Offline Files Not Working Properly
Hello folks,
I am having some issues with setting up offline files on Windows 7 Pro. x64. The only way I know how to explain whats going on is to take you through the steps and the battle and that I've fought with this thing, and provide details on the current problem that I'm having.
The goal here is to have a laptop and a desktop syncronize with one another automatically. Both machines are members of a domain. This domain is hosted on a SBS 2011 server with folder redirection enabled and a logon script that executes a .cmd file everytime the user logs on, I have written this batch file so that net use deletes all pre existing drives and sets the presistent setting to false each time it runs.
The steps I've taken to achieve this syncronizaiton follow.
I joined the laptop to the domain and logged on with the users profile
Setup the user as a local administrator on the laptop
Set the folder redirections mapped drive to be always available offline (this setting is also enabled on the desktop machine)
Initial synch finishes, I can browse the offline files all should be good......
PROBLEM 1 *SOLVED...I THINK!*:If the laptop is reconnected to the network and you pull the network cable, the files are still accessible. But if you restart or log off and log back on while the cable is disconnected, or turn the machine on and log on with out the network being connected, the offline files are not there.
Problem 1 took me a while to figure it out but when I enabled roaming profiles on the machine, this finally got the synch to work (mostly).
To enable roaming profiles I had to go into AD on the user's user object and do the following.
Setup a profile path pointing to the users redirected profile folder (i.e. RedirectedFolders\jsmith)
Setup a home folder that connected to a network drive instead of the default "Local Path"
I also ensured on the properties of the user of the laptop the "Roaming" profile type was selected.
This seemed to have fixed the problem but I'm noticing that I am getting a pop up every time the user logs on to the laptop, regardless of network connection status, the message on the pop is.....
"There was a problem with your roaming profile. You have been logged on with your previously saved local profile. Please see the event log for details or contact your administrator."
When I go into the event logs I get the following:
"Windows cannot locate the server copy of your romaing profile and is attempting to log you on with your local profile. Changes to the profile will not be copied to the server when you log off. This error may be cause by network problems or insuffiecient security rights.
DETAIL - Access is denied,"
Seeing this I went into the user network folder with the user's user and took complete ownership of the user's entire directory with that user, and ensured that full control was established on all the subfolders and files.
Despite this full control status (verified by checking the ability to modify, write, read, executre, and delete within the folder and subfolders) I still get this error message at each logon.
I also noticed that today when the user came in all the files from his desktop machine's desktop had been completely deleted, I had to go into our backup files to restore them.
So...Problem 2 is the error message and event log I described earlier, and I'm also tryiing to figure out why it would have deleted those files from his desktop machine.
Any help is greatly appreciated (let me know if I can provide more info than whats above), I've been trying to figure this out for days now and I win little victories here and there but this last battle with it seems to be the one where its determined not to lose the war. Thanks!
I am having some issues with setting up offline files on Windows 7 Pro. x64. The only way I know how to explain whats going on is to take you through the steps and the battle and that I've fought with this thing, and provide details on the current problem that I'm having.
The goal here is to have a laptop and a desktop syncronize with one another automatically. Both machines are members of a domain. This domain is hosted on a SBS 2011 server with folder redirection enabled and a logon script that executes a .cmd file everytime the user logs on, I have written this batch file so that net use deletes all pre existing drives and sets the presistent setting to false each time it runs.
The steps I've taken to achieve this syncronizaiton follow.
I joined the laptop to the domain and logged on with the users profile
Setup the user as a local administrator on the laptop
Set the folder redirections mapped drive to be always available offline (this setting is also enabled on the desktop machine)
Initial synch finishes, I can browse the offline files all should be good......
PROBLEM 1 *SOLVED...I THINK!*:If the laptop is reconnected to the network and you pull the network cable, the files are still accessible. But if you restart or log off and log back on while the cable is disconnected, or turn the machine on and log on with out the network being connected, the offline files are not there.
Problem 1 took me a while to figure it out but when I enabled roaming profiles on the machine, this finally got the synch to work (mostly).
To enable roaming profiles I had to go into AD on the user's user object and do the following.
Setup a profile path pointing to the users redirected profile folder (i.e. RedirectedFolders\jsmith)
Setup a home folder that connected to a network drive instead of the default "Local Path"
I also ensured on the properties of the user of the laptop the "Roaming" profile type was selected.
This seemed to have fixed the problem but I'm noticing that I am getting a pop up every time the user logs on to the laptop, regardless of network connection status, the message on the pop is.....
"There was a problem with your roaming profile. You have been logged on with your previously saved local profile. Please see the event log for details or contact your administrator."
When I go into the event logs I get the following:
"Windows cannot locate the server copy of your romaing profile and is attempting to log you on with your local profile. Changes to the profile will not be copied to the server when you log off. This error may be cause by network problems or insuffiecient security rights.
DETAIL - Access is denied,"
Seeing this I went into the user network folder with the user's user and took complete ownership of the user's entire directory with that user, and ensured that full control was established on all the subfolders and files.
Despite this full control status (verified by checking the ability to modify, write, read, executre, and delete within the folder and subfolders) I still get this error message at each logon.
I also noticed that today when the user came in all the files from his desktop machine's desktop had been completely deleted, I had to go into our backup files to restore them.
So...Problem 2 is the error message and event log I described earlier, and I'm also tryiing to figure out why it would have deleted those files from his desktop machine.
Any help is greatly appreciated (let me know if I can provide more info than whats above), I've been trying to figure this out for days now and I win little victories here and there but this last battle with it seems to be the one where its determined not to lose the war. Thanks!
ASKER CERTIFIED SOLUTION
membership
This solution is only available to members.
To access this solution, you must be a member of Experts Exchange.
Larry Struckmeyer MVP
Windows off line files can be a wonderful tool when it works properly. But when it does not you can find it frustrating. Consider using sync toy or robo/rich copy to sync the files on startup of either station. Once you get the parameters set correctly, which you should so with a test file or set of test files, it should be flawless.
ASKER
Your answer pointed me in the right direction, was quite rude of me to not follow my own post, sorry about that. Thanks alot for the help.