Folder Redirection Extension Tools and Settings
Applies To: Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2003 R2, Windows Server 2003 with SP1, Windows Server 2003 with SP2
In this section
Folder Redirection Tools
Folder Redirection Settings
Folder Redirection Registry Keys
Related Information
Folder Redirection Tools
The following is a list of tools available for supporting and configuring Folder Redirection.
Folder Redirection Logging
Errors and failures of Folder Redirection processing are logged as events in the Application Event log. In addition, Folder Redirection can provide a detailed log to aid troubleshooting. To create a detailed log file for Folder Redirection, add a value to the following registry key:
HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Diagnostics
Set: FdeployDebugLevel = Reg_DWORD 0x0f
A log file, Fdeploy.log, is created and stored in the %windir%\debug\usermode\ folder.
Group Policy Administrative Tools
The following Group Policy administrative tools are used to administer Group Policy components:
Group Policy Management Console
Group Policy Object Editor
Resultant Set of Policy Snap-in
For more information about these tools, please see the “Group Policy Administrative Tools” section.
Folder Redirection Settings
There are two types of Folder Redirection. The type you choose to use depends on your network configuration and security considerations.
Basic. This option redirects everyone’s folder to the same location. All folders affected by this Group Policy object will be stored on the same network share.
Advanced. This option specifies locations for various user groups. Folders are redirected to different network shares based on security group membership. For example, folders belonging to users in the Accounting group can be redirected to the Finance server, while folders belonging to users in the Sales group can be redirected to the Marketing server.
The following list describes the settings available for redirecting folders.
Grant the user exclusive rights to My Documents. If selected, this sets the NTFS security descriptor for the %username% folder to Full Control for the user and local system only; this means that administrators and other users do not have access rights to the folder. This option is enabled by default. Rights to this folder can later be modified to enable administrators to access these folders.
Move the contents of My Documents to the new location. This setting moves any file the user has in the local My Documents folder to the server share. This option is enabled by default.
Leave the folder in the new location when policy is removed. This setting specifies that files remain in the new location when the Group Policy object no longer applies. This option is enabled by default.
Redirect the folder back to the local user profile location when policy is removed. If enabled, this setting specifies for the folder to be copied back to the local profile location if the Group Policy object no longer applies.
There are two additional settings available only for My Pictures folder.
Make My Pictures a subfolder of My Documents. If selected, when the My Documents folder is redirected, My Pictures remains a subfolder of My Documents. By default, My Pictures automatically follows the My Documents folder.
Do not specify administrative policy for My Pictures. If selected, Group Policy does not control the location of My Pictures; this is determined by the user profile.
The following table outlines the behavior of redirected folders, and the files contained in them, when the policy for Folder Redirection is removed.
Summary of Folder Redirection Policy Removal Settings
| Move the contents of special folder to the new location setting | Setting selected for the Policy Removal option | When policy is removed |
|---|---|---|
Enabled |
Redirect the folder back to the user profile location when policy is removed. |
The special folder returns to its user profile location. The folder contents are copied back to the user profile location. The contents are not deleted from the redirected location. The user can continue to access the contents, but only on the local computer. |
Disabled |
Redirect the folder back to the user profile location when policy is removed. |
The special folder returns to its user profile location. Note: In this case, the folder contents are not copied or moved to the user profile location. As a result, the user can no longer see the contents. |
Either Enabled or Disabled |
Leave the folder in the new location when policy is removed. |
The special folder remains at its redirected location. The contents remain at the redirected location. The user continues to have access to the contents at the redirected folder. |
Note
- Changing the redirection option to “Not Configured” does not redirect the folder to the local profile. This option means that Folder Redirection is not configured—if a folder was previously redirected it will continue to be redirected to the previous location. If administrators wish to return the folder to the local user profile they should use the Redirect to the local user profile setting.
Folder Redirection Registry Keys
The following registry entries are associated with Folder Redirection.
