Vista Profile damaged with Windows 2003 delprof.exe

[Guest Bob]

I discovered today that the Windows 2003 Resource Kit Tool "DelProf.exe"

will fail to properly delete Vista user profiles and will display message

"Failed - Access is denied".

 

The tool will however delete the users profile found at C:\Users, but it

fails to delete the corresponding registry key at

HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\ProfileList\S-1-5-21

 

 

This results in the following message when the Vista user attempts to log

on: "Your user profile was not loaded correctly. You have been logged on

with a temporary profile". And this of course results in the user loosing

access to their Documents and Desktop.

 

I found this out the hard way when an automated script ran to clean up all

the XP and Vista workstation profiles this weekend and I'm still cleaning up

the registry mess on all the Vista machines.

 

Anyone at Microsoft going to come out with an emergency patch to DelProf.exe

so as to save the next hapless Administrator?

 

Thanks!

 

---

Bob

[Guest Pegasus \(MVP\)]

Re: Vista Profile damaged with Windows 2003 delprof.exe

 

 

"Bob" <86c6c2e6-2146512712@news.postalias> wrote in message

news:uFvhCFuKIHA.2268@TK2MSFTNGP02.phx.gbl...

>I discovered today that the Windows 2003 Resource Kit Tool "DelProf.exe"

>will fail to properly delete Vista user profiles and will display message

>"Failed - Access is denied".

>

> The tool will however delete the users profile found at C:\Users, but it

> fails to delete the corresponding registry key at

> HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\ProfileList\S-1-5-21

>

>

> This results in the following message when the Vista user attempts to log

> on: "Your user profile was not loaded correctly. You have been logged on

> with a temporary profile". And this of course results in the user loosing

> access to their Documents and Desktop.

>

> I found this out the hard way when an automated script ran to clean up all

> the XP and Vista workstation profiles this weekend and I'm still cleaning

> up the registry mess on all the Vista machines.

>

> Anyone at Microsoft going to come out with an emergency patch to

> DelProf.exe so as to save the next hapless Administrator?

>

> Thanks!

>

> ---

> Bob

>

 

Delprof.exe is not supported on Vista. Have a look here:

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=9D467A69-57FF-4AE7-96EE-B18C4790CFFD&displaylang=en

System Requirements

a.. Supported Operating Systems: Windows Server 2003; Windows XP

a.. 30 MB of free disk space

b.. Windows XP

c.. Windows XP SP1

d.. Windows Server 2003 family

Note: The Windows Server 2003 Resource Kit Tools are not supported on 64-bit

platforms.

[Guest Bob]

Re: Vista Profile damaged with Windows 2003 delprof.exe

 

Yes, I see that it isn't supported. But there are lots of things that

aren't supported on Vista that either work or don't.

 

DelProf on the other hand damages the Vista profile and therefore Microsoft

should not simply walk away from it saying that it isn't supported.

 

Microsoft should consider this a serious problem as it could shutdown an

entire business if the tool is used in a script as I have done. In my case,

I only have four Vista machines, so the impact was minimal. But God help

some other business that has hundreds of Vista machines and DelProf runs

against those.

 

What I would like to see is Microsoft reengineer the DelProf.exe to either

run on Vista or not. But to leave it as is, is just looking for trouble and

frankly irresponsible of Microsoft if they don't fix it.

 

Thanks for your thoughts though!

 

Bob.

[Guest Meinolf Weber]

Re: Vista Profile damaged with Windows 2003 delprof.exe

 

Hello Bob,

 

I think it is not Microsoft, that have to take care. They give you the info,

that it is NOT compatible with Vista.

 

 

If you or also someone else still use it and something is going wrong, it

was YOUR decision.

 

 

Best regards

 

Meinolf Weber

Disclaimer: This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers

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> Yes, I see that it isn't supported. But there are lots of things that

> aren't supported on Vista that either work or don't.

>

> DelProf on the other hand damages the Vista profile and therefore

> Microsoft should not simply walk away from it saying that it isn't

> supported.

>

> Microsoft should consider this a serious problem as it could shutdown

> an entire business if the tool is used in a script as I have done. In

> my case, I only have four Vista machines, so the impact was minimal.

> But God help some other business that has hundreds of Vista machines

> and DelProf runs against those.

>

> What I would like to see is Microsoft reengineer the DelProf.exe to

> either run on Vista or not. But to leave it as is, is just looking for

> trouble and frankly irresponsible of Microsoft if they don't fix it.

>

> Thanks for your thoughts though!

>

> Bob.

>

[Guest Pegasus \(MVP\)]

Re: Vista Profile damaged with Windows 2003 delprof.exe

 

 

"Bob" <86c6c2e6-2146512712@news.postalias> wrote in message

news:e7FwUkuKIHA.1208@TK2MSFTNGP05.phx.gbl...

> Yes, I see that it isn't supported. But there are lots of things that

> aren't supported on Vista that either work or don't.

>

> DelProf on the other hand damages the Vista profile and therefore

> Microsoft should not simply walk away from it saying that it isn't

> supported.

>

> Microsoft should consider this a serious problem as it could shutdown an

> entire business if the tool is used in a script as I have done. In my

> case, I only have four Vista machines, so the impact was minimal. But God

> help some other business that has hundreds of Vista machines and DelProf

> runs against those.

>

> What I would like to see is Microsoft reengineer the DelProf.exe to either

> run on Vista or not. But to leave it as is, is just looking for trouble

> and frankly irresponsible of Microsoft if they don't fix it.

>

> Thanks for your thoughts though!

>

> Bob.

 

All tools included in a resource kit must go through a rigorous testing

process before being certified for OSs other than those they are

specifically designed for. As the popularity of Vista grows (if it does!),

Microsoft will either issue these tools in a Vista-compatible form or

make Vista-specific tools available. In the meantime you use them at

your own risk. A systems administrator responsible for hundreds of

Vista machines would well be aware of the risks of using non-certified

tools. If he's worth his salt then he would also start with a pilot run

instead of cutting a swathe through his whole PC pool. He would

need common sense, not God's help as you suggest.