User Profiles and Group Policy: Desktop Customization in Windows XP

Posted on Jan 4, 2025 in Computers

Understanding How User Profiles and Group Policy Affect Desktop Customization

User profiles and Group Policy influence the options available for users to customize their desktop environment.

In Windows XP Professional, a user’s computer environment primarily depends on their user profile. For security, Windows XP Professional requires a user profile for each user account.

A user profile contains all settings a user defines for their working environment, including regional settings, screen, mouse, sound, network connections, and printer configurations. User profiles can be set up to apply to each computer a user logs on to.

How User Profiles Affect Desktop Customization

The first time a user logs on to a computer, a user profile is created. All user-specific settings are saved in the profile within the Documents and Settings folder. When the user logs off, their profile is updated on that computer. Thus, the user profile holds the desktop configuration for each user’s local computer, unless the profile is mandatory, in which case it cannot be updated.

Mandatory profiles standardize desktop settings across an organization. Only system administrators can modify mandatory user profiles. The profile types are:

  • Default user profile: Provides the basis for all user profiles. Every user profile starts as a copy of the default user profile stored on all Windows XP Professional computers.
  • Local user profile: Created the first time a user logs on to a computer and stored locally. Changes to the local user profile are specific to that computer. A single computer can have multiple local user profiles.
  • Roaming user profile: Created by the system administrator and stored on a server. This profile is available whenever a user logs on to any computer on the network. If a user changes their desktop settings, the profile is updated on the server when they log off.
  • Mandatory user profile: Created by the system administrator to specify particular options for a user or users. Users cannot save configuration changes to their desktops. They can modify settings after logging in, but no changes are saved upon logging off.

Description of How Group Policy Affects Desktop Customization

Network settings used to implement organizational policies by assigning policies to specific objects are called Group Policy. Policies can be applied to objects in Active Directory, such as user accounts, groups, and teams.

Group Policy settings can be used to configure desktop settings, including:

  • Options for desktop settings users can change.
  • Environment Variables.
  • System Configuration.
  • Restricted access to files, folders, and system settings in Windows XP Professional.

When there is a conflict between group policy on the domain and a user’s local profile, group policy takes precedence. For example, if a group policy restricts login hours and the local profile allows login at any time, the restriction is enforced. Users cannot change settings defined by group policy.

It is important to be familiar with Group Policy settings that affect the teams you support and understand how these settings impact users.

Practice B: Administering User Profiles

Objectives

After this practice, students will be able to:

  • Manage local user profiles.

Prerequisites

Before working on this practice, you must have:

  • A computer running Microsoft Windows XP Professional.

Exercise 1: Manage Local User Profiles

In this exercise, you will administer local user profiles.

Example Situation

You provide support to a department whose users have received new computers running Windows XP Professional. One user has customized their desktop. Another user wants their computer configured like their colleague’s.

TasksDetailed Steps
1. Create a template for local user profile.
  1. Log on to the local computer as Administrator with the password password.
  2. Log on to the computer as user with the password password. This ensures a profile exists for the user.
  3. Log off and log on as Administrator with the password password.
  4. Click Start, right-click My Computer, and click Manage.
  5. Expand Local Users and Groups, right-click Users, and click New User.
  6. Create a new user named Template, leave the password blank, uncheck User must change password at next logon, and click Create.
  7. Click Close to close the New User dialog box and close Computer Management.
  8. Log off and log back on as Template with a blank password.
  9. Right-click the desktop and click Properties.
  10. Configure the desktop as desired and click OK. A local user profile has been created. This template can be used for other users by copying it and granting access.
  11. Log off the computer.
2. Copy the existing user profile.
  1. Log on to the local computer as Administrator with the password password.
  2. Click Start, right-click My Computer, and click Properties.
  3. In System Properties, click Advanced, and under User Profiles, click Settings.
  4. Select template and click Copy to.
  5. In the Copy To dialog box, click Browse, expand Local Disk (C:), expand Documents and Settings, click User, and click OK.
  6. In the Copy To dialog box, under Permitted to use, click Change.
  7. In the Select User or Group dialog box, click Locations.
  8. When prompted for a network logon name and password, click Cancel.
  9. In the Locations dialog box, click nombreDeSuEquipo and click OK.
  10. In the Select User or Group dialog box, type User in the Enter the object name to select box, and click OK.
  11. In the Copy To dialog box, click OK.
  12. In the Confirm copy message box, click Yes.
  13. Click OK to close User Profiles.
  14. Click OK to close System Properties.
  15. Log off the computer.

The template profile has been copied for local users. All settings specified when creating the profile will now apply to all local users.

3. Try the new template.
  1. Log on to the local computer as user xxx with the password password.
  2. Right-click the desktop and click Properties.
  3. In the Display Properties sheet, click Desktop, ensure the chosen background is applied, and click OK. Due to time constraints, the desktop background was updated immediately. In a real situation, it would update automatically.
  4. Verify that all settings from the profile template have been applied to the local user.
  5. Log off the computer.