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From: Tim Meddick on 4 Jun 2010 17:25
I'm not too sure about that.

I have always used the "HKU\.default" key to chance *any* registry settings
and they WILL be transferred to any new user profiles.

I can see that the hive in "Documents and Settings\Default User"
(ntuser.dat) is different (incomplete) to that of what you call the
SYSTEM's (HKU\.Default) key, but nonetheless, there are registry settings
in HKU\.Default\Software that are translated to new profiles where they do
not even exist in the loaded hive from "Default User" folder....

==

Cheers, Tim Meddick, Peckham, London. :-)




"John John - MVP" <audetweld(a)nbnet.nb.ca> wrote in message
news:uqWVwECBLHA.4308(a)TK2MSFTNGP04.phx.gbl...
> That (HKEY_USERS\.DEFAULT) is the System account's profile, Tim. The OP
> should use the Load Hive feature in Regedit and load the Default User's
> NTUSER.DAT file, located at C:\Documents and Settings\Default User.
>
> John
>
>
> Tim Meddick wrote:
>> Change the following registry value to make the change apply to all
>> newly created profiles :
>>
>> [HKEY_USERS\.DEFAULT\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\User
>> Shell Folders]
>>
>> "Personal"="(drive:\path-to-new-documents-folder)"
>>
>> Where you must replace the "drive:\path-to-new-documents-folder" with a
>> valid drive [d:] and path.
>>
>> However, since the old value would be "%USERPROFILE%\My Documents" if
>> you use a singe "Static" path for the new value, then ALL profiles will,
>> in future, be using the exact SAME folder as their documents folder! If
>> that's what you want - okay.
>>
>> *NB you should also change these other values (under the same (above)
>> reg-key) :
>>
>> "My Pictures"="(drive:\path-to-new-documents-folder\My Pictures)"
>>
>> In the same way.
>>
>> ==
>>
>> Cheers, Tim Meddick, Peckham, London. :-)
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> "mw" <rmwatrich(a)hotmail.com> wrote in message
>> news:4C1D92F5-BADC-41F9-803C-C252FEB08399(a)microsoft.com...
>>> Thanks, this is helpful when there is a profile already created but I
>>> want the default changed so that if a new user is created it will
>>> automatically not save to C
>>>
>>> "Volunteer J" <oobie(a)doobie.zyx> wrote in message
>>> news:hubf2m$588$1(a)speranza.aioe.org...
>>>> mw wrote:
>>>>> How do I go about changing the default My documents directory so that
>>>>> any user or new user will have their documents not on the C drive but
>>>>> on another hard drive? I understand how you can go in and change it
>>>>> from the users profiles but I want to make the change permanent so
>>>>> that any new users that are added will automatically have the My
>>>>> documents folder routed to a different hard drive (D) instead of ( C
>>>>> )?
>>>>>
>>>>> Thanks
>>>> ========================================
>>>>
>>>> See the following article:
>>>>
>>>> (310147) How to Change the Default Location
>>>> of the My Documents Folder
>>>> http://support.microsoft.com/kb/310147/en-us
>>>>
>>>> --
>>>>
>>>> Volunteer J
>>>>
>>

From: John John - MVP on 4 Jun 2010 22:50
It's a common misconception, but I assure you that HKU\.default is the
System profile, what you see before anyone logs on is held in this hive,
things like the log on screen wallpaper or the logon screesaver for
example. The HKU\.default hive file path is
%SystemRoot%\system32\config\default, new user hives are created from
C:\Documents and Settings\Default User\NTUSER.DAT

