Roaming profile

For the incompatibility between Version 1 user profiles (Windows 2000, Windows XP, Windows Server 2003) and Version 2 user profiles (Windows Vista, Windows Server 2008), a new roaming user profile (the folder with V2 suffix to distinguish from former user profiles ) have to be set for users that logon to Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008.

About the default network profile in the NETLOGON share, it is a default users profile template for domain users just like the local default users profiles. When a user without roaming profile first time logon to a domain joined computer, this new created profile will originate from a default network user profile if it is available. If not, Windows will use the local default profile as a template. It seems there is not any relationship with the roaming profile we discussed.

For the general roaming profile, here is a step-to-step practice:

1. Prepare the roaming user profile

-      Log on to a Windows Server 2008 with the domain user account to produce a user profile. Log off the computer.

-      Log on to the Windows Server 2008 with a domain administrator account.

-      Click Start--->right-click Computer--->Properties--->Advanced System Settings--->Advanced--->User Profiles Settings…--->Settings--->Copy To. Copy the profile to the file server, such as '\\filesrv\profiles\username.v2'

Note: A ".v2" suffix to the name of the user profile folder on the file server must be added to distinguish between version 1 and version 2 profiles.

-      In Permitted to use, click Change. Type the proper users or groups and then click OK.

2. Prepare the user Profile path setting

-      In the Active Directory Users and Computers, type the profile location such as '\\filesrv\profiles\username' in the user's Profile path attributes.

Note: Do NOT add ".v2" to the Profile path of the user object. This indicates that for Windows Server 2008 it will load the profile from 'username.v2' folder and for former Windows operating systems they will load from 'username' folder if it exists.

If you manually create user profile folder, please check the NTFS and share permission on the roaming profile share folder.

-      Locate the roaming profile share folder, and check the NTFS permission to make sure that the user, SYSTEM, and administrators have Full Controller permission on their folders and all sub-folder under the roaming profile folder has inherited proper permission.

-      Check the share permission to ensure that Everyone has Full Control permission.

Please pay attention to the Event logs in Windows Logs--->Application. User Profile Service will log events to show the reason why the roaming profile is not applied.