Profiles AND Backup of Profiles

[SkyEyes]

We are configured at our place with an initial install of Outlook 2003 where
is locates your %username% and opens Outlook for that user. In some
instances we have users that needs other profiles besides the default
%username% profile. Example a resource that they need to log into and takes
care of rules, passwords, etc. So another profile is set up on that
workstation. A machines profiles may look like %username%, WWW Conference1,
WWW Conference 2, etc. So we have noticed that it is creating a backup of
the profiles on that workstation. On these workstations some are even logging
into their Outlook account and selecting Tools | Email Accounts | Change |
More Settings | Advanced and adding the other user or resource because they
are being shared something from that user. These are also disappearing.

First as some background, the Exchange group had decided we would not be
using *.pst files, etc. But low and behold when I log in as a resource on my
pc, it seems to create and Outlook.pst file--what is going on? Then we
notice that on these machines several of them have "BACKUP OF %username%" in
the profiles list--maybe even several times. Also, I noted in a discussion
note that someone was having similar problems and you told them to modify the
*.prf with Backup=No. Where is this located because we only we the
c:\program files\microsoft office\custom11.prf.

Please note we have several people that travel and move from machine to
machine.

One last thing, we are also experiencing the same problems on machines that
have a Dell Axim or Tungston attached to the machine. Is there a special
configuration for this?

 

[Sue Mosher [MVP-Outlook]]

One important detail you left out is whether you have configured users for Windows roaming profiles or mandatory user profiles. It's also not clear whether you have a .prf file stored on each machine; that sentence was a bit garbled.

--
Sue Mosher, Outlook MVP
Author of Configuring Microsoft Outlook 2003

and Microsoft Outlook Programming - Jumpstart for
Administrators, Power Users, and Developers

 

[SkyEyes]

We do not have roaming user profiles turned on.

One important detail you left out is whether you have configured users for Windows roaming profiles or mandatory user profiles. It's also not clear whether you have a .prf file stored on each machine; that sentence was a bit garbled.

--
Sue Mosher, Outlook MVP
Author of Configuring Microsoft Outlook 2003

and Microsoft Outlook Programming - Jumpstart for
Administrators, Power Users, and Developers

 

[SkyEyes]

Ok...we are having major problems with BACKUP OF ... profiles.

So we distributed office disk with Zen to the workstation, ran using an MST
using ZEN and then applied a CMW file. In the CMW file we have checked load
all of Outlook locally, New Default Profile and selected with Profile name
being %username%, USERNAME = %username%, configured exchange connection XXP2
NOT CACHED. Customized additional Outlook profile screen, Outlook Address
Book (do not replace is exist). On the customize default settings, selected
Customize Outlook email defaults, default email editor (Outlook), default
email format (HTML).

This CMW was pushed with Zen to the machine with run once app object. We
verify that Zen is not pushing every day by the date on the machine. We did
not want to use *.pst files, and did not push a specific one in the CMW, but
a file outlook.pst exists on machine and it also created a custom11.prf. If
you delete the custom11.prf, in a day it will recreate.

So the folks having problems with Backup profile either have a Dell Axim
installed and using Active Sync and/or use multiple profiles because they
might log in or share folders with other folks.

We have found the only prf file on the machine and added under the general
section BACKUPProfile=NO. Still creates a backup profile. Is there some
tracking we can turn on to see why this is happening. The key seems to be on
my machine I need to log in as that resource or person sharing, then log back
into my own mailbox or try and sync the palm and have the error 8503001f
(which we found and reset everything and it comes back after a few reboots).
Most are Windows 2000 machines, but we have a few XP boxes.

The machines where only one person has a profile on the machine seems to
work fine. Also, if I log onto someone else's box, it finds my Outlook
mailbox and they continue running fine.

We are out of solutions and need some assistance. Anyone got any ideas??

 

[Sue Mosher [MVP-Outlook]]

custom11.prf is the PRF file that contains the Outlook profile settings that you configured with CMW. I don't know anything about Zen (or even what it is, other than a meditation method and a pretty neat PMP -- I'm sorry I left mine on a plane last month), but the fact that the .prf file keeps coming back sounds like it might be performing the CMW deployment multiple times or refreshing it somehow.

For your reference, the excellent white paper "Configuring Outlook Profiles by Using a PRF File" at http://office.microsoft.com/search/redir.aspx?assetid=HA011403051033&QueryID=pHm7c_60I&respos=3 explains the registry values involved in deploying new profile settings. These are configured when the .cmw file is applied.

--
Sue Mosher, Outlook MVP
Author of Configuring Microsoft Outlook 2003

and Microsoft Outlook Programming - Jumpstart for
Administrators, Power Users, and Developers