Roam outlook profiles without roaming profiles

Im in a environment right now where the users are setup with folder redirection and no profiles. 

I do have folder redirection on %Appdata% so the signatures will follow. 

But everytime the user using a new computer they will have to load a new outlook profile again.

Is there any way kind of roaming the outlookprofile with only folder redirection? Use script gpo or something?

I have tried to make a export/import the regfiles of the outlook profile, the original outlook profile is vissible but it creates a new one anyway when users start outlook.

//Karl 

September 7th, 2012 5:06pm

By default, Outlook won't roam any user profile between different client. (As far as I know, most of application in Office 2013 (Excel, Word) would support to roam setting based on the Live account ID, except for Outlook)

For a workaround, you may silence the profile creating processing as as far as possible when Outlook first run:

1. Create PRF

2. Deploy PRF with user logon script.

For more details, please see the link below:http://www.howto-outlook.com/howto/deployprf.htm

Hope this may light you.

Tony Chen

TechNet Community Support

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September 10th, 2012 9:07am

Well here is what i have done now:

1. Made a script that activates when the user logs of to export the outlookprofile:

cmd /c regedit /E %Appdata%\out.reg "HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Windows Messaging Subsystem\Profiles\%username%"

It puts it in the users homefolder\appdata called "out.reg"

2. Made a inport script to add the reg file to new computers they log on to.

cmd /c regedit /C /S %appdata%\out.reg

But when the user opens outlook, outlook creates a new profile and replaces the imported profile and renames it to "BACKUP of %username%"

So the user don't get their signature settings, they get a blank profile.

Does someone know why it does that, and how i can make it not do it.

//K

September 17th, 2012 12:48pm

Ok, i got it to work now two scripts:

One that activates when user login:

cmd /c regedit /C /S %appdata%\Outlook_Profile.reg
cmd /c regedit /C /S %appdata%\Office_Setup.reg

And one that activates when the user logs off:

cmd /c regedit /E %Appdata%\Outlook_data\Outlook_Profile.reg "HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Windows Messaging Subsystem\Profiles\%username%"
cmd /c regedit /E %Appdata%\Outlook_data\Office_Setup.reg "HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office"

This exports and imports the regfiles of the outlook settings. So that the users settings follows with the user, regardless of what computer they log in to.

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September 17th, 2012 5:10pm

Thank you for sharing your solutions and experience here:)

Cheers,
Tony Chen
Forum Support
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September 18th, 2012 12:23pm

I have a similar problem, except my specifications call for ZERO user interaction, which so far I've been completely unable to accomplish.  I've been banging on this thing for months and I still can't find a solution that I can get to actually work.  Why the heck did Microsoft make it so damn hard to migrate their own software settings in their OWN environment (in this case Server 2012)?  Why do all other user settings (even Internet Explorer settings!) get copied to Appdata, but not Outlook? I tried OCT.  I even tried importing current_user registry hives, but it still doesn't take care of all the initial configuration. I tried the PRF method, but it still asks users for names and such.  Even when those names were already configured in the .PRF!  Gahhh! 

I'm sorry for the rant, it's just incredibly frustrating.  Microsoft makes it easy to migrate desktops, system settings, network settings, Metro settings, even third-party app settings - but not Outlook user settings! Why?!? 

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August 21st, 2013 5:50pm

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