Microsoft KB Archive/832850

= You receive a &quot;Windows cannot locate the server copy of your roaming profile&quot; error message when you try to log on to a Windows XP-based client =

Article ID: 832850

Article Last Modified on 10/13/2004

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APPLIES TO


 * Microsoft Windows XP Professional

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INTRODUCTION
If your account uses a roaming profile or a non-local home folder, when you try to log on to a Microsoft Windows XP-based client computer, you may receive an error message. This issue may occur if your roaming profile or home folder is located on a computer that has Internet Connection Firewall (ICF) turned on. This article discusses two possible ways to resolve this problem.



SYMPTOMS
If you are using an account that is configured to use a roaming profile or a non-local home folder, when you try to log on to a Windows XP client computer, you may receive the following error message:

Windows cannot locate the server copy of your roaming 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 logoff. You may receive this error message because of network problems or insufficient security rights. If this problem persists, contact your network administrator.

DETAIL - The network path was not found.



CAUSE
This issue may occur if your roaming profile or home folder is located on a computer that has ICF turned on.



RESOLUTION
To resolve this issue, use one of the following methods:
 * Disable ICF on the computer that stores the user profile.
 * Move the user's roaming profile or home folder to a computer that has ICF disabled.

Disable ICF
Note ICF is designed to help protect computers that are directly connected to the Internet. ICF is available for local area network (LAN) or dial-up connections. It also helps prevent Internet users from connecting to the shared resources on your computer. When you disable ICF, you remove the protection that it helps to provide. Disable ICF only if you understand the implications of doing so. For more information about ICF, see the &quot;More Information&quot; section of this article.

To disable ICF, follow these steps:
 * 1) Click Start and then click Control panel.
 * 2) Double-click Networking and Internet Connections, and then click Network Connections.
 * 3) Right-click the connection where you want to disable ICF, and then click Properties.
 * 4) Click the Advanced tab, under Internet Connection Firewall, click to clear the Protect my computer and network by limiting or preventing access to this computer from the internet check box, and then click OK
 * 5) Click Close.

Move the roaming user profile or home folder
To move a roaming user profile or a home folder, follow these steps:
 * 1) Create and share folders on the destination computer for the specific user.
 * 2) Copy the existing user profile.
 * 3) Configure the user account to use the roaming user profile and the home folder.

Step 1: Create and share folders on the destination computer for the specific user
 Log on as an administrator to the computer that you want to store the user profile and the home folder, and then disable ICF on this computer. Create a folder in the Documents and Settings folder, and name the folder as user's user name. For example:

c:\Documents and Settings\ _folder

 Create a home folder and share it for the specific user, and set permissions on the home folder that permit the user to access the folder. For example:

D:\Home Directories\

Note For additional information about permissions for files and folders, see the &quot;More information&quot; section of this article.

Step 2: Copy the existing user profile

 * 1) Log on to the computer with an account that has administrator credentials.
 * 2) Click Start, right-click My Computer, and then click Properties.
 * 3) Click the Advanced tab, and then click Settings under User Profiles.
 * 4) In the Profiles stored on this computer list, click the profile that you want to copy, and then click Copy To.
 * 5) In the Copy To dialog box, click Browse, locate the folder that you created in step 1.2, and then click OK three times.

Step 3: Configure the user account to use the roaming user profile and home folder
Note A network administrator must complete this step. If you do not have network administrator credentials on your network, contact your network administrator to complete this step.  Log on to the domain controller with an account that has administrator credentials. Click Start, point to Programs, point to Administrative Tools, and then click Active Directory Users and Computers.</li> Expand Domain, and then click the folder where the users are located. Typically, users are located in the Users folder.</li> In the list of user names, right-click the name of the user profile that you want to modify, and then click Properties.</li> Specify the profile path and the home folder. To do so, follow these steps:  Click Profile, in the Profile Path box, type the full path of the Profiles folder that you created (for a Windows XP client). For example, type the following path:

\\ \share\Profiles

</li> Click Profile, click Connect, and then specify a drive letter.</li> In the To box, type the full path of the user folder in the Profiles folder that you created (for a Windows XP client). For example, type the following path:

\\computer name\share\Profiles\.

</li></ol> </li> Click OK.</li> On the Console menu, click Exit</li></ol>

<div class="summary_section">

SUMMARY
For additional information about ICF, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

283673 How to enable or disable Internet Connection Firewall in Windows XP

For additional information about how to set folder permissions for the user, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

308418 How to set, view, change, or remove file and folder permissions in Windows XP

Keywords: kbprb KB832850

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