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Q148198: XADM: Where Newprof.exe Gets the Username

Article: Q148198
Product(s): Microsoft Exchange
Version(s): winnt:4.0,5.0,5.5
Operating System(s): 
Keyword(s): kbsetup kbusage exc4 exc5 exc55
Last Modified: 14-OCT-1999

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The information in this article applies to:

- Microsoft Exchange Server, versions 4.0, 5.0, 5.5 
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SUMMARY
=======

The Microsoft Exchange Automatic Profile Generator (Newprof.exe) reads a Profile
Descriptor File (PRF) and creates a profile based on the information in this
file. One of the settings in the PRF is for the Microsoft Exchange mailbox name
for which the profile is being created. If this entry is missing or does not
have a value associated with it, Newprof.exe automatically inserts a user name
into the profile. The user name inserted may or may not be a valid Microsoft
Exchange user.

This article explains where Newprof.exe gets the user name that it uses in the
profile.

MORE INFORMATION
================

When it creates a profile, Newprof.exe looks in the PRF for the MailboxName=
entry under the section containing the Microsoft Exchange Server Service
settings. If this entry is missing or empty, Newprof.exe uses the user name
specified during the Setup process.

Most Microsoft products use a setup toolkit (ACME) for their Setup programs. When
the Setup program is run, users are prompted for their name and company name.
This information is saved on the local computer for later use. This allows the
Setup program to automatically populate the above information if the user has
run the Setup program for most other Microsoft products.

Newprof.exe reads this setup information to obtain the user name, and adds this
user name to the profile being created.

Depending on the operating system of the client computer, the Setup information
is saved in different locations.

Windows NT or Windows 95:

Under Windows NT and Windows 95, the setup user information is saved in the
Registry in the following Key:

  HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\MS Setup(ACME)\User Info

The above key has two values: DefName and DefCompany, for the user name and
company name, respectively.

Windows 3.x:

Under Windows 3.x, the setup information is saved in the Win.ini file, in the
following section:

  [MS User Info]
  DefName= <User Name>
  DefCompany= <Company Name>

Since the Microsoft Exchange Client Setup program does not check the user and
company name entered by the user, it is possible that the default profile
created by Newprof.exe, when it is spawned by the client Setup program, will
contain a user name not found in the Microsoft Exchange Directory. In this case,
when the user runs the Microsoft Exchange client for the first time, the
following error message will be displayed:

  Microsoft Exchange could not be started. The name could not be matched to a
  name in the address list.

Upon clicking the OK button, the Microsoft Exchange Server Properties dialog will
be displayed that allows the user to change the Microsoft Exchange account
and/or server name.

In order to avoid confusing users when they see the above dialog, one workaround
to this problem will be to manually edit the Default.prf file present in the
client installation share point. Edit the entry MailboxName= in the [Service2]
section with the following information and if the entry is not present, add it:

  MailboxName= Enter your Microsoft Exchange Mailbox Name

Now when the Microsoft Exchange Client Setup program is run, the default profile
created will have "Enter your Exchange Mailbox Name" as the mailbox name. When
the Microsoft Exchange client is run for the first time, it will not be able to
find an entry in the Microsoft Exchange Directory with the name "Enter your
Exchange Mailbox Name". This will cause the Microsoft Exchange client to display
the error message indicating that the name could not be matched in the address
list. Upon clicking OK to dismiss the error message, the Microsoft Exchange
Server Properties dialog will be displayed. The edit box for the mailbox name
will contain "Enter your Exchange Mailbox Name". The user can then enter his/her
mailbox name and then click on the CheckName button to verify the name entered.

Additional query words: exclnfaqold

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Keywords          : kbsetup kbusage exc4 exc5 exc55 
Technology        : kbExchangeSearch kbExchange500 kbExchange550 kbExchange400 kbZNotKeyword2
Version           : winnt:4.0,5.0,5.5
Issue type        : kbhowto

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