Appendix: Group Policy Settings for Roaming User Profiles

Applies To: Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2003 R2, Windows Server 2003 with SP1, Windows Server 2003 with SP2

Group Policy Settings for Roaming User Profiles

Policy Location in Group Policy Snap-in Description

Limit profile size

User Configuration\Administrative Templates\System\User Profiles

Sets the maximum size of a roaming user profile and determines the system's response when a roaming user profile reaches the limit.

Connect home directory to root of the share

User Configuration\Administrative Templates\System\User Profiles

Restores the definitions of the %HOMESHARE% and %HOMEPATH% environment variables to those used in Windows NT 4.0 and earlier.

Exclude directories in roaming profile

User Configuration\Administrative Templates\System\User Profiles

Lets you add to the list of folders excluded from the user's roaming profile.

Delete cached copies of roaming profiles

Computer Configuration\Administrative Templates\System\ User Profiles

Determines whether the system saves a copy of a user's roaming profile on the local computer's hard disk drive when the user logs off. This policy and the related policies in this folder define a strategy for managing user profiles that reside on remote servers. Specifically, they indicate to the system how to respond when a remote profile is slow to load.

Slow network connection timeout for user profiles

Computer Configuration\Administrative Templates\System\ User Profiles

Defines a slow connection for roaming user profiles. If the server on which the user's roaming user profile resides takes longer to respond than the thresholds set by this policy permit, the system considers the connection to the profile to be slow. This policy and related policies in this folder together define the system's response when roaming user profiles are slow to load.

Add the Administrator security group to the roaming user profile share

New for Windows XP and Windows Server 2003

Computer Configuration\Administrative Templates\System\ User Profiles

This policy allows an administrator to choose the same behavior as Windows NT 4.0, and have the administrators group given full control of the user's profile directories.

Prevent Roaming Profile Changes From Propagating to the server

New for Windows XP and Windows Server 2003

Computer Configuration\Administrative Templates\System\ User Profiles

This policy determines if the changes a user makes to their roaming profile are merged with the server copy of their profile. If this policy is set, at login the user will receive their Roaming Profile, but any changes a user makes to their profile will not be merged to their roaming profile at logoff.

Only allow local profiles

New for Windows XP and Windows Server 2003

Computer Configuration\Administrative Templates\System\ User Profiles

This setting determines if roaming user profiles are available on a particular computer. By default, when roaming profile users log on to a computer, their roaming profile is copied down to the local computer. Using this setting, an administrator can prevent users configured to use roaming profiles from receiving their roaming profile on a specific computer.

Prompt user when slow link is detected

Computer Configuration\Administrative Templates\System\ User Profiles

Notifies users when their roaming profiles are slow to load, letting a user decide whether to use a local copy or to wait for the roaming user profile.

If you disable this policy or do not configure it, when a roaming user profile is slow to load, the system does not notify the user. It loads the local copy of the profile. If you have enabled the Wait for remote user profile policy, the system loads the remote copy without prompting the user.

Maximum retries to unload and update user profile

Computer Configuration\Administrative Templates\System\ User Profiles

Windows 2000 Only. Determines how many times the system tries to unload and update the registry portion of a user profile. When the number of trials specified by this policy is exhausted, the system stops trying. As a result, the user profile might not be current, and local and roaming user profiles might not match.

Do not detect slow network connections

Computer Configuration\Administrative Templates\System\ User Profiles

Disables the slow link detection feature.

Slow link detection measures the speed of the connection between a user's computer and the remote server that stores the roaming user profile. When the system detects a slow link, the related policies in this folder tell the system how to respond.

Wait for remote user profile

Computer Configuration\Administrative Templates\System\ User Profiles

Directs the system to wait for the remote copy of the roaming user profile to load, even when loading is slow. The system waits for the remote copy when the user is notified about a slow connection, but does not respond in the time allowed.

Timeout for dialog boxes

Computer Configuration\Administrative Templates\System\ User Profiles

Determines how long the system waits for a user response before it uses a default value. The default value is used when the user does not respond to messages explaining that any of the following events has occurred:

  • The system detects a slow connection between users' computers and the server that stores the users' roaming user profiles.

  • The system cannot access users' server-based profiles when users log on or off.

  • Users' local profiles are newer than their server-based profiles.