How to properly mass delete user profiles in Windows 7 in a Server 2008 R2 environment

175 pts.
Tags:
Group Policy
Group Policy management
Microsoft Windows 7
Windows Server 2008
Windows Server 2008 R2
How do you delete user profiles properly in Windows 7? I need to do this for a school environment, so using the Advanced System Settings Option in Control panel and deleting each profile one at a time for each computer is not an option. Delprof used to work in XP but not in Windows 7.

I have tried using Computer Configuration -> Policies -> Administrative Templates -> System -> User Profiles -> Delete User profiles older than a specified number of days on system restart. However, for some reason it does not delete the profiles. I have created a Computer OU and added a test computer into this OU. I have enabled this setting and set it to delete after 1 day. I ran the group policy results wizard and it says that this policy is applied and no errors show in the wizard. Still the profiles are not being deleted after restart.

I have done the gpupdate /force after adding the policy. I log on to the Windows 7 computer after restart and the user profiles are all still present.

Any thoughts as to whey these profiles are not being deleted using this Group Policy Setting? Is there any other known program that will delete these profiles and the associated registry entries?

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hi..

Here are some tips to clear user local profile via registry, but first make sure you have full administrator to do command…back up your registry if have to..

Press on Start > Run >Regedit

Navigate to the following registry key :“HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\ProfileList”
Under ProfileList navigate to binary key’s like this :S-1-5-21-3656904587-1668747452-4095529-500

On the right side under ProfileImagePath you’ll see the username and profile path.

Chose the one with the desired user and delete the long reg key like :“HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\ProfileList”

hope this works for you…if not you can download program that manages user profiles, follow link if necessary… can manage this by command line, if not mistaken, but its trial/paid software.

http://www.forensit.com/desktop-management.html

See this Microsoft KB article http://support.microsoft.com/kb/983544 it will solve your issue and explain why.

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  • Uninstall Ask Toolbar ? How to Delete Ask Toolbar Programs Easily and Satisfactorily
    [...] How to properly mass delete user profiles in Windows 7 in a Server … [...]
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  • Subhendu Sen
    It can possible to do with User Profiles dialog in System Properties.... Computer > Properties > Advanced system settings > Settings for User Profiles > Select profile u want to delete and click the delete button. To clear user profile completely or clean.... Start > Run >Regedit > Look for the following registry key.... HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWAREMicrosoftWindowsNTCurrentVersionProfileList Under ProfileList invoke binary key as : S-1-5-21-3656904587-1668747452-4095529-500 On and under ProfileImagePath see username and profile path. Now select with desired user and delete the long reg key like HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWAREMicrosoftWindows NTCurrentVersionProfileList Before doing this, hope u may take necessary backups. Thanks--
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  • The Most-Watched IT Questions: February 1, 2011 - ITKE Community Blog
    [...] 5. All the usual suspects showed up to help Sangay tell the difference between module and a program in AS/400. 6. Rakei and Rechil do their best to describe how to properly mass delete user profiles in Windows 7 in a Windows Server 2008 R2 environment. [...]
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  • Spadasoe
    lansweeper now has a module for doing this with delprof and a machine list
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