ODB Migration Project | Disable Folder Redirection during COVID when most of the workforce is remote, not on network at logon

Joe C 1 Reputation point
2020-10-08T19:57:07.55+00:00

My company has a project going on to migrate the users to OneDrive for Business for their data. Unfortunately, most users have folder redirection enabled via GPO on their workstations. A huge chunk of our workforce is remote due to COVID-19 and that means that these users will NOT be on the network when they logon to their machines. Hence we're having some challenges with this project since one of the prerequisites is to disable Folder Redirection. We need to accomplish this step before we can deploy the ODB known folder move process to the users.

Does anyone have any advice or experience in this scenario? I don't think Microsoft ever considered a global pandemic when the GPO settings for Folder Redirection were crafted. Here are a few options we've thought about, although feasibility and technical process have not been thoroughly flushed out:

  1. Manually disable folder redirection by registry changes, purging local workstation GPO cache. Concerns with this approach are many, we don't know if it would even work. We'd also likely have to manually deal with moving the user's data around to get back on the workstation in order to sync with ODB. The users are remote, so doing this manually will be tedious and require lots of hand-holding. Not to mention it is disruptive to their day/workflow.
  2. Make each user pick a time and go into the office, our IT team will then manually move the computer object to OU's where policies can be applied to disable folder redirection, move their content back to the local hard drive, then apply a separate GPO to enable ODB KFM. This approach may work, but it will also be disruptive and require the users to go into the office which may have other complications since we are still dealing with a pandemic.
  3. Slow transition over time - meaning we develop a process that works regardless of how painful it is and start using that on a user-by-user basis. This is not idea and will be a pain when collaborating with other people in the company if they aren't all on the same file access/sharing system. Plus it will take a long time to complete with many hundreds of users in scope.

We are hoping there might be other options. The goal is to make this process as seamless and transparent to the end users as possible, while hopefully being able to complete the transition with the user remaining remote. We do not currently have an easy way to deploy a VPN solution that will allow them to be on-network at logon.

Any ideas, suggestions or strategies for this type of challenge? Maybe you just feel our pain and want to add your voice of sympathy? :)

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  1. Daisy Zhou 18,706 Reputation points Microsoft Vendor
    2020-10-09T02:05:00.157+00:00

    Hello @Joe C ,

    Thank you for posting here.

    I think the best and easy method is we should redirect these folders back to local user profile via GPO through VPN or in domain network.

    As we mentioned, we do not currently have an easy way to deploy a VPN solution.

    After we redirect these folders back to local user profile via GPO, then we can deploy the ODB known folder.

    For example:

    1. We need to redirect the previously redirected desktop folder back to the original local path. The following is that the desktop is not in the local user profile path but is redirected to one network path.
      31046-r1.png
      31134-r2.png
    2. Please make sure the desktop folder of the specified user has been redirected back to the local path. If the desktop is not redirected back to the local path, please set the following policy on the existing folder redirection GPO, and then use the user to log in to the client to update the policy.
      31135-r3.png
    3. Then set the folder redirection to the "unconfigured" state, and then use the user to log in to the client to update the policy.
      31020-r4.png
    4. Make sure that the user's desktop folder is indeed in the path of the local user profile.
      31105-r5.png

    5.After we redirect these folders back to local user profile via GPO, then we can deploy the ODB known folder based on your requirements and needs.

    Best Regards，
    Daisy Zhou

  2. Tony Johncock 1 Reputation point
    2020-11-09T09:28:50.627+00:00

    @Joe C did you ever find a suitable solution? I am in -exactly- the same position right now.

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  3. Chris Georgeson 1 Reputation point
    2020-11-20T15:17:27.52+00:00

    I am also in this situation. I really don't see around this method besides either:

    1. Swapping out users computers with fresh built PC's that get newer GPO's that don't have folder redirection
    2. have the users come into the corporate network and work with IT to get the GPO's to apply on startup.
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