDocuments\*.* /S /y
XCOPY C:\docume~1\%username%\desktop\*.* F:\Desktop\*.* /S /y
XCOPY C:\docume~1\%Username%\favori~1\*.* F:\Favorites\*.* /S /y
XCOPY C:\docume~1\%Username%\startm~1\*.* F:\StartMenu\*.* /S /y

what this does is copies all of the files on someones C: drive and moves it to the F: drive. The F: drive will be where ever you want all the files to go. You will have to create a user folder, in your case JChow and point the script there. How you do this is write this as a batch file and run it under the user you want to move the files for. It should work.

by allthegoodnamesweregone

if you created a new account you'll just have to copy the contents they want to keep. if you rename the folder, since the profile is tied to a SID and not a name, it will not just pick up that profile.

by sgt_shultz

there is a MSKB doc with step by step for doing this, i'll see if i can find the link,
meanwhile
login once as new user jchow
the login as domain? local? administrator and take ownership of the jblow documents and settings folder if administrators group doesn't have full control permissions. then copy jblow documents and settings content to jchow documents and settings. ntuser.dat is important so copy that too. hope this helps

by jon

Copying this information manually isn't really that tough.

Login as admin, take ownership of the old profile, drop the contents of the user folder under documents and settings into the new profile, then import the previously exported outlook express information.

If it was just outlook, I'd simply move the Outlook PST file from the hidden folder structure inside the profile to the new one and open it in Outlook.

Of course, if you're using Exchange Server, none of that is a problem at all.

The other thing you can do for the future is use Group Policy on the Server (if you have this setup at all) to redirect the user files and create a mapped Home folder on the server.

Workstation fails, nothing is lost.

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