The HOMEDRIVE, HOMEPATH, and HOMESHARE environment variables may not function as you intend if you modify them in Windows 2000 (841343)


The information in this article applies to:

  • Microsoft Windows 2000 Advanced Server
  • Microsoft Windows 2000 Datacenter Server
  • Microsoft Windows 2000 Professional
  • Microsoft Windows 2000 Server

SYMPTOMS

After you modify one or more of the following environment variables, these variables may not function as you intend:
  • HOMEDRIVE
  • HOMEPATH
  • HOMESHARE

CAUSE

This behavior occurs because Windows automatically updates these environment variables. If you modify these variables instead, Windows may override your changes.

RESOLUTION

To avoid this behavior, do not modify these variables. Instead, you can change the path of a user's home folder by using Group Policy or by editing the user's Terminal Services profile in Active Directory Users and Computers. For additional information about how to change the path of a user's home folder, visit the following Microsoft Web site:

http://technet2.microsoft.com/windowsserver/en/library/60AA6FEB-3005-479E-AB36-FAD4B94920AB1033.mspx

STATUS

This behavior is by design.

MORE INFORMATION

This behavior occurs after the hotfix that is mentioned in Microsoft Knowledge Base article 834792 is installed. The hotfix is also included in the MS04-011 security update.

In Windows, an administrator can configure a home folder for users. Terminal Services extends this functionality and lets an administrator configure a Terminal Services home folder that overrides the Windows home folder if a user logs on from a Terminal Services session. When a user logs on to Windows, the user receives only one home folder.

Some users may have to access multiple Terminal Services-based computers that host different applications. These systems may be located in geographically distributed locations that have different levels of connectivity. Because of network latency, it is sometimes best that a user who logs on to Terminal Services uses a home folder that has a fast connection to the Terminal Services system. To address this concern, some enterprise environments use various methods to modify one or more of the environment variables that are listed in the "Symptoms" section. Typically, the variables are modified in a way that the user always obtains a more local file server for the home folder. However, these variables should not be modified by a user or by an administrator.

REFERENCES

For additional information, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

843261 You cannot use Group Policy settings to configure Terminal Services roaming user profiles on a Windows 2000-based Terminal server

For additional information about the 834792 hotfix, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

834792 A folder that is named %homedrive% appears on your Windows 2000 desktop

For additional information about the MS04-011 security update, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

835732 MS04-011: Security Update for Microsoft Windows

Modification Type:MajorLast Reviewed:6/21/2006
Keywords:kbprb KB841343
©2004 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.