Controlling Common Program Groups Seen In User Profiles (140417)

SUMMARY

Creating user profiles is accomplished with the User Profile Editor (creates the profile) and User Manager for Domains (assigns existing profiles to users). For additional information, please see the following article(s) in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

ARTICLE-ID: 128624
TITLE : How to Create and Assign User Profiles for Users in a Domain

A profile created by using the Profile Editor is stored on the server and controls the user's desktop configuration at the workstation. There are two types of server-based profiles available:

Mandatory profiles which use the *.MAN file extension.
Personal profiles which use the *.USR file extension.

To control the program groups that users see when they log into a server, you have two choices:

The first option is to use Mandatory profiles for the user if security and tight control are priorities. The user is able to change the settings while logged in, but the profile reverts back to the settings in the mandatory profile. The program groups are those outlined in the program settings section. The common program groups that are seen are from the local computer and not the server.

The second option is to use a Personal Profile. You can customize the profile per individual user, but unless you select the Disable Save Settings Menu Item and Never Save Settings, the user is able to change the program group settings. Again, the show common program groups will show the local machines common group and not the server common group.

MORE INFORMATION

When using Profile Editor, the following settings are available on the menu:

Disable Run in File Menu.

This option disables the user from running the File Run command in program manager.
Disable Save Settings Menu Item and Never Save Settings.

Allows you to restrict the user from changing the program group settings by graying out these options in Program Manager under the Options menu.
Show Common Program Groups.

Allows you to show the common program groups from the local machine accounts database as opposed to the common program groups from the server, regardless of whether it is a mandatory profile or personal profile.

If you create the profile (mandatory or personal) as outlined in 128624 and select the Show Common Program Groups, you will see the Common Program Groups that reside on the Local Machine.

If you deselect the Show Common Program Groups you will only see the program groups created from the Profile Editor for that profile in the program settings section.