Reader X Folder redirection / Roaming Profiles supported ? by

• If any Adobe Employee is still reading this, here is the very specific information you need to fix this.

Server 2008 R2 Domain, User profile config:

User's share:

• Map to N:
• \\LHMAIL\ACCT-TEST3\Teacher1

Profile path:

• \\LHMAIL\ACCT-TEST3\Teacher1\0-Profile Folders\Profile

Group Policy Object for user's Organizational Unit

Folder redirection for Application Data:

• \\LHMAIL\ACCT-TEST3\Teacher1\0-Profile Folders\AppData

For share: \\LHMAIL\ACCT-TEST3

Share permissions:

• Authenticated Users - full control

NTFS permissions:

• Domain Admins, Enterprise Admins, Administrators (local), SYSTEM - Full control
• CREATOR OWNER - Full control - subfolders and files only
• Authenticated Users - List folder / Read Data - this folder only

==================

Basically, Adobe Reader X tests every folder in the AppData path, from right to left down to the root, and it chokes trying to create a file on the root part of a UNC path, which is the server name:

• CreateFile \\lhmail\ OBJECT PATH INVALID

This is an invalid action that no program can do, regardless of whatever permissions the program has.

,

Open Adobe Reader X, using SysInternals / Process Monitor to watch for activity:

Tests: \\lhmail\acct-test3\teacher1\0-Profile Folders\AppData

• 7:34:05.0729667 AM AcroRd32.exe 3916 CreateFile \\lhmail\acct-test3\teacher1\0-Profile Folders\AppData SUCCESS Desired Access: Read Attributes, Disposition: Open, Options: Open Reparse Point, Attributes: n/a, ShareMode: Read, Write, Delete, AllocationSize: n/a, OpenResult: Opened
• 7:34:05.0775536 AM AcroRd32.exe 3916 QueryBasicInformationFile \\lhmail\acct-test3\teacher1\0-Profile Folders\AppData SUCCESS CreationTime: 3/20/2011 4:16:01 AM, LastAccessTime: 3/20/2011 7:07:11 AM, LastWriteTime: 3/20/2011 7:07:11 AM, ChangeTime: 3/20/2011 7:07:11 AM, FileAttributes: DNCI
• 7:34:05.0778734 AM AcroRd32.exe 3916 CloseFile \\lhmail\acct-test3\teacher1\0-Profile Folders\AppData SUCCESS

Tests: \\lhmail\acct-test3\teacher1\0-Profile Folders\AppData

• 7:34:05.1002372 AM AcroRd32.exe 3916 CreateFile \\lhmail\acct-test3\teacher1\0-Profile Folders\AppData SUCCESS Desired Access: Read Attributes, Disposition: Open, Options: Open Reparse Point, Attributes: n/a, ShareMode: Read, Write, Delete, AllocationSize: n/a, OpenResult: Opened
• 7:34:05.1045836 AM AcroRd32.exe 3916 QueryBasicInformationFile \\lhmail\acct-test3\teacher1\0-Profile Folders\AppData SUCCESS CreationTime: 3/20/2011 4:16:01 AM, LastAccessTime: 3/20/2011 7:07:11 AM, LastWriteTime: 3/20/2011 7:07:11 AM, ChangeTime: 3/20/2011 7:07:11 AM, FileAttributes: DNCI
• 7:34:05.1048840 AM AcroRd32.exe 3916 CloseFile \\lhmail\acct-test3\teacher1\0-Profile Folders\AppData SUCCESS

Tests: \\lhmail\acct-test3\teacher1\0-Profile Folders

• 7:34:05.1186705 AM AcroRd32.exe 3916 CreateFile \\lhmail\acct-test3\teacher1\0-Profile Folders SUCCESS Desired Access: Read Attributes, Disposition: Open, Options: Open Reparse Point, Attributes: n/a, ShareMode: Read, Write, Delete, AllocationSize: n/a, OpenResult: Opened
• 7:34:05.1201481 AM AcroRd32.exe 3916 QueryBasicInformationFile \\lhmail\acct-test3\teacher1\0-Profile Folders SUCCESS CreationTime: 3/20/2011 4:16:01 AM, LastAccessTime: 3/20/2011 4:17:40 AM, LastWriteTime: 3/20/2011 4:17:40 AM, ChangeTime: 3/20/2011 4:17:40 AM, FileAttributes: D
• 7:34:05.1204470 AM AcroRd32.exe 3916 CloseFile \\lhmail\acct-test3\teacher1\0-Profile Folders SUCCESS

