How To Delete User Profiles by Using the User Profile Deletion Utility (Delprof.exe) in Windows 2000

This step-by-step article describes how to delete user profiles on Windows 2000-based computers by using the User Profile Deletion Utility (Delprof.exe).

Delprof.exe is available in the Microsoft Windows 2000 Resource Kit. It is a command-line utility that you can use to delete user profiles on a local or remote Windows 2000-based computer. User profiles can grow large and may take up considerable disk space, especially if there are several users using one computer. Because of this, you may want to use Delprof.exe to free disk space by deleting profiles that are no longer required. However, because each profile on the computer is presented in order when you run the utility, you may want to use the Graphical User Interface (GUI) instead of the command-line tool whenever this is possible.

You must be logged on as administrator or as a member of the Administrators group to delete user profiles.

Overview of the Delprof.exe Tool

Delprof.exe uses the delprof /q /i /p /c:\\computer name /d:days syntax. You can use the following parameters with Delprof.exe:

• /q: This parameter runs Delprof.exe in quiet mode. When you use this parameter, you are not prompted to confirm the deletion of each profile.
• /i: This parameter ignores any errors that may occur.
• /p: This parameter specifies that a message is displayed that prompts you to confirm the deletion of each profile.
• /c:\\computer name: This parameter specifies the computer name on which to run Delprof.exe.
• /d:days: This parameter specifies the number of days after which Delprof.exe considers the profiles as inactive. Profiles that have not been used for a period of time that is longer than the specified value are deleted.

WARNING: Delprof.exe deletes all data that is stored in a user profile. This includes desktop settings, favorites, program-specific data that is contained in the Application Data folder, and the contents of the My Documents folder. Please be aware of any user documents that may be deleted before you use this tool.

Examples

How to Use Delprof.exe to Delete User Profiles on a Remote Computer

The following example describes how to use Delprof.exe to delete user profiles on a remote computer that is named Server1. Note that if you do not specify a computer in the command, Delprof.exe defaults to the local computer.

1. Click Start, point to Programs, point to Accessories, and then click Command Prompt.
2. At the command prompt, type delprof /p /c:\\server1, and then press ENTER. For each cached user profile on Server1, a message is displayed in the command prompt window that prompts you to confirm its deletion. For example, you receive a message that is similar to the following message:
   Delete \\SERVER1\D$\Documents and Settings\User1? (Yes/No/All)
3. Complete one of the following actions for each user profile that you are prompted to delete:
   • Type y, and then press ENTER if you want to delete the profile.
   • Type n, and then press ENTER if you do not want to delete the profile.
4. Type exit, and then press ENTER to quit the command prompt.

How to Use Delprof.exe to Delete User Profiles After a Specified Period of Inactivity

The following example describes how to use Delprof.exe to delete user profiles on the local computer that have been inactive for 30 days:

1. Click Start, point to Programs, point to Accessories, and then click Command Prompt.
2. At the command prompt, type delprof /p /d:30, and then press ENTER. For each user profile that has not been used on the computer for 30 days, a message is displayed that prompts you to confirm its deletion. For example, you receive a message that is similar to the following message:
   Delete \\MYCOMPUTER\D$\Documents and Settings\User2? (Yes/No/All)
3. Complete one of the following actions for each user profile that you are prompted to delete:
   • Type y, and then press ENTER if you want to delete the profile.
   • Type n, and then press ENTER if you do not want to delete the profile.
4. Type exit, and then press ENTER to quit the command prompt.

Troubleshooting

You may receive the following message when you attempt to use Delprof.exe to delete user profiles: This behavior can occur if you are not logged on to the computer as an administrator or as a member of the Administrators group.

To resolve this behavior, log on to the computer as an administrator or as a member of the administrators group, and then use Delprof.exe to delete the appropriate user profiles.

For more information about Delprof.exe, type delprof /? at the command prompt, and then press ENTER. For additional information about deletion of user profiles in Windows 2000, click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: For more information about the Windows 2000 Resource Kit, view the following Microsoft Web site: