User profiles may be deleted after you restart a computer that is running Windows Vista or Windows Server 2008

Article ID: 940017 - View products that this article applies to.
Beta Information
This article discusses a beta release of a Microsoft product. The information in this article is provided as-is and is subject to change without notice.

No formal product support is available from Microsoft for this beta product. For information about how to obtain support for a beta release, see the documentation that is included with the beta product files, or check the Web location where you downloaded the release.
Expand all | Collapse all

INTRODUCTION

This article describes the fact that user profiles may be deleted after you restart a computer that is running Windows Vista or Windows Server 2008. This behavior occurs because of the setting of a Group Policy that is available only in Windows Vista.

MORE INFORMATION

The "Delete user profiles older than a specified number of days on system restart" Group Policy is a new Group Policy in Windows Vista. When you configure the setting of this Group Policy and then restart the computer, the Group Policy may delete user profiles.

To view the setting of the "Delete user profiles older than a specified number of days on system restart" Group Policy in Windows Vista by using the Local Group Policy Editor, follow these steps:
  1. Click Start
    Collapse this imageExpand this image
    Start button
    , type gpedit.msc in the Start Search box, and then click gpedit in the Programs list.

    Collapse this imageExpand this image
    User Account Control permission
    If you are prompted for an administrator password or for confirmation, type the password, or click Continue.
  2. Under Computer Configuration, expand Administrative Templates, expand System, and then click User Profiles.
  3. In the details pane, double-click Delete user profiles older than a specified number of days on system restart.
Note You can also enable this Group Policy on a domain container or in an organizational unit by using Active Directory Domain Services (AD DS).

After you enable this Group Policy, the Group Policy enables the User Profiles service. When you restart the computer and then log on to the computer by using a user account that is a member of the administrators group, the User Profiles service deletes user profiles that have not been used within a specified number of days.

Note One day is interpreted as being 24 hours after a specific user profile was most recently accessed.

If you disable this Group Policy, or if you do not configure the setting of this Group Policy, the User Profiles service does not delete any user profiles when you restart the computer.

Properties

Article ID: 940017 - Last Review: January 31, 2008 - Revision: 2.1
APPLIES TO
  • Windows Vista Business
  • Windows Vista Enterprise
  • Windows Vista Home Premium
  • Windows Vista Home Basic
  • Windows Vista Ultimate
  • Windows Vista Enterprise 64-bit Edition
  • Windows Vista Home Premium 64-bit Edition
  • Windows Vista Home Basic 64-bit Edition
  • Windows Vista Ultimate 64-bit Edition
  • Windows Server 2008 Datacenter without Hyper-V
  • Windows Server 2008 Enterprise without Hyper-V
  • Windows Server 2008 for Itanium-Based Systems
  • Windows Server 2008 Standard without Hyper-V
  • Windows Server 2008 Datacenter
  • Windows Server 2008 Enterprise
  • Windows Server 2008 Standard
  • Windows Web Server 2008
Keywords: 
kbhowto kbexpertiseinter kbinfo KB940017
Back to the top | Give Feedback

Give Feedback

 
Back to the topBack to the top