User Registry hive NTUSER.DAT always copied from server profile

  • 3727742
  • 27-Feb-2007
  • 30-Apr-2012

Environment


Novell ZENworks Desktop Management 7 - ZDM7 Desktop Management
Novell Client for Windows 2000/XP/2003 4.91 Support Pack 2

Situation

Assuming Roaming Profile is enabled and the workstation is not connected to the corporate network. The changes will be lost if the workstation logs in back to the corporate network.

Resolution

Fixed in ZENworks 7 Desktop Management Service Pack 1 Interim Release 3a, available at https://download.novell.com

Additional Information

STEPS TO REPRODUCE:
Step 1:
Setup a user with roaming profile support located on users home directory.
Login several times to make sure that the local and server profile is the same, meaning time stamp are the same.
Enter the following registry key:
HKCU/Software/Microsoft/Windows/CurrentVersion/Run
calc.exe = C:\Windows\system32\calc.exe
Now you should have roaming profile working and the program calc will be started with each user login.

Step 2:
Unplug the network cable from the test workstation and login locally with the same user. Please note, that calc has been started.
Now add to the previously mentioned registry key by the following entry:
notepad.exe = C:\Windows\system32\notepad.exe
and in addition you could change the background bitmap if you want, this has nothing to do with this Bug but it demonstrate that only the local ntuser.dat will not be applied. The merge of the profile works.
Now after several local logins and proving that calc and notepad have been started and the desktop has been changed, shut down the workstation. Reconnect the network cable and login to the network.

RESULTS:
The result is that the changes made as the workstation worked in local mode are now lost. In fact Notepad was not started.

EXPECTED RESULTS:
The expected result should be, that local changes should not be lost because they have a newer time stamp. In this example calc and notpad should be started.