Peer-to-Peer Questions #7: Windows NT Profiles and Policies, Office 97 Default Directory, WINS

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July 5, 1999

Editors Note This article, culled from the TechNet Web site (https://www.microsoft.com/technet), answers the most interesting questions received on the peer -to-peer discussion groups over the past few weeks. To post your own questions, visit the TechNet discussion groups at https://www.microsoft.com/technet/community/newsgroups/default.mspx.

Greetings, and welcome! For those of you checking in for the first time, my name is Devon and I'm here to provide detailed answers to popular questions submitted to TechNet via the answer forums and feedback alias. I choose questions that I believe are relevant to many of us working in the trenches to plan, deploy, maintain and support Microsoft products.

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Q: Windows NT Profiles and Policies Have Left Me Confused. What Are They and Where Can I Get More Information?
Q: Problems making Office 97 understand that the default directory for all users' saved files should be the users' home directory on a Windows NT Server? Coincidentally, this problem relates to the first "Top Three" issue—System Policies.
Q: Browsing and WINS are always a popular topic.

Q: Windows NT Profiles and Policies Have Left Me Confused. What Are They and Where Can I Get More Information?

A: User profiles contain user-specific information such as settings and configuration specifics. Each user profile is created from system policies (described below, these define which settings are configurable and which are not) and from settings the end user configures.

There are three types of user profiles:

  • Roaming profiles allow user settings to "follow" users to any workstation they log on to. Usually these settings are stored on the server.

  • Local profiles are copies stored on a particular workstation. These settings do not follow the user.

  • Mandatory profiles, usually stored on the server, allow an administrator to prevent changes to the user settings. Any changes that are made (many are prevented by system policies) are lost the next time the user logs off and logs on.

System policies are sets of registry settings that define the computer resources available to an individual or a group of users.

Here are several resources that can be used to plan, implement and troubleshoot profiles and policies.

Q: Problems making Office 97 understand that the default directory for all users' saved files should be the users' home directory on a Windows NT Server? Coincidentally, this problem relates to the first "Top Three" issue—System Policies.

A: One of the main benefits of using Windows System Policies when used with Office 97 is that policies can be defined for all users, specific groups of users, or individual users.

Office 97 does not recognize expanded string registry variables, such as %username%. Should an administrator need to specify document locations for users to save files or use user templates from their home directory, the home directory should be mapped in the following manner using a login script:

 Net use h: \\<server>\%username%

Source: Knowledge Base article—**Q179878:**Using Windows System Policies With Office 97

A: Here are some information resources that will help with understanding how browsing works and how to troubleshoot browsing problems.

Configuration:

  • Q136712: Common Questions About Browsing with Windows NT

  • Q117633: How Browsing a Wide Area Network Works

  • Q161734: Windows NT Print Browsing Architecture

  • Q102878: Information on Browser Operation

  • Q120151: Browsing a Wide Area Network with WINS

  • Q185786: Recommended Practices for WINS

  • Q119495: List of Names Registered with WINS Service

  • Q139380: Multi-homed WINS Server Replication Partner Failures

  • Q177140: How to Remove Static WINS Entries from All WINS Servers

  • Q221210: Browsing with a Multihomed PDC

  • Q158487: Browsing Across Subnets with a Multihomed PDC in Windows NT 4.0

  • Q149907: Browsing a Remote Network from a DUN Client Using Only TCP/IP

  • Q150800: Domain Browsing with TCP/IP and LMHOSTS Files

  • Q142692: Minimizing WAN Traffic

  • Speed Resource Browsing on NT 4.0

  • Configuring Browser Options for WinNT, Win95, and WFW

  • Browsing and Windows 95 Networking

  • Microsoft Windows NT Browser (located on the Web at https://www.microsoft.com/ntserver/commserv/techdetails/prodarch/ntbrowser.asp ) provides information and procedures for implementing the Microsoft Windows NT Browser on Microsoft Windows NT 4.0 operating system–based client workstations and servers.

Troubleshooting/Problem Resolution:

If a user is getting a specific error message or Event ID recorded in Windows NT Event Log, querying the Knowledge Base is a good way to diagnose a problem and find a solution. Query using the Event ID that your user is receiving. There have been several problems related to browsing that have been fixed in various Windows NT Service Packs. Start with these Knowledge Base articles:

Other sources:

Happy reading!

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