WinXP user management & profiles (URGENT!)

[mpkr69]

Our network is Windows NT Server 4.0 based with a primary and secondary domain controller and most of the client machines run Windows 98.
We are now making the transistion over to Windows XP pro and I am having a few problems...
Some of our employees travel often so we bought them Dell laptops with docking stations.
The laptop is configured to log on to the domain. Whenever the employee travels, though, they will not be able to log on to the domain and therefore have to log on to the local machine. The problem with this is that the user profile for someone on the domain is different than the same account name locally.
For example,
A user account named "JSmith" is on the domain user list. A user account also named "JSmith" is in the local user list.
If I log on as "JSmith" to the domain, the computer starts up with a certain profile. If I log on to just the computer and NOT the domain as "JSmith", a completely different profile is created.

My problem is that I want these users to use the exact same profile settings whether they log on locally or to the domain.

I have already tried going to the user properties, changing the user profile path, and making the appropriate NTFS permissions settings changes for the local user. This does not work. Although the documents are in the same location, the user settings are different.

Can someone help me out on this?

Thanks

[Limerick]

Hi mpkr69,

Go to Start, Run. Type the command gpedit.msc to get into the Group Policy Editor. I think that's where you'll be able to accomplish what you are after...

Happy Computing!

Limerick

[mpkr69]

I can't seem to find this magic setting in the Group Policy editor you are talking about.

[WiseGuy1029]

No need for all that local user stuff... Windows will cache the users account. If there is no domain controller present and the user enters thier username, domain and password correctly they will be given access to the machine. Thier access will be exactly the same as the domain permission set.

Have your users enable offline files, and their documents and whatever else they chose to be available off line will be copied to thier machine and synchronized when they are connected to the network.

I've used this method at work for quite a while and I'm very pleased.

-WiseGuy

[mpkr69]

What if I need to connect the user to a different network that is in a different workgroup in another office? If I change the settings from logging on to a domiain to a workgroup, I would have to create a new local user account in order to log in (making it necessary to have two accounts for the same person). I want a single account for one person whether they are logging on to a domain or workgoup.

[ProfessorU]

I know for all 16-bit Microsoft OSes, what you are trying to do is impossible. I think if there have been any advances lately, it would be because of the wireless networking standards, since they typically are on more than one network (sometimes simultaneously). Have you posted in the networking forum? There may be a 3rd-party connection manager somewhere out there to handle all the settings without having to reconfigure every time.

Otherwise you'll just have to set up the PCs the way they like and copy user settings over to a new username and reconfigure the network stuff. A crappy workaround, I know.