System Preparation Tool Does Not Save Desktop Preferences

When you configure a Windows NT-based computer by using the System Preparation (Sysprep) tool, your desktop preferences are not saved, except for the local administrator preferences.

This problem can occur when you use Sysprep to configure a Windows NT- based computer. Sysprep may delete any locally stored profile, except the profile of the administrator.

If you do not use roaming profiles and you need to have the same desktop preferences as the administrator:

1. On the computer with the source installation files, log on as the local administrator.
2. Select the desktop preferences for use as the default settings for all users.
3. Click Start, point to Settings, and then click Control Panel.
4. Double-click System, and then click User Profiles.
5. Click Administrator, and then click Copy To.
6. In the Copy Profile To box, type the following line:
   
   %systemroot%\profiles\default user
7. Click Change.
8. In the List Names From box, click the name of the current computer.
9. Click Everyone, Click Add, and then click OK.

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in the Windows NT 4.0 System Preparation tool.

The desktop preferences are stored in a Ntuser.dat file that is specific to each user. When you run Sysprep on a computer, it changes the Security Identifiers (SIDs) on the local Ntuser.dat file for only the local administrator, and then any other Ntuser.dat files for users other than the administrator are deleted. When you log on for the first time, Windows NT checks for a local profile in the %SystemRoot%\Profiles\%Username% folder. If Windows NT does not find one, a local profile is created by using defaults from the %SystemRoot%\ Profiles\All Users folder and the %SystemRoot%\Profiles\Default User folder and your SID is appended to the new Ntuser.dat file.

Therefore, when the administrator logs on, Windows NT uses the profile of the administrator that is located in the %SystemRoot%\Profiles folder and the SID in the Ntuser.dat file matches.