Tests: \\lhmail\acct-test3\teacher1

• 7:34:05.1273541 AM AcroRd32.exe 3916 CreateFile \\lhmail\acct-test3\teacher1 SUCCESS Desired Access: Read Attributes, Disposition: Open, Options: Open Reparse Point, Attributes: n/a, ShareMode: Read, Write, Delete, AllocationSize: n/a, OpenResult: Opened
• 7:34:05.1285301 AM AcroRd32.exe 3916 QueryBasicInformationFile \\lhmail\acct-test3\teacher1 SUCCESS CreationTime: 3/20/2011 4:15:47 AM, LastAccessTime: 3/20/2011 4:16:01 AM, LastWriteTime: 3/20/2011 4:16:01 AM, ChangeTime: 3/20/2011 4:16:01 AM, FileAttributes: D
• 7:34:05.1289268 AM AcroRd32.exe 3916 CloseFile \\lhmail\acct-test3\teacher1 SUCCESS

Tests: \\lhmail\acct-test3\

• 7:34:05.1348512 AM AcroRd32.exe 3916 CreateFile \\lhmail\acct-test3\ SUCCESS Desired Access: Read Attributes, Disposition: Open, Options: Open Reparse Point, Attributes: n/a, ShareMode: Read, Write, Delete, AllocationSize: n/a, OpenResult: Opened
• 7:34:05.1368520 AM AcroRd32.exe 3916 QueryBasicInformationFile \\lhmail\acct-test3\ SUCCESS CreationTime: 3/20/2011 2:52:19 AM, LastAccessTime: 3/20/2011 5:42:42 AM, LastWriteTime: 3/20/2011 5:42:42 AM, ChangeTime: 3/20/2011 5:42:42 AM, FileAttributes: D
• 7:34:05.1371515 AM AcroRd32.exe 3916 CloseFile \\lhmail\acct-test3\ SUCCESS

Tests: \\lhmail\

• 7:34:05.1381626 AM AcroRd32.exe 3916 CreateFile \\lhmail\ OBJECT PATH INVALID Desired Access: Read Attributes, Disposition: Open, Options: Open Reparse Point, Attributes: n/a, ShareMode: Read, Write, Delete, AllocationSize: n/a

,

As a result, Adobe Reader X opens with a warning box, cannot open in Protected Mode due to "a problem with your system configuration".

,

This particular error will not occur if:

AppData points to the local system drive (No AppData redirection), whether roaming or not

• C:\Users\Teacher1\AppData

AppData is redirected to point at a mapped drive for the network path:

• X:\Teacher1\0-Profile Folders\AppData

This second option is the usual workaround to Adobe's problem, but not recommended by Microsoft. Apparently it has negative effects for other Windows services and programs to use drive mappings rather than UNC paths.

Hi Skjaltd,

Lets start with Roaming Profiles first. When you connect your computer to a network, if the network is configured for Roaming Profiles then all of you settings are kept on a network server. When you log in to the client machine (i.e. your desktop or laptop computer) all of the settings get downloaded from the server onto the client. Any changes you make on the client will get uploaded back to the sever when you log off. The advantage is, if you are not always working from the same physical computer then when you log on to any computer on the network your personal settings (e.g. desktop background, desktop icons, screen saver) will show up. You don't have to reconfigure every computer you log into just to make it look the way you want it. For most of us who log onto the same computer everyday this doesn't make sense, but for anyone traveling from office to office it helps keep things the way you like them.The downside is, because all of the settings have to be downloaded when you log on, and uploaded when you log off, it can slow down the process.

Folder Redirection is a bit different. That's where you point a folder to a non-standard location. For example, the standard location of the My Documents folder is on the C: drive in the under Users\<user name> where "user name" is specific for each person that logs on to the computer. With Folder Redirection you redefine the location of the My Documents folder so it's located on a server. Every time you save a file to My Documents it goes to the serve, not you your local C drive. The advantage is no matter what computer you log into, all of your files (at least those in redirected folders) are available. The downside is again, it can slow things down, and not just at log on/off, but every time you access a file in a redirected folder.

A network admin can set up one or both of these (they are not mutually exclusive and can work in tandem).

Windows XP uses a different folder structure than Vista/Win 7 so usually the server is configured for one or the other client machines. The simple thing is to user Windows Server 2003 to support Win XP clients (because they share the same folder structure) and Server 2008 for Vista/Win 7 clients. Vista was designed with roaming profiles in mind and has a Roaming folder by default which makes it a little easier to create items intended to be available across multiple machines (for a single user).

I hope this helps,

Steve