Windows 7 / Getting Started

Understanding User Profiles in Windows 7

Beginning with Windows Vista, the way user profiles are implemented significantly changed compared with how they were implemented in earlier versions of Windows. One example of this change is the default storage location for local user profiles, which changed from C:\Documents And Settings in Windows XP to C:\Users in Windows Vista. Another example is the default location where documents are saved, which changed from the My Documents known folder in Windows XP to the Documents known folder in Windows Vista.

Windows 7 does not introduce any significant changes to the underlying structure of user profiles or where they are stored. However, Windows 7 does change the user experience of accessing user profile folders by introducing a new feature called Libraries. The following sections describe in detail the underlying structure of user profiles in Windows 7 and how the new Libraries feature helps users keep their documents and other files organized.

It's important for administrators to understand how user profiles work and how they are implemented. For example, because of user profile differences, a roaming user profile cannot be shared between a computer running Windows 7 (or Windows Vista) and one running Windows XP. Understanding how user profiles are implemented can also help administrators troubleshoot issues with users who cannot access their desktop or documents. Finally, an understanding of how user profiles work can provide guidance for training users on how they store and organize their documents.

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In this tutorial:

  1. Managing Users and User Data
  2. Understanding User Profiles in Windows 7
  3. Types of User Profiles
  4. User Profile Namespace
  5. User Profile Namespace in Windows XP
  6. User Profile Namespace in Windows Vista and Windows 7
  7. Application Compatibility Issue
  8. Disabling Known Folders
  9. Windows 7 Understanding Libraries
  10. Working with Libraries
  11. Including Indexed Folders in a Library
  12. Adding Nonindexed Remote Locations to a Library
  13. Creating Additional Libraries
  14. Managing Libraries
  15. Implementing Corporate Roaming
  16. Understanding Roaming User Profiles and Folder Redirection
  17. Understanding Roaming User Profiles in Earlier Versions of Windows
  18. Understanding Folder Redirection in Earlier Versions of Windows
  19. Enhancements to Roaming User Profiles and Folder Redirection Previously Introduced in Windows Vista
  20. Additional Enhancements to Roaming User Profiles and Folder Redirection Introduced in Windows 7
  21. Improved First Logon Performance With Folder Redirection
  22. Implementing Folder Redirection
  23. Configuring the Redirection Method
  24. Configuring Target Folder Location
  25. Configuring Redirection Options
  26. Configuring Policy Removal Options
  27. Folder Redirection and Sync Center
  28. Considerations for Mixed Environments
  29. Additional Group Policy Settings for Folder Redirection
  30. Troubleshooting Folder Redirection
  31. Implementing Roaming User Profiles
  32. Creating a Default Network Profile
  33. Configuring a User Account to Use a Roaming Profile
  34. Implementing Mandatory Profiles
  35. Implementing Super-Mandatory Profiles
  36. Managing User Profiles Using Group Policy
  37. Working with Offline Files
  38. Enhancements to Offline Files Introduced Previously in Windows Vista
  39. Additional Enhancements to Offline Files Introduced in Windows 7
  40. Understanding Offline File Sync
  41. Modes of Operation in Offline Files
  42. Managing Offline Files
  43. Managing Offline Files Using Windows Explorer
  44. Managing Offline Files Using the Offline Files Control Panel
  45. Managing Offline Files Using Sync Center
  46. Configuring Offline Files on the Server
  47. Managing Offline Files Using Group Policy
  48. Offline Files Policy Settings Introduced in Windows Vista
  49. Additional Offline Files Policy Settings for Windows 7