HOW TO COPY A USER ACCOUNT? -- I would like to share my Gadgets

> On Sun, 16 Sep 2007 21:46:01 -0700, i1pro wrote:
>

> > I spent a lot of time downloading and installing gadgets. I would like to
> > use them also in my office user account (work profile) or my desktop for
> > example... I wonder if there is an easy way to copy all the basics between
> > user-accounts (like background, colors, gadgets, etc). Is there a way to
> > duplicate a user-account and then change its name? Or at least copy/share
> > gadgets or sidebar??

>
> Your question is a lot more involved than I think you realize. Also, it's
> not clear to me if the various accounts you mention are on the same machine
> or on different machines. Will attempt to answer by breaking down your
> question:
>
> 1) To share gadgets: If a signed gadget is installed by an administrator,
> it will be installed in Program Files\Windows Sidebar\Shared Gadgets\. If a
> gadget is not signed or if it's installed by a standard user to their own
> account, it ends up in \User\<account name>\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows
> Sidebar\
>
> Gadgets in \Shared Gadgets\ are available to all users by right clicking on
> the sidebar and selecting "Add Gadgets."
>
> Gadgets in the \AppData\ location are only available to the user who
> installed them. UNLESS.... Take a look at the following MSDN blog article:
> http://blogs.msdn.com/sidebar/archiv...a-usb-key.aspx
>
> It has steps for transferring gadgets to a USB key and then editing the
> config files so that the gadgets live on the USB key but can be loaded to
> the sidebar of whatever system you're logged on to. You could probably
> adapt these directions to move the gadgets to another hard drive/user
> account.
>
> 2) Copying a user profile: This procedure is rather involved and is
> overkill for what you want to do. If interested, open Help and Support and