ne3
asked on
Removing Folder Redirection
We have been seeing situations where Application Data "Folder Redirection", not "Roaming Profiles", is causing issues with applications failing to install or when installed running very slow, or not functioning with random error codes. We have seen this more than one time and has led us to believe that AppData Folder Redirection is just bad.
Our plan is to only Redirect My Documents & Favorites, so we make the group policy change (to the same GPO that has the active Folder Redirection GP configured already) to disable APPData Redirection.
On the server we preform gpupdate /wuforce from an elevated cmd prompt, and then preform the same thing on the client PC.
When we sign into the account it still is redirecting everything from the original GPO settings, there are no other Folder Redirection GPOs that could be giving incorrect settings.
Even after days of waiting, just in case Group Policy didn't update yet, it is still doing the same thing. The only thing that we have gotten to work is creating a whole new domain user account and copying all the data over into that new user.
You can literally switch between accounts and the Folder Redirection changes between the both of them, and I can assure you that they are using the same GPO for Folder Redirection.
I want to avoid having to make everyone relearn their Username, and also avoid copying over 25-50 user accounts data to new user accounts.
Any ideas what is making the Folder Redirection stick on these machines?
Our plan is to only Redirect My Documents & Favorites, so we make the group policy change (to the same GPO that has the active Folder Redirection GP configured already) to disable APPData Redirection.
On the server we preform gpupdate /wuforce from an elevated cmd prompt, and then preform the same thing on the client PC.
When we sign into the account it still is redirecting everything from the original GPO settings, there are no other Folder Redirection GPOs that could be giving incorrect settings.
Even after days of waiting, just in case Group Policy didn't update yet, it is still doing the same thing. The only thing that we have gotten to work is creating a whole new domain user account and copying all the data over into that new user.
You can literally switch between accounts and the Folder Redirection changes between the both of them, and I can assure you that they are using the same GPO for Folder Redirection.
I want to avoid having to make everyone relearn their Username, and also avoid copying over 25-50 user accounts data to new user accounts.
Any ideas what is making the Folder Redirection stick on these machines?
uescomp
I have seen this being a pain because for the most part when the policy is assigned it enforces itself on the folder, now when the policy is removed the setting can now be changed back but GPO does not change them back to original settings for you, you have to change the settings back yourself which is lame. Im sure there has to be a restore default tool somewhere but im not aware of it at this time so i have been changing them back manually.
ASKER
How have you been changing the folder settings manually?
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just right click the folder on the user's pc and go to properties, you will then see the folder path, change it back to the original as in pointing to the local system. for instance My documents, shortcut path (redirected to server would be) \\server\users
change it back to C:\documents and settings\user etc
change it back to C:\documents and settings\user etc
ASKER
This only works for Windows XP correct? Even if that's not true, Application Data is the one I'm concerned about. There is no "application data" folder to right click --> properties on the local machines. Because the Folder actually exists on the server.
I was thinking, would it be possible in the folder redirection GPO instead of having the folders redirected to "\\server\rest of the path here" have it actually point it to "C:\Documents & Settings\"
Would it actually create the folder on each PCs local drive, and then afterward i could just turn off folder redirection leaving it pointing to itself?
I was thinking, would it be possible in the folder redirection GPO instead of having the folders redirected to "\\server\rest of the path here" have it actually point it to "C:\Documents & Settings\"
Would it actually create the folder on each PCs local drive, and then afterward i could just turn off folder redirection leaving it pointing to itself?
application data on the local system is a hidden file, you would have to go into tools>folder options, views tab, view hidden folder/files.
of course when you change the redirection you would probably have to overwrite the local one with the one on the server
ASKER
Show hidden files and folders is enabled, so I am able to view all hidden folders and files.
Folder Redirection literally "moves" the Application Data folder, so it is not located, at all, on the local computer. So I cannot right click --> properties --> change location.
Now what about my idea from earlier: "I was thinking, would it be possible in the folder redirection GPO instead of having the folders redirected to "\\server\rest of the path here" have it actually point it to "C:\Documents & Settings\"
Would it actually create the folder on each PCs local drive, and then afterward i could just turn off folder redirection leaving it pointing to itself?"
I would of course afterward have to copy the contents from the server copy to the local copy.
Folder Redirection literally "moves" the Application Data folder, so it is not located, at all, on the local computer. So I cannot right click --> properties --> change location.
Now what about my idea from earlier: "I was thinking, would it be possible in the folder redirection GPO instead of having the folders redirected to "\\server\rest of the path here" have it actually point it to "C:\Documents & Settings\"
Would it actually create the folder on each PCs local drive, and then afterward i could just turn off folder redirection leaving it pointing to itself?"
I would of course afterward have to copy the contents from the server copy to the local copy.
Have you looked at the link I posted on how to stop folder redirection you can send this information back to the local computer.