Windows 7: Trying to copy a user profile. The "Copy To" button is always grayed out and the user folder always shows a padlock, no matter how many times I reboot into a different account.

Hi, I would like to confirm that if there is no “Copy To” available for the non-default profiles and it is just able to use the “Copy To” button for the default profile. If this is the case, it is by-design in Win 7. Copying non-default profiles caused problems with the registry as artifacts from the base profile would be brought into the location it was being copied to. The only profile that may be copied in Win 7 is the Default profile since it avoids these problems with the registry. Regards, Sabrina TechNet Subscriber Support in forum. If you have any feedback on our support, please contact tngfb@microsoft.com This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties or guarantees, and confers no rights. |Please remember to click Mark as Answer on the post that helps you, and to click Unmark as Answer if a marked post does not actually answer your question. This can be beneficial to other community members reading the thread.

Hi, If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to let me know. I am happy to be of further assistance. :) Regards, Sabrina TechNet Subscriber Support in forum. If you have any feedback on our support, please contact tngfb@microsoft.comThis posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties or guarantees, and confers no rights. |Please remember to click Mark as Answer on the post that helps you, and to click Unmark as Answer if a marked post does not actually answer your question. This can be beneficial to other community members reading the thread.

Once you get the hang of it, it is pretty good.....but to create a Default User Profile using the "Copy Profile" method you need to follow the following article http://support.microsoft.com/kb/973289 We have created numerous Default Profiles this way. Hope it helpsLee Bowman MCITP MCTS

Yes this does seem to be a problem. MS DOES NOT WANT YOU TO CONTROL THE DEFAULT!!!!!!!!!!!!. It wants to always be stupid. It wants to prevent you from deciding what settings you want for IE etc. THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE. HOW LAZY OF MS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I have to manage 1000s of PCs. Many are frozen. Every user that logs in will have their profile recreated from the default when they log in. WE DO NOT AND WILL NOT USE ROAMING PROFILES. IT is not needed for what we need to do. Microsfot MUST FIX there crappy system They MUST rewrite sysprep or GET RID OF IT!!!!!!!!. I must be able to install win 7. The create template user. Config user with all options software printers etc. Start IE and set it NOT TO SPY AND NOT TO USE BING AND NOT TO EVER ASK USER SETUP QUESTIONs ETC. I WILL MAKE THOSE DECISIONS. Once EVRYTHING IS EXACTLY LIKE I WANT IT. That includes MS Office and user initials etc. EVERYTHING I WILL CHOOSE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Then It must be as simply as running an app and saying set the default to match EXACTLY this profile and that is ALL THAT ONE SHOULD HAVE TO DO. ANYTHING ELSE IS PURE LAZINESS ON MICROSOFT. AND IT SHOWS A COMPLETE LACK OF ANY KIND OF CONSIDERATION OR COMMON SINCE CARE FOR THEIR ENTERPRISE USERS. WE spend millions of dollars with MS. IT IS UNACCEPTABLE THAT WE ARE TOTALLY IGNORED. THIS HAS BEEN AN ISSUE SINCE WINDOWS DAY 1 !!!!!!!! IT MUST BE FIXED AND I EXPECT EVERY MS ENGINEER, USER, ADMIN, ETC TO DEMAND THAT THIS BE DONE. YES BILL GATES THAT MEANS YOU TOO!!!! The most COMMON SENSE WAY TO DO THIS IS TO USE THE COPY PROFILE OPTION AND IF NEEDED REWRITE IT!!!!!!!!! SO That it does not cause problems. ONLY MS CAN DO THIS. AND I KNOW IT CAN BE DONE. So do not try to say it can't I have written to much code, at the machine level etc and know IT CAN BE DONE. Ralph Malph PS it should not take any more then ONE person to ask for such an OBVIOUS need to get ALL of MS working on it. THIS IS TO BASIC A COMMON SENSE NEED TO IGNORE!!!!!!!!!!!! I HAVE ASKED FOR THIS IN SEVERAL MS FORUMS ETC AND IT HAS BEEN IGNORED THAT IS NOT COOL !!!!!!!!!!! I DOUBLE DARE THE CEO OF MS TO JUSTIFY WHY THIS HAS NOT BEEN DOE!!!!!!!!!! Or are they to chicken and greedy.

What are you talking about? We have given suitable solutions that are working for us and many other enterprises out there. Learn to adapt and not be so lazy (which you strangely are accusing Microsoft of) Creating a Default Profile for new local user accounts or Roaming Users is pretty simple and doesnt have the same risks as the copy profile option didLee Bowman MCITP MCTS

I totally agree, it's AMAZING how Microsoft keep going on the BAD direction about tons of "little stuff" that make administrators totally mad. It could be just so easy for them. The goal of MS is just sell licenses, now they're running to the last "fashion", the cloud. I'm really sorry there is no practical alternative to Ms operating systems in an enterprise, so we admins must deal every day with total lack of common sense from Big M. And yes, it's incredible this happens since Windows day 1 !! I think every professional should go ON STRIKE against this. Can you believe it ? MS does not really want you to control a simple stuff like a default profile. And...anyone want to speak about Exchange incredibile cryptic absurd mail database format ? Why the hell not using a plain SQL format ? Because MS does not want thirdy party to interact with Exchange, OF COURSE, and nobody being able to backup mails and keep their life easier. Once upon a time I made MS certifications, not anymore. Totally useless and what MS gave my back was troubles...troubles...TROUBLES. I think MS engineers should jump off the tree and listen: nobody wants all that stupid questions during setup, Bing, whatever and tons of useless little tiny piece of software that controls your desktop environment (!!).

I'm sorry to say the point is MS SHOULD adapt to what users request and not reverse. Choose ten random sysadmin and they ALL complains about the same stuff. Operating system does not let you really free to choose. Absurd procedures for massive deploys. Customization very difficult. I'm not lazy at all, I got tons of collegues that think exactly the same way. Come on, Ms is offering now Exchange via cloud services 'cause nobody wants an "Exchange mega dollars cluster" in their data center anymore. Anybody who managed an Exchange server has terror horros stories to tell for sure, I got mines, I used Echange since day one, yes now it's better, but still unpredictable sometimes. There's no interaction between MS and their users. Ms decides and that's all. Little Caesars.