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Q297379: Programs Can Revert to the Default Settings on Terminal Server

Article: Q297379
Product(s): Microsoft Windows NT
Version(s): 2000,4.0
Operating System(s): 
Keyword(s): kbenv w2000termsrv
Last Modified: 05-APR-2002

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The information in this article applies to:

- Microsoft Windows NT Server version 4.0, Terminal Server Edition 
- Microsoft Windows 2000 Server 
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SYMPTOMS
========

After a new Terminal Server or Terminal Services server is set up and installed,
users who log on to the new server may lose their personalized program settings
(such as Microsoft Office or Microsoft Outlook settings). This behavior is
caused by the registry compatibility mechanism that is included in Terminal
Server and Terminal Services in Application Server mode, which reverts the
settings to the default settings when it detects that the settings on the server
are newer than those in a user's profile.

CAUSE
=====

When you install a program on a Terminal Server or a Terminal Services server,
you typically install the program in Install mode. You use Install mode so that
changes to the HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software key are echoed to the
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Terminal
Server\Install\Software key. This area is known as the shadow area. All registry
keys (not each value) are time stamped; the time for the last write operation in
Install mode is also stored in the LatestRegistryKey REG_DWORD value in the
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Terminal
Server\Install\IniFile Times key. The value is the number of seconds since
January 1, 1970.

Similarly, when an .ini file is updated in Install mode, the update time is
stored in the same key. The write operations to this key set the hidden
timestamp on the key itself.

When a user logs on in Execute mode, Userinit.exe compares the hidden timestamp
on this key to the timestamp stored in
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Terminal
Server\LastUserIniSyncTime. If the hidden timestamp is more recent, new software
must have been installed on the server (that is, either an .ini file has been
updated or registry keys have been updated). Userinit then enumerates all the
keys in the Terminal Server compatibility shadow and compares its hidden
timestamp to the corresponding key in HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software. If the shadow
key is newer, the corresponding key in HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software is deleted.
This leverages the registry mapping in Execute mode that reads and applies a
registry value from the shadow if it is missing in HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Shadow.

This behavior can revert program settings to the default values (the values
stored in the shadow registry) if, for example, a new server has been built.
When a user logs on to the new server, it has a very recent timestamp in
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Terminal
Server\Install\IniFile Times. This starts the registry synchronization process,
deleting user preferences for many programs.

WORKAROUND
==========

There are several methods to work around this behavior, including:

1. Use Sysprep and "ghost" new servers. This ensures that new servers inherit
  the registry timestamps from the original build.

2. Write to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software in Install mode with the system clock set
  in the past.

3. Remove shadow keys that could potentially overwrite user preferences.

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

Settings that are applied by Group Policy or a system policy typically survive
the synchronization process because they are time stamped with the current
system time. However, if Group Policy is not changed, and NoGPOListChanges has
not been set for the registry extension (the settings are applied only if the
policy has changed), the issue could still occur.

Additional query words:

======================================================================
Keywords          : kbenv w2000termsrv 
Technology        : kbWinNTsearch kbWinNT400search kbwin2000Serv kbWinNTSsearch kbWinNTS400search kbwin2000ServSearch kbwin2000Search kbNTTermServ400 kbNTTermServSearch
Version           : :2000,4.0
Issue type        : kbprb

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