The information here is provided as a reference for use in troubleshooting or verifying that the required settings are applied. You should not directly edit the registry unless there is no other alternative. Modifications to the registry are not validated by the registry editor or by Windows before they are applied, and as a result, incorrect values can be stored. This can result in unrecoverable errors in the system. When possible, use Group Policy or other Windows tools, such as Microsoft Management Console (MMC), to accomplish tasks rather than editing the registry directly. If you must edit the registry, use extreme caution.
Note
- Folder Redirection extension does not own the User Shell Folder keys, but simply manipulates them.
The following tables describe the registry settings associated with Folder Redirection.
HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\User Shell Folders\
| Value Name | Type | Purpose | Platforms |
|---|---|---|---|
Personal |
REG_EXPAND_SZ |
Populated with redirected path from policy. |
W2K, WinXP |
My Pictures |
REG_EXPAND_SZ |
Populated with redirected path from policy. |
W2K, WinXP |
Desktop |
REG_EXPAND_SZ |
Populated with redirected path from policy. |
W2K, WinXP |
AppData |
REG_EXPAND_SZ |
Populated with redirected path from policy. |
W2K, WinXP |
Start Menu |
REG_EXPAND_SZ |
Populated with redirected path from policy. |
W2K, WinXP |
Startup |
REG_EXPAND_SZ |
Populated with redirected path from policy. |
W2K, WinXP |
Programs |
REG_EXPAND_SZ |
Populated with redirected path from policy. |
W2K, WinXP |
HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Shell Folders\
| Value Name | Type | Purpose | Platforms |
|---|---|---|---|
Personal |
REG_SZ |
Populated with expanded redirected path from policy. |
W2K, WinXP |
My Pictures |
REG_SZ |
Populated with expanded redirected path from policy. |
W2K, WinXP |
Desktop |
REG_SZ |
Populated with expanded redirected path from policy. |
W2K, WinXP |
AppData |
REG_SZ |
Populated with expanded redirected path from policy. |
W2K, WinXP |
Start Menu |
REG_SZ |
Populated with expanded redirected path from policy. |
W2K, WinXP |
Startup |
REG_SZ |
Populated with expanded redirected path from policy. |
W2K, WinXP |
Programs |
REG_SZ |
Populated with expanded redirected path from policy. |
W2K, WinXP |
HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Diagnostics
| Value Name | Type | Purpose | Platforms |
|---|---|---|---|
FDeployDebugLevel |
REG_DWORD |
Determines the logging level of Folder Redirection. |
W2K, WinXP |
FDeployDebugBreak |
REG_DWORD |
Makes the Folder Redirection client break into the debugger at startup. |
W2K, WinXP |
HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer
| Value Name | Type | Purpose | Platforms |
|---|---|---|---|
DisablePersonalDirChange |
REG_DWORD |
Prevent users from changing the location of the My Documents folder through the UI on the My Documents properties sheet if the folder is redirected through policy. |
W2K, WinXP |
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon\GPExtensions\{25537BA6-77A8-11D2-9B6C-0000F8080861}
(This is registration information from fdeploy.dll)
| Value Name | Type | Purpose | Platforms |
|---|---|---|---|
DllName |
REG_EXPAND_SZ |
Name of the dll. |
W2K, WinXP |
EventSources |
REG_MULTI_SZ |
For event logging. |
W2K, WinXP |
GenerateGroupPolicy |
REG_SZ |
Entry point for planning mode RSoP. |
WinXP |
ProcessGroupPolicyEx |
REG_SZ |
Entry point for diagnostic mode RSoP and regular policy application. |
WinXP |
NoBackgroundPolicy |
REG_DWORD |
Disposition during background policy application. |
W2K, WinXP |
NoGPOListChanges |
REG_DWORD |
Disposition when the GPO list has not changed. |
W2K, WinXP |
NoMachinePolicy |
REG_DWORD |
Disposition when processing machine policies. |
W2K, WinXP |
NoSlowLink |
REG_DWORD |
Disposition when connected over slow link. |
W2K, WinXP |
PerUserLocalSettings |
REG_DWORD |
Determine if history should be maintained per-user per computer-. |
W2K, WinXP |
Related Information
The following resources contain additional information that is relevant to this section.
The Group Policy Settings Reference for Windows Server 2003