John

Tim Meddick wrote:
> I'm not too sure about that.
>
> I have always used the "HKU\.default" key to chance *any* registry
> settings and they WILL be transferred to any new user profiles.
>
> I can see that the hive in "Documents and Settings\Default User"
> (ntuser.dat) is different (incomplete) to that of what you call the
> SYSTEM's (HKU\.Default) key, but nonetheless, there are registry
> settings in HKU\.Default\Software that are translated to new profiles
> where they do not even exist in the loaded hive from "Default User"
> folder....
>
> ==
>
> Cheers, Tim Meddick, Peckham, London. :-)
>
>
>
>
> "John John - MVP" <audetweld(a)nbnet.nb.ca> wrote in message
> news:uqWVwECBLHA.4308(a)TK2MSFTNGP04.phx.gbl...
>> That (HKEY_USERS\.DEFAULT) is the System account's profile, Tim. The
>> OP should use the Load Hive feature in Regedit and load the Default
>> User's NTUSER.DAT file, located at C:\Documents and Settings\Default
>> User.
>>
>> John
>>
>>
>> Tim Meddick wrote:
>>> Change the following registry value to make the change apply to all
>>> newly created profiles :
>>>
>>> [HKEY_USERS\.DEFAULT\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\User
>>> Shell Folders]
>>>
>>> "Personal"="(drive:\path-to-new-documents-folder)"
>>>
>>> Where you must replace the "drive:\path-to-new-documents-folder" with
>>> a valid drive [d:] and path.
>>>
>>> However, since the old value would be "%USERPROFILE%\My Documents" if
>>> you use a singe "Static" path for the new value, then ALL profiles
>>> will, in future, be using the exact SAME folder as their documents
>>> folder! If that's what you want - okay.
>>>
>>> *NB you should also change these other values (under the same (above)
>>> reg-key) :
>>>
>>> "My Pictures"="(drive:\path-to-new-documents-folder\My Pictures)"
>>>
>>> In the same way.
>>>
>>> ==
>>>
>>> Cheers, Tim Meddick, Peckham, London. :-)
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> "mw" <rmwatrich(a)hotmail.com> wrote in message
>>> news:4C1D92F5-BADC-41F9-803C-C252FEB08399(a)microsoft.com...
>>>> Thanks, this is helpful when there is a profile already created but
>>>> I want the default changed so that if a new user is created it will
>>>> automatically not save to C
>>>>
>>>> "Volunteer J" <oobie(a)doobie.zyx> wrote in message
>>>> news:hubf2m$588$1(a)speranza.aioe.org...
>>>>> mw wrote:
>>>>>> How do I go about changing the default My documents directory so that
>>>>>> any user or new user will have their documents not on the C drive but
>>>>>> on another hard drive? I understand how you can go in and change it
>>>>>> from the users profiles but I want to make the change permanent so
>>>>>> that any new users that are added will automatically have the My
>>>>>> documents folder routed to a different hard drive (D) instead of ( C
>>>>>> )?
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Thanks
>>>>> ========================================
>>>>>
>>>>> See the following article:
>>>>>
>>>>> (310147) How to Change the Default Location
>>>>> of the My Documents Folder
>>>>> http://support.microsoft.com/kb/310147/en-us
>>>>>
>>>>> --
>>>>>
>>>>> Volunteer J
>>>>>
>>>
>
From: blacksmith on 5 Jun 2010 04:10
On Fri, 4 Jun 2010 15:13:27 -0400, "mw" <rmwatrich(a)hotmail.com> wrote:

>
>Thanks, this is helpful when there is a profile already created but I want
>the default changed so that if a new user is created it will automatically
>not save to C
>
Best solution: Dont let anyone else use your computer, tell them to
buy their own damn computer. You could even lock it, and make a
screen saver that says "HANDS OFF - Buy your own damn computer". That
should get the message across. <lol>.

When you have more than one user, can or does each user have their own
"My Documents" folder? Guess I never even thought about that. I
never let anyone else use my "Main computer". I have an old slow
Win98 computer for kids games, and that one is just set for one user
too. They can screw that thing up all they want, if it's too messed
up, I just wipe the drive and restore the all the data from a ghost
image on another spare 10G drive. No sense reinstalling all the
programs and settings everytime they screw it up, and they seem to do
that quite often. (which is why I NEVER let kids touch MY computer.)

>"Volunteer J" <oobie(a)doobie.zyx> wrote in message
>news:hubf2m$588$1(a)speranza.aioe.org...
>> mw wrote:
>>> How do I go about changing the default My documents directory so that
>>> any user or new user will have their documents not on the C drive but
>>> on another hard drive? I understand how you can go in and change it
>>> from the users profiles but I want to make the change permanent so
>>> that any new users that are added will automatically have the My
>>> documents folder routed to a different hard drive (D) instead of ( C
>>> )?
>>>
>>> Thanks
>> ========================================
>>
>> See the following article:
>>
>> (310147) How to Change the Default Location
>> of the My Documents Folder
>> http://support.microsoft.com/kb/310147/en-us
>>
>> --
>>
>> Volunteer J
>>

From: Tim Meddick on 6 Jun 2010 18:21
Whatever, John, as I said, what you say may be true.

