Vista behavior of per user startup folder in active directory environment

[blakerwry]

I manage a domain at work that consists of a win2k AD server, win2k, WinXP, and now Windows Vista clients. There are about 50 PCs. Roaming profiles are enabled only for a couple people.

All users have a Y: drive as their home directory mapped to a share on the domain controller. The default user profile for the domain has in its startup folder a link to an IM application in Y:

ex:
Y: = \\domainController\someuser\

In the user's startup folder exists a shortcut to
Y:\application.exe


Windows2k and XP clients pick this up and launch the IM application upon user login. However, Vista clients seem to pick up everything except the per-user startup folder, theirs is empty. They are mapping the Y: drive, and I can start the application manually via Y:\application.exe

Any ideas why Vista is seemingly dumping/ignoring the default user's startup folder it is receiving from the domain controller? Google has not helped me out here.

 

[Fushigi]

Parts of our login .vbs script:
HomeDir = "\\SomeServer\" & strUser & "$"
..
WSHNetwork.MapNetworkDrive "L:", HomeDir

Where SomeServer is the server & the user's directory on SomeServer is first.last$

This works on my Vista machine and is what the current XP installed base uses. Beyond that I couldn't say.

 

[blakerwry]

The drive mapping part is already one - I actually have this scripted into the user's profile when they are created.

I've thought about deploying a startup script to make vista machines do what I want... but then I would have to set that only on the Vista machines (can I do that per machine?), or adjust the way all machines are working.

Since 2k and XP have been working great for years I'm kind of hesitant to change what works for them if I don't have to.

 

[blakerwry]

It seems that while group policy is applied OK, there are too many changes in the folder names/locations/namespace that Microsoft gave up and decided that vista profiles were not compatible with 2k/xp profiles... as such, you need to create a .v2 profile for vista clients and a non .v2 profile for 2k/XP on a domain.

---
How to create a new domain default user profile for Vista:

1. Log on to a computer running Windows Vista with any domain user account. Do not use a domain administrator account.
2. Configure user settings such as background colors and screen savers to meet your company standard. Log off the computer.
3. Log on to the computer used in step 1 with a domain administrator account.
4. Use the Run command to connect to the Netlogon share of a domain controller. For Example, the path used in the contoso.com domain looks like \\HQ-CON-SRV-01\NETLOGON
5. Create a new folder in the Netlogon share and name it Default User.v2.
6. Click Start, right-click Computer, and then click Properties.
7. Click Advanced System Settings. Under User Profiles, click Settings.

8. The User Profiles dialog box shows a list of profiles stored on the computer. Click the name of the user you used in step 1. Click Copy To.
9. In the Copy To dialog box, type the network path to the Windows Vista default user folder you created in step 5 in the Copy profile to text box. For example, the network path in the contoso.com domain is \\HQ-CON-SRV-01\NETLOGON \Default User.v2.
10. In Permitted to use, click Change. Type the name Everyone,and then click OK.
11. Click OK to start copying the profile. Close all remaining windows and log off the computer when the copying process is complete

 

[blakerwry]

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