Article ID: 873485 - Last Review: December 14, 2004 - Revision: 2.5

You receive a "Windows cannot locate the server copy of your roaming profile" error message when you log on to a wireless network with Windows XP

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SYMPTOMS

When you use a roaming profile to log on to your wireless network from your Windows XP-based 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.

When you click Detail, you receive the following error message:

The network location cannot be reached. For information about network troubleshooting, see Windows Help.

If you have user environment logging turned on, the Userenv.log log file may appear like the following:

USERENV(29c.2a0) 18:36:26:398 LoadUserProfile: Entering, hToken = <0x458>, lpProfileInfo = 0x6e734
USERENV(29c.2a0) 18:36:26:408 LoadUserProfile: lpProfileInfo->dwFlags = <0x0>
USERENV(29c.2a0) 18:36:26:428 LoadUserProfile: lpProfileInfo->lpUserName = <user1>
USERENV(29c.2a0) 18:36:26:448 LoadUserProfile: lpProfileInfo->lpProfilePath = <\\ttlsserver2\profiles\user1>
USERENV(29c.2a0) 18:36:26:468 LoadUserProfile: NULL default profile path
USERENV(29c.2a0) 18:36:26:478 LoadUserProfile: NULL server name
USERENV(29c.2a0) 18:36:26:488 LoadUserProfile: User sid: S-1-5-21-1417001333-436374069-1343024091-1154
USERENV(29c.2a0) 18:36:26:498 CSyncManager::EnterLock <S-1-5-21-1417001333-436374069-1343024091-1154>
USERENV(29c.2a0) 18:36:26:508 CSyncManager::EnterLock: No existing entry found
USERENV(29c.2a0) 18:36:26:528 CSyncManager::EnterLock: New entry created
USERENV(29c.2a0) 18:36:26:548 CHashTable::HashAdd: S-1-5-21-1417001333-436374069-1343024091-1154 added in bucket 9
USERENV(29c.2a0) 18:36:26:568 LoadUserProfile: Wait succeeded. In critical section.
USERENV(29c.2a0) 18:36:26:578 LoadUserProfile: Expanded profile path is \\ttlsserver2\profiles\user1
USERENV(29c.2a0) 18:36:26:588 ParseProfilePath: Entering, lpProfilePath = <\\ttlsserver2\profiles\user1>
USERENV(29c.2a0) 18:36:26:699 AbleToBypassCSC: Try to bypass CSC
USERENV(29c.2a0) 18:36:26:709 AbleToBypassCSC: tried NPAddConnection3ForCSCAgent. Error 1231.
USERENV(29c.2a0) 18:36:26:949 ParseProfilePath: CSC bypassed failed. Ignoring Roaming profile path
USERENV(29c.2a0) 18:36:26:979 ReportError: Impersonating user.
USERENV(29c.2a0) 18:36:27:049 ReportError: Logging Error <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. Possible causes of this error include network problems or insufficient security rights. If this problem persists, contact your network administrator. 
DETAIL - The network location cannot be reached. For information about network troubleshooting, see Windows Help.

Alternatively, when you view the Userenv.log log file, you may see an Error 53 recorded, instead of an Error 1231.

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CAUSE

This problem may occur when all the following conditions are true:

You log on to Active Directory directory service with a user account that is configured with a roaming profile.
You connect using a wireless network that is configured with Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA) network authentication and does not have any other authentication method configured, such as Protected Extensible Authentication Protocol (PEAP).
You turn on your computer and log on immediately after the "Welcome to Windows" screen appears.

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RESOLUTION

To resolve this issue, you must wait about 30 seconds after the “Welcome to Windows” screen appears before you enter your credentials to log on.

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MORE INFORMATION

This problem occurs because the wireless network adaptor has not yet tried or completed machine authentication. Machine authentication provides an authenticated open port on the WAP that is available when the user logs on. When user authentication occurs, a simultaneous domain logon also occurs as re-authentication of the network connection. If machine authentication does not complete successfully, the domain logon fails, and the computer logs on with cached credentials. Because the computer has not logged on to the domain, the roaming profile and any logon scripts do not work correctly.
For additional information about user environment debug logging, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

221833 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/221833/ ) How to enable user environment debug logging in retail builds of Windows

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