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SJC Computer Center
User Profiles
What is meant by roaming profile?
The first time you logged on to a Windows XP Professional machine on campus, a user profile was created for you. This is a collection of settings and personal preferences you have selected to customize your computer. This profile moves or "roams" with you to every Windows XP Professional machine on the SJC network. Each time you logon to a Windows XP machine, your user profile is downloaded from the server to the computer you are using and when you are finished all settings including any new changes you have made are copied back to the server when you logout.
What does my profile contain?
Your user profile stores such information as your desktop background and screen saver, a history of web sites you have visited, your list of favorites in Internet Explorer, changes you have made to the Start Menu, configuration changes you have made to any Microsoft application, a history of files you have accessed recently using those applications, printer settings, mouse settings, files and folders you have on your desktop and many other items.
How much space do I have for my profile?
Every user is given 10 MB of space.
Why do I want to keep my profile small?
Your profile is copied from the network server to the computer each time you login. The larger the profile, the more time it will take for your login and logout to be processed. It is to your advantage to keep your profile small, unless you are fond of long periods of waiting.
How can I tell what is in my profile?
To see what is in your profile you can double click the profile icon in the system tray. The icon resembles a computer. A box pops up showing you a list of the items stored in your profile which are larger than 2 KB. The largest items are listed at the top of the screen. You will only be able to view items from this box. You will not be able to delete any items.
What happens when I exceed my quota?
If you get close to your user profile quota, the profile icon in the system tray will be displayed as a yellow triangle with an exclamation point inside. If you exceed your quota, you will not be able to log off until you have deleted files and are below your quota. A message box will appear notifying you that you have exceeded your allotted space and the profile icon in the system tray will change to a red circle with a white "X".
How do I delete items?
Some folders in your user profile are hidden and you must change your machine setting so that it allows you to view all files. Start by accessing My Computer from the Start Menu. From the top tool bar select Tools and then choose Folder Options. From here you will see four tabs across the top of the screen. Choose the tab labeled View. Click on the radio button next to "Show hidden files and folders." Select Apply from the choices at the bottom. You may need to also select Ok before being able to view all files. You should be back at the My Computer screen. In the section labeled Hard Disk Drives, double click the C: drive. Now double click the folder labeled Documents and Settings. You will want to locate the folder that corresponds to your SJC username. Double clicking here will display the items in your profile.
Check that you have not saved any large files or documents directly to your desktop. Shortcuts are okay and take up very little space, but large files and folders should be stored elsewhere. A good place to put them would be in your My Documents folder as this does not add to your profile space.
Another place to look is in your Local Settings folder. Before beginning you should close all open applications. In your Local Settings folder there is a subfolder labeled Temp. With all applications closed, you can delete the .tmp files and those beginning with a tilde (~). You may also want to delete the contents from Temporary Internet Files.
Are there any special folders that I should not delete?
In you Application Data folder there is a folder labeled Mozilla. This folder contains your Mozilla preferences and mail and newsgroup settings. Unless you are having problems or are instructed to do so, do not remove or tamper with the Mozilla folder.
I'm not sure I want to delete the file as I may need it. What should I do?
Move the file or files to a temporary folder until you are certain you don't need them. Try putting them into your My Documents folder since this does not add to your user profile space.
Looking for help
If you have any problems or questions regarding your user profile, please feel free to contact the Computer Center at ext. 6111. Our office is open from 7:30 AM until 4:30 PM Monday through Friday. For your convenience we are open over the lunch hour, or you can fill out a help desk ticket.
