Modifying the Default User Profile

If you want new users to have consistent settings that are different from the default, you can modify the Default User profile. However, this process isn't as simple as it sounds or as simple as it was in Windows XP.

In Windows XP, you typically followed these steps to modify the default user profile:

1. Create an account and log on. (This creates a profile for this account from the Default User profile.) You would typically create another administrator account so that you would have permission to make the changes.
2. Modify the desired settings to modify the profile of the account. When all of the settings have been modified, log off.
3. Log on with the regular administrator account. Access the Profiles page (from the Advanced tab of System Properties), and copy the new profile over the top of the Default User profile.

However, this causes problems in Windows 7 (and actually caused some problems in Windows XP). It is no longer the recommended method and isn't even possible.

If you select any profi le except the Default Profi le, the Copy To button is disabled. You're not able to copy an existing profi le over the top of the Default Profi le in Windows 7 using this screen.

Instead, the recommended method is to use the Windows System Image Manager tool and the Sysprep tool. The overall steps are as follows:

1. Log on with any account that you want to use as the default. The account will need administrative permissions, and you can use the Administrator account if desired.
2. Modify the desired settings to modify the profile of the account.
3. Create an unattend.xml file using Windows System Image Manager.
4. Add or modify the CopyProfile parameter so that it reads as follows:
   <CopyProfile>true</CopyProfile>.
   This will cause the currently logged-on user settings to be copied to the Default User profile when Sysprep is run.
5. Run Sysprep on the system with the following command:
   sysprep.exe /generalize /unattend: unattend.xml
   If the unattend.xml file is located in a different directory, you'll need to include the full path.

Note It's important to realize that even though you are copying the profile settings of the Administrator account, you are not copying the rights and permissions. Rights and permissions are not stored in the profile, so copying the administrator's profile to the Default User profile does not give all new users full administrative permissions.

If you need to customize the Default User profile, check out Microsoft's Knowledge Base article 973289, which provides more in-depth details on these steps. You can find it here: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/973289.