Deleted Files Keep Coming back (Roaming Profiles & Folder Redirection)

Make sure the folder is not set for Offline use (caches a local copy).

Don't you want a cached local copy so that a user can continue to work even if they become disconnected from the server?  Right now the GPO for user's is set to synchronize all files at logoff and the Folder Redirection for My Documents is set to Basic (placing all user's My Documents at \\[servername]\user$\[username]\My Documents).

Do you not need cached offline files to properly implement IntelliMirror?

Thank you both for your commments.

We actually have the same setup (for the same reasons) that you described, omyowhy. Our user GPO is set to redirect the folders back to a central share (see my original post) so logon times are not bogged down.

From my research, though, it appeared several books on GP were saying to have a complete IntelliMirror setup you must also implement Offline Files. These books said this was to protect user changes/prevent work interuptions if the server were to go down/get disconnected while the user is working. And I believe they were implying that this was true for ALL users, not just mobile computers.

Granted, it's very unlikely that our servers would ever go down while an user is working, but is it "risky" to turn-off Offline Files? Also, even if Offline Files is just for mobile users, why doesn't Sync Manager remove files from the server that they have DELETED? Wouldn't they run into the same problem we're having?

I look forward to your responses and hopefully we can get this idea hashed out. 500 points for the taking.... =)

One other note, and I think this adds a twist to the whole thing:

We did, at one point, turn off Offline Files just to see if that would fix the problem. Unfortunately, it did not. We could still make a file. Delete it. And then have it reappear on our next login.

Is there any way this could be related to the combination of Roaming Profiles and Folder Redirection? In other words, if you have folder redirection on (which we do - we can right click a file created in My Docs and see the network share path), Roaming Profiles won't somehow keep copies of the files you've made.

Just wanted to throw that out there. I think the true problem still lies with Offline Files, somehow...

Anybody out there have any other input? We're really just trying to figure out the definitive answer on the necessity of Offline Files (as per my concerns posted above).

I am having the same problem...

Even if you delete the file...it comes back.

If I move it to another folder under the documents folder...it comes back..

From what I see..I cannot delete a file...

anybody come up with an answer..?

I have done the same...

disabled offline files...made sure the offline files folder was empty..

and the files keep coming back


HELP..anybody out there?

Glad to know I'm not the only one :) Seems like the experts are stumped or we're stupid... (please no comment on the later)

Yes....I have been working on this for 2 days...

I have done everything I can think of...in every order...

I would like to call Microsoft...but they are updating their partner site and I cannot get in...

Perhaps you and I can work together..

In the 6 months or so I have been on this group..this is the first question that has been met with silence...

As long as we are looking at problems in this area..

I also cannot unpin...or mark a file to not be an offline file..once it is marked as one..

There are a whole bunch of files being treated at offline files that are on even in the :my documents folder..that are being synced...and I sure did not mark them...they are just files created and saved to a different folder...

and the "offline files" button in th properties box is greyed out...

Isnt there someone out there that can help us...

Is this question at least getting out to somebody...if you even dont know the answer...at least let us know....to post and not get a reply is deafening....

I am still working on this...just so you know

Anybody have any further ideas?

I checked our system the other day and we also still have the problem. Offline files are off, only My Documents redirects to the server and a file created in My Documents cannot be permanently deleted. It reappears after logging off and logging back on.

What can possibly be allowing this to happen?

I can tell you that I was able to delete an icon from the desktop..

Dont know how I did it...but I just realized the 2 icons that I deleted are gone..

I am going to try and duplicate what I did.

YOu cant even erase anything!!!!!

Now that the MS partners website is back up...I will try and call them for tech help this week...

let you know.

If you want to talk about this on the phone..email me off list... ami@lotusowners.com..I will call you if you provide a number...we have to get this resolved..

Tony V

We are all still working on this problem

So far we have no answers...

I would like to keep this active..with here or with another question....

What90:

I agree with tvacc. This question has yet to be resolved and obviously represents an issue experienced by more than one person. If you like, I can reopen this question as a new thread and you can "refund" my points. Otherwise, let's just keep this open for now and see if there is ANYONE in the WORLD who can come up with a solution.

Thanks-

I will go ahead and split the points up among the better answers, though no expert trully provided a working solution. Perhaps I will ask this question again in the future and hope for better results.

