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  1. Logout as Administrator and login as ProfileSetup
  2. Customize the user profile while logged in as ProfileSetup account (configure the desktop background, arrange icons, etc)
  3. Logout as Profile

Fix the Registry for the Customized Profile

  1. Login as Administrator
  2. Run regedit.exe
  3. Select the HKEY_USERS hive:
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  4. Click the File menu and select Load Hive:
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  5. Browse to C:\Users\Default
  6. Enter ntuser.dat in the File name: field (Note: this file is hidden so it normally is not displayed in the list of files)
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  7. Enter a Key Name: DU

Copy the Customized Profile to

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Default

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  1. Rename the ProfileSetup user profile folder to Default:
    1. Login as Administrator
    2. Open a Windows Explorer window and navigate to C:\Users
    3. Rename the original default profile folder: C:\Users\Default -> C:\Users\DefaultOriginal
    4. Rename the customized profile folder: C:\Users\ProfileSetup -> C:\Users\Default
      Note: if you are unable to rename the ProfileSetup folder, reboot the computer, login as Administrator, and try again. Run the following command from a command prompt to reboot the computer:
      shutdown.exe -r -f -t 0
  2. Copy the customized profile folder using the Windows profile copying utility:
    Note: Windows 7 only allows its built-in profile copying utility to be used to copy the default profile, not profiles of other user accounts. The profile you customized now resides in the default profile location (C:\Users\Default) so the utility can now be used to make a copy of it.
    1. Open Control Panel > System and Security > System
    2. Click Advanced system settings on the left
    3. Click the Settings... button under User Profiles
    4. Highlight Default Profile
    5. Click Copy To…
      1. Copy profile to: C:\Users\DefaultCopy
      2. Click Change under Permitted to use
      3. Enter Everyone and click OK
      4. Click OK
  3. Replace the original customized profile directory with the one created by the Windows profile copying utility
    Note: C:\Users\Default contains the original customized profile. The same profile also resides in C:\Users\DefaultCopy. The DefaultCopy folder is the one which has had the Windows profile copying utility transformations applied to it.
    1. Open Windows Explorer
    2. Delete the “C:\Users\Default folder
    3. Rename the folder: C:\UsersDefaultCopy -> C:\Users\Default
  4. Delete the ProfileSetup account:
    1. Open Control Panel > Add or remove user accounts
    2. Click on the ProfileSetup account
    3. Click Delete the account
    4. Click Delete Files
    5. Click Delete Account

Clean the Registry for the Customized Profile

  1. While logged in as Administrator
  2. Run regedit.exe
  3. Select the HKEY_USERS hive:
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  4. Click the File menu and select Load Hive:
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  5. Browse to C:\Users\Default
  6. Enter ntuser.dat in the File name: field (Note: this file is hidden so it normally is not displayed in the list of files)
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  7. Enter a Key Name: DU
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  8. Navigate to: HKEY_USERS\DU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Shell Folders

    You will probably see the path to the ProfileSetup account's original user profile directory saved in many of the values as highlighted below.  This can cause problems with programs which use these values.  For example, a user may save a file to the Desktop from within a program, but the saved file doesn't appear on the user's desktop.
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  9. Delete all of the values under Shell Folders except for (Default) and "!Do not use this registry key":
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  10. Select the DU key in the left pane
  11. Click on the Edit menu and select Find...
  12. Search the DU key for the string ProfileSetup.  In general, you want to clean up everything that references the user named ProfileSetup and the C:\Users\ProfileSetup directory.  There will probably be several places under DU where these are saved.  You will need to analyze each match.  Most matches won't cause problems.  Some will such as the Shell Folders key you previously cleaned up.
  13. IMPORTANT: Unload the Default user registry hive:
    1. Select the DU key
    2. Click the File menu and select Unload hive...

Any new local user accounts created on the computer should receive a user profile configured with the customizations you made to the Profile account.

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