Creation of Profiles and Logon Scripts

[StacyRasmussen]

We have Win2k3 Servers and XP SP2 machines in most of our labs. When a student logs in for the first time, the logon scripts won't run sometimes. After the first logon though, the script always seems to run and map their drives/printers. Is there something stopping the script from running the first time that the profile is created?

Thanks for any ideas you might have.

[JerryC]

Hi Stacy,

Are the user accounts using either Roaming or Mandatory profiles?

:? Can you verify that it is a "User Logon" script as opposed to a "Computer Startup" script that's at issue?

:P Have you Enabled the computer GPO setting Always wait for the network at computer startup and login setting? (Note: This setting shouldn't affect a first-time logon for a new user account on any particular device, but I'm curious. See COMMENT at bottom.)

:roll: Are you sure that the script is "not" running? Perhaps it is running but just not working correctly...at least that first time. How are you verifying that the script is literally not running?

:wink: Since this is a first time logon, I suppose it's possible that something is missing...like the affected part of the User's registry...so that the script could run all it wants, but the thing it affects is just not there yet. It's also possible that while the script is working correctly...the system just isn't "reading" the settings and so cannot display them without some kind of refresh. Is there something you could do to verify this? One possibility might be to manually make a similar change and see if the expected settings (mapped drives...printers, etc.) "pop" into place along with that new one.

:shock: Can you post a UserEnv.log file after setting up a device to run in Verbose UserEnv logging mode?

Location of Log C:\Windows\Debug\Usermode\UserEnv.log

Verbose Mode On
[code:1]Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Wind ows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon]
"UserEnvDebugLevel"=dword:0003000 2[/code]
Verbose Mode Off
[code:1]Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Wind ows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon]
"UserEnvDebugLevel"=dword:0000000 0[/code]
=======================================
COMMENT For a new account on a device, the local system "has" to obtain authorization/authentication for that new account and that means the system "must" wait for the network. That should mean that existing User Logon scripts "should" run, especially the first time a user logs on...after that...you might have a single Logon/Logoff/Logon cycle delay when deploying "new" user logon scripts.
=======================================

[AdamV]

...or possibly it is not running most of the time but due to persistent connections it appears to be OK as long as it has run once in the past.

Slow network starup and failing to wait for this would definitely be the most obvious, so go through Jerry's steps and see what drops out.

[GroupPolicyObj]

I am also experiencing a similar problem.

I have a group of lab machines that run a drive mapping script via a bat file. If the person is a member of a particular security group (using loopback policy merge mode) the script executes.

The script however only seems to run after a person has already created a profile. Fortunately the problem seems to reproduce frequently and our manager who is resonsible for those machines has been able to reproduce the error.

I've changed it so the script is now mapping using VB Script and made sure the DNS servers on each machine where pointing to our domain controller DNS servers which usually has an effect on Group Policy settigns (University environment with Unix based DNS servers being configured via DHCP).

In any case, the manager of the machines down there is aware of my changes and is going to test further.

Will update...