Thanks to everyone for trying!

I am very interested in a solution...I am still stuck on this...

I am trying to contact Microsoft...but for some reason...I cannot get my Partner login to work..

I am having a heck of a time with this problem.

One of my larger customers cannot even delete files..and his hard drive is getting full..

Please ask this question again and let me know where it is...I need answers...

Can no one answer this question?"

Tony V

Have you tried to contact MS directly?

Here's their US contact numbers

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=fh;en-us;prodoffer17a&sd=GN

Good Luck!

Yes....

but I could not login with my partner number...I will try and call them over the next few days..

Tony V

We have a fix....or at least it worked for us...

I will have my tech write up an explantion over the next day or so...

are you guys still monitoring this question...or has it moved to another....

I'm still listening. I've moved to a different project over these summer months, but I'll definitely pass along a fix to our server guys. I appreciate the help and CONGRATS on beating the experts to a fix! I guess this makes you the new expert :)

I wont be able to write this up until Thurs...or Friday.....

will let you know...

Tvacc

by the way..where you located?...just major area.......

No hurry. Thanks for writing up your solution.

I'm located in South East Texas. Yourself?

Buffalo NY

Hi There,
My name is Chris,
I also have the same problem.
Anyone have a solution to this problem. Can you help me out.
If any have a fix, can you send email to xman711@hotmail.com or
post it here....

Many thanks

We recently setup a Win 2K3 server with Roaming Profiles, My Document's Folder Redirection, and Offline files (the components of Intellimirror- all done using GPOs)

"A user can create a file in their My Document's folder. The user can then log-off and log back in and the file will still be there. Good so far. Now the user CAN delete the file- or so it appears. When the user logs-off and then logs back in, the deleted file re-appears!

This ONLY happens in the My Documents folder- it is also the only folder that has folder redirection. The user receives NO ERROR when deleting the file. It -seems- to work fine. The problem only becomes apparent on the next login when the file "mysteriously" re-appears.

Clients are WinXP Pro and (as mentioned before) server is Windows Server 2003.

Do you need folder redirection with roaming profiles? Is this a configuration problem? Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated!"

I had this same problem for a while too - and I think I've figgered out the deal.  Now, before you do this you may want to make a copy of your 'My Documents' directory on your local drive - don't say you weren't warned.

Here's my setup on an Windows 2003 AD Domain:
     I've got our 'My Documents' redirected to the server - \\server\User Documents\%username%\My Documents.  
     In AD properties for my users I've got the profile path set to \\server\User Profiles\%username%.  
     'Grant user exclusive rights to My Documents' - Disabled.  
     'Move the contents of My Documents to the new location' - Enabled.  
     'Policy Removal Behavior' - Restore contents.

Huh.  Didn't work, things were coming back after being deleted.  Hmmm.  Go to Windows Explorer -> Tools -> Folder Options -> Offline Files tab.  Click on the 'Delete Files' button, make sure everything is checked, and then hit OK.  Once it's done deleting files (1.5GB for me), uncheck the 'Enable Offline Files' checkbox.  After I rebooted and came back up, everything I had deleted from before was still gone and the 'offline file' arrow swirly thingies were gone from all of my 'My Documents' files.  I can access everything just fine and my path point to their proper locations.  I've got another person trying it as well tomorrow to see if that clears things up for her too - if so, I'll be looking into forcing the turning off of offline files via GPO.

Hopefully this helps somebody out,

Steve Cauffiel
London Bridge Trading Company

Thanks for the update. Let us know how the other test goes.

Well, that test went well too.  After doing this her login time went from nearly ten minutes (two gig of data 'offline') to about forty seconds - all documents are out on the server, no 'offline file' swirlies on any files and her stuff stayed deleted.  Sweetness.

Steve Cauffiel
London Bridge Trading Company

I have the same problem but after deleting the offline files and turning off offline files I still can't get stuff to stay deleted. I have My Docs & the desktop & application data using folder redirection and roaming profiles. If I want to get something to STAY deleted, I have to delete it from the desktop (which deletes it off the server) then I have to go into the Documents & Settings folder and find the matching profile on the computer and delete it there.

I had thought that was the point of a roaming profile!?!? To not have to worry about anything local on the machine.

MJL