However, you skilfully avoided parts of my reply.

Please re-read (carefully) my re-quote :

"I can see that the hive in "Documents and Settings\Default User"
(ntuser.dat) is different (incomplete) to that of what you call the
SYSTEM's (HKU\.Default) key, but nonetheless, there are registry settings
in HKU\.Default\Software that are translated to new profiles where they do
not even exist in the loaded hive from "Default User" folder...."

....and you will see that the first part of it *agrees* with you!

But what about the rest????

==

Cheers, Tim Meddick, Peckham, London. :-)




"John John - MVP" <audetweld(a)nbnot.nb.ca> wrote in message
news:OzdxqnFBLHA.420(a)TK2MSFTNGP02.phx.gbl...
> It's a common misconception,
>
> < clipped >

From: John John - MVP on 7 Jun 2010 19:27
I did not "skillfully avoid" anything. I didn't want to start an
argument and I simply decided to let it slide because I thought you
would do your own tests and realize for yourself that your assertion
that "... *any* registry settings...WILL be transferred (from
HKEY_USERS\.DEFAULT) to any new user profiles..." is wrong.

You can easily test this with something as basic as the Wallpaper
setting. Do any changes in HKEY_USERS\.DEFAULT\Control
Panel\International or HKEY_USERS\.DEFAULT\Control Panel\Desktop or add
any bogus keys or values in HKEY_USERS\.DEFAULT\Software and see the
results for yourself, these changes *will* *not* be transfered to new users.

Some legacy applications might read and write to this key, even
Microsoft applications might do so for compatibility reasons and some
programs and services that run as Local System will write to this key
but the notion that the HKEY_USERS\.DEFAULT hive is the default profile
for new users is a common misconception that some Windows 9x users carry
with them to NT operating systems.

On W9x operating systems user profiles are optional, you can log on to a
W9x installation without a profile. Unless a certain network key is set
in the W9x registry you can simply hit "Cancel" when asked for a User
Name or password and the system will log you on without a profile, when
you do so you use the HKEY_USERS\.DEFAULT profile. On W9x installations
new profiles are created out of this hive but on NT systems things are
different, profiles are not optional, you cannot hit cancel and logon
without a profile and new profiles are not created from the
HKEY_USERS\.DEFAULT, HKEY_USERS\.DEFAULT is the System profile.

http://blogs.msdn.com/b/oldnewthing/archive/2007/03/02/1786493.aspx
The .Default user is not the default user

As for the suggestion that the default profile path can be changed for
any new users by making changes to the "Personal" value at
HKU\.DEFAULT\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\User
Shell Folders that too is easy enough to test.

To change the default profile path for new users you need to do two things:

1- Copy the %SystemDrive%\Documents and Settings\Default User *and* the
%SystemDrive%\Documents and Settings\All Users folders to the new folder
of your choice.

2- Modify the ProfilesDirectory value at
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows
NT\CurrentVersion\ProfileList to reflect the change in the Default User
and All Users directory location.

John

Tim Meddick wrote:
> Whatever, John, as I said, what you say may be true.
>
> However, you skilfully avoided parts of my reply.
>
> Please re-read (carefully) my re-quote :
>
> "I can see that the hive in "Documents and Settings\Default User"
> (ntuser.dat) is different (incomplete) to that of what you call the
> SYSTEM's (HKU\.Default) key, but nonetheless, there are registry settings
> in HKU\.Default\Software that are translated to new profiles where they do
> not even exist in the loaded hive from "Default User" folder...."
>
> ...and you will see that the first part of it *agrees* with you!
>
> But what about the rest????
>
> ==
>
> Cheers, Tim Meddick, Peckham, London. :-)
>
>
>
>
> "John John - MVP" <audetweld(a)nbnot.nb.ca> wrote in message
> news:OzdxqnFBLHA.420(a)TK2MSFTNGP02.phx.gbl...
>> It's a common misconception,
>>
>> < clipped >
>
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