BleepingComputer.com: How To Migrate User Profiles From Desktop To Domain

We have desktops (xp pro) running in workgroup environment, the company will deploy server 2003 domain,all users home directory and profile will be setup on DC.

How can I migrate user profiles from desktop to domain controller so they will have the same settings before?

Here is an easy way to do this (tried and tested)

Make a note of the profile that you want to keep (ie c:\documents and settings\profileyouwanttokeep)

Join them to the domain
Log them in under their domain account then log off
Log on as Administrator (of the domain) and add the domain user to the local administrators group.

Go into Regedit and go to;-

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\ProfileList

an you will see a lot of keys starting with S-1-5- etc.

If you browse through them you will dind these are the profiles stored on the PC.
Look for the the 'Profileimagepath' line and find the one with the profile you want to keep. Copy the entry and paste it over the new domain users account in the same field (ie c:\documents and settings\newdomainuser.domain)

Log off and log back on as the the new domain user and you will have all the same settings desktop etc.

All you are doing basically is tricking the computer to use the original profile. The domain user MUST have the permissions set though.

Mr Smooth, on Jun 17 2006, 09:55 PM, said:

What I'm thinking is:

Create a folder on DC, set user permission is full control, make domain user's profile path to that folder, copy current user's profile from desktop to the folder on DC, Join him to the domain.

Does it work or not?

Basically thats a roaming profile yes?
But yes that would work.

The previous is handy if you are changing from one domain to another.

Having all the documents on the server for the domain users is sometimes a double edged sword. Yes they would probably get backed up during the servers backup routine, but sychronizing all the documents all the time takes up resources, especially when Tim in accounts decides to download loads of MP3's for his IPOD.