Admin Tips
- Windows Server 2008/2003/2000/XP/NT Administrator Knowledge Base
  - Windows XP
    - Admin Tips
      - Customization
        Using the Default Users profile

Section(s): Customization
Published on Jan 31, 2007.
Last Modified on Jan 31, 2007.
Last Modified by Mitch Tulloch.
Rated 2.3 out of 5 based on 3 votes.

How to customize the Default Users profile.

Want to customize the desktop experience for any user who logs onto a computer? Customize the Default User user profile on the machine, which is found in C:\Documents and Settings\Default User. When a user logs onto a Windows computer for the first time, the machine first checks the NETLOGON share on the domain controller to see if there is a Default Users folder present there. If it finds one, it uses this profile as a template for creating a user profile for the user. If Windows can't find a Default Users folder in NETLOGON, it uses the local Default Users profile to generate a profile for the user.

Mitch Tulloch is President of MTIT Enterprises, an IT content development company based in Winnipeg, Canada. Prior to starting his own company in 1998, Mitch worked as a Microsoft Certified Trainer (MCT) for Productivity Point International. Mitch is a widely recognized expert on Windows administration, networking and security and has written 14 books and over a hundred articles on various topics. He has been repeatedly awarded Most Valuable Professional (MVP) status by Microsoft for his outstanding contributions in supporting users who deploy Microsoft platforms, products and solutions. Mitch is also a professor at Jones International University (JIU) where he teaches graduate-level courses in Information Security Management (ISM) for their Masters of Business Administration (MBA) program. For more information see http://www.mtit.com.

About Mitch Tulloch

Mitch Tulloch was lead author for the Windows Vista Resource Kit from Microsoft Press, which is the book for IT pros who want to deploy, maintain and support Windows Vista in mid- and large-sized network environments. Mitch was also the author of Introducing Windows Server 2008 and technical project lead for the Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007 Resource Kit, both books also from Microsoft Press. For more information on these and other books by Mitch, see www.mtit.com .