Corrupted User Profiles Can Cause New Local Default to Be Lost (230279)

SYMPTOMS

When you download a corrupted profile from the central server, error 1009 is logged in the Event System log. A new local profile is then created from the local default setting. However, after you restart your computer, the computer does not reference the new local profile and begins the cycle of loading the corrupted profile from the server again. The following error message is then displayed:

The system cannot find the drive specified.

CAUSE

This problem occurs when Terminal Server detects a certain type of profile corruption. A flag is set, causing the reference to the newly created user profile to not be saved in the registry. The user is given a new copy of the local default profile and can make changes to it. These changes are saved to the hard disk. When the computer is restarted, it searches for the local version to check the time stamp versus the server version. This check is ONLY made against profiles listed in the registry (not against the physical files in the profile directory) and thus, the recently created local copy is ignored. The computer then repeats the process of downloading the server copy (which is still corrupted) and the cycle repeats.

RESOLUTION

To resolve this problem, obtain the latest service pack for Windows NT Server 4.0, Terminal Server Edition. For additional information, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

152734 How to Obtain the Latest Windows NT 4.0 Service Pack

STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed that this is a problem in Windows NT 4.0. This problem was first corrected in Windows NT Server 4.0, Terminal Server Edition, Service Pack 5.

MORE INFORMATION

For more information about this problem in Windows NT, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

216867 Corrupted User Profiles Can Cause New Local Default to be Lost