Deployment Solution

I work in IT for a large company.  We use Altiris Deployment solution to deploy images and various software installs.

We have a section of PC's that several different users log into.  Eventually these PC's end up with numerous profiles that just take up space.

I am looking for an automated way of deleting all profiles except for the latest ones and the admin.

Has anyone ever done this?

I am running  Deployment Console Version 6.9 (Build 375) SP2.

Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks.

Not sure if there is a scripting solution available.  A quick search on-line found this though, which may be helpful for doing exactly what you want.

http://www.techspot.com/downloads/774-remote-profile-cleaner.html

@ Ragman

Microsoft makes a utility called delprof, that you might be able to script.
It's a command line utility, so creating a batch should be easy enough to do.

Delprof:
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=901a9b95-6063-4462-8150-360394e98e1e&displaylang=en


Mike

The script is probably messy.

It creates a log that shows what profiles were deleted, then deletes all folders within C:\Documents and Settings\ except those you list.  I don't know how you would define the "latest" profiles.  Mine also deletes the Default User profile and downloads the new Default User profile.

echo off
echo. >> "C:\Profile Cleanup.log"
echo -------------------- %time%: SYSTEM STARTUP - PROFILE CLEANUP -------------------- >> "C:\Profile Cleanup.log"
echo Script running as %username%. >> "C:\Profile Cleanup.log"
pushd "C:\Documents and Settings"
for /d %%d in (*) do ( if "%%~fd" neq "%userprofile%" if "%%d" neq "All Users" if "%%d" neq "Administrator" if "%%d" neq "username1" if "%%d" neq "username2" rd /s /q "%%d" & echo Deleting directory "%%d" >> "C:\Profile Cleanup.log" )
rmdir "Default User" /s /q
mkdir "Default User"
attrib +H "Default User"
net use z:\\server\directory\folder\ password /USER:Domain\username
xcopy "Z:\Classroom User" "C:\Documents and Settings\Default User" /H /K /S /Q
net use z: /DELETE
popd
echo -------------------- %time%: PROFILE CLEANUP COMPLETE -------------------- >> "C:\Profile Cleanup.log"
echo. >> "C:\Profile Cleanup.log"

Run delprof.exe from Mike's download link above.

This KB explains the switches:
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/315411

I'd create a job that performs these tasks:

• Copy delprof.exe to the local computer
• Make the administrator account read-only (e.g. attrib +r "C:\Documents and Settings\administrator")
• Run delprof.exe /q /i /d:90    that is, delete all profiles quietly, ignoring errors, if they are at least 90 days inactive
• Un-make the administrator account read-only (e.g. attrib -r "C:\Documents and Settings\administrator")
• Run the job as an administrator
• Test the job prior to running it in production so you know you won't delete your administrator account(s) that you want to save; I'm only guessing that read-only will keep them safe
• Delete delprof.exe when the job is done

Hope this helps.

Well some progress at least.

Have to make sure you reboot before you run the job.

Everything is good so far, problem I have now is that the job gets hung up by profiles that it cannot delete (ones I changed the attributes on) and it will not continue to delete any profiles after that one.

Also noticed that when I add the date switch on to the end of the string, the pause switch no longer works.  I dont know why that is.

I am still testing but this looks like a viable option so far.

I need to figure out a way to "save" some profiles and delete ALL the rest.  I dont want to get rid of the default admin profile but that one is the "oldest" on most machines (meaning hasnt been logged onto in along time)

When I figure it out I will post my job script.

Thanks.

Gettting better but even with selecting the /q switch it still asks if I want to delete profiles.  tried /s as well.

It always asks if I want to delete all inactive profiles on the computer.... without this confirmation the script hangs.

Still

Const LocalDocumentsFolder = "C:\Documents and Settings\"

c:\temp\delprof.exe /q /d:0

this is the command line i use from the altiris execute or make a job with it as a script.
I copy the delprof into the temp folder first.
Been doing this for 5 years on student computers in our district.
I have never had it delete the admin account
the /q is for quiet and the d:0 is the past days

In a school district when you have 1200 hundred students on just about every computer it comes in handy.

Makes the computer run better after deleteing the profiles.

I also use a shutdown command on computers to save electricity.

I also have a file that i run to give full rights to a folder because we install all our programs into a different folder

Run a command that also keeps laptops active