Win95 user profiles: network?

[TMGB]

First, it is my understanding that NT and 95 policy files are not compatible.
Second, this is exactly what I'm doing with an ALPHA NT 4.0 Server and WIN 95
Clients, so yes it does work.  First you need to install the Groups Policy here
are the steps.

Disclaimer: any changes you save to any machine is at your own risk.  I include
this because suggestions to changes in the registry.

1. Start->Settings->Control Panel->Add/Remove Programs  choose the tab Windows
Setup
2. click on Have Disk->Browse->CD_DRVE:\admin\poledit          (using win95
install cd)
3. choose grouppol.inf ->ok->ok  (I think either choice of inf files here
installs both )

Its been since the first week in January so I might be missing a step right here,
but I've got 50 new computers coming in the next couple of days and if anything
is missed I'll resubmit the total and correct steps.

Now setup

4. Run the policy editor  and choose Open Registry
5. Choose Local Computer
6.  Local Computer->Network->Logon -> Require Validation....    if you check this
box the computer will not allow Windows to
      run without a valid login to the NT Server.
7. Local Computer->Network->Microsoft Client for Windows Networks-> Log on to
Windows NT
      check this option for the computer to access the logon dialog box.  and
check disable caching of password
      (this is a security precaution)  the Domain will need to be identified here

8. Local Computer->Network->Microsoft Client for Windows Networks-> Workgroup
     fill in the blank
9.Local Computer->System     check the Enable User Profiles box You can also set
        programs to automatically run from this setting.  (I tried it with
Netscape and found that any logon ran netscape
         so we run netscape from the start menu on each public PC)

The previous has to be done on each client and in Network settings the Primary
network logon must be Client for Microsoft Networks.


>From any win 95 machine (I did this from my desktop because I have direct access
to the server) run the policy editor and create the policy for each different
login not the registry unless you want this computer to be affected.  Once you
have created the .pol file copy it to the directory on the NT server that the
client will pickup the configuration from.  On my server the path is:
\winnt\System32\repl\import\scripts\config.pol
I think the path and filename have to be exact because this is where the system
looks for the file and by that specific name.  Again, it was the end of December
when I did all my research to find out how to do this so I might be incorrect on
something like the specific name.

I set hide drives in the policy which caused confusion to the patrons.  Drive A:
does not appear when tryin to download or save files but if the user just types
in the full path  A:\filename.ext  the file will save to the floppy.  If you have
any questions feel free to contact me.

Remember, the NT and 95 Policies are incompatible so don't use the NT policy
editor on the 95 .pol.  I don't think it will even open it, instead you get a
corrupt file error.  There is a lot more setting in the policy you can set and
you can edit the policy at any time and resave it.

Thomas


James Klock wrote:

> I'm trying to set up a new Windows NT 4 server, and would like to set it up
> so that windows95 workstations authenticate within the domain, and then use
> the user profile (desktop icons, start menu, etc) resident on the server.
> In other words, user WEBPAC would get the same screen, regardless of which
> particular win95 machine that user sat down at.
>
> Windows NT 4 seems to be fairly happy with this concept, and even has a
> buzzword for it ("roaming accounts", they call it.)  But I'm not certain
> how to convince the Win95 machines to get their user profile info from the
> server.  The Win95 Policy Editor looks like it will happily hack the
> registry for me, to redirect the individual bits that make up the user
> profile for "Current User", asking only that I specify the directory to
> pull them from.  Can I just use the standard network designation (ie
> \\SERVER\PATHTOPROFILES\%username%\Desktop\ where PATHTOPROFILES would be
> the share name of the directory in which the profiles are kept (by default,
> if I'm using the same profiles for remote server access as I would for
> local server access, %SYSTEMROOT%\profiles\)?
>
> I've also come across the USERPROF.INF file, which looks like it might do
> some or all of this for me.
>
> Does anyone have advice on how to get Windows95 and NT 4.0 to do what I want?
>
> Thanks for the help!
>
> James



--
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Thomas McMillan Grant Bennett           Appalachian State University
Computer Consultant II                  University Library
bennettt at am.appstate.edu                http://www.library.appstate.edu/admin/
Voice:  704 262 2797   FAX:    704 262 3001

In librarianship--as elsewhere--the quality of service is not measured by
the number of complaints received