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- Logout as Administrator and login as ProfileSetup
- Customize the user profile while logged in as ProfileSetup account (configure the desktop background, arrange icons, etc)Logout as Profile. The following tips are optional:
- Download and run Autoruns. This free utility will show you all of the things that run when the computer boots, a user logs in, etc. There are several things that can probably be disabled such as Windows Mail.
Copy the Customized Profile to Default
- Logout as ProfileSetup and login as Administrator
- Rename the ProfileSetup user profile folder to Default:Login as Administrator
- Open a Windows Explorer window and navigate to C:\Users
- Rename the original default profile folder: C:\Users\Default -> C:\Users\DefaultOriginal
- 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
- 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.- Open Control Panel > System and Security > System
- Click Advanced system settings on the left
- Click the Settings... button under User Profiles
- Highlight Default Profile
- Click Copy To…
- Copy profile to: C:\Users\DefaultCopy
- Click Change under Permitted to use
- Enter Everyone and click OK
- Click OK
- 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.- Open Windows Explorer
- Delete the “C:\Users\Default folder
- Rename the folder: C:\UsersDefaultCopy -> C:\Users\Default
- Delete the ProfileSetup account:
- Open Control Panel > Add or remove user accounts
- Click on the ProfileSetup account
- Click Delete the account
- Click Delete Files
- Click Delete Account
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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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Configure the User Account Picture (Optional)
- Navigate to the directory: C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\User Account Pictures
(Note: you will need to enable "Show hidden files" to see this directory) - Rename user.bmp to something such as user-original.bmp
- Copy the .bmp file you want used as the account picture to this directory and name it user.bmp
Force the Desktop Background to Appear on Windows 7 & Windows Server 2008 (Optional)
- Run gpedit.msc
- Navigate to User Configuration > Windows Settings > Scripts
- Double-click Logon
- Click Add
- Script Name: reg.exe
- Script Parameters: DELETE "HKCU\Remote\1\Control Panel\Desktop" /v Wallpaper /f
- Click OK twice
- Run gpupdate.exe /force
Windows XP and Windows Server 2003
Create a
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Profile Configuration Account
- While logged on as Administrator , create a local Windows user account named Profile and add it to the Administrators group
- Configure the profile:
- Log on as Profile
- Make desired profile, desktop, and application changes
- Log out
Copy the
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Customized Profile to "Default User"
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- Log back on as Administrator
- Rename the C:\Documents and Settings\Default User directory to something like Default User Original
- Open the Control Panel
- Open System Properties
- Select the Advanced tab
- Click the Settings button next to User Profiles
- Select Profile's profile, click Copy To :
Copy profile to: C:\Documents and Settings\Default User
Permitted to use: add the Everyone group - Click OK
Clean up the
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Profile Configuration Account
- Delete the Profile user
- Delete C:\Documents and Settings\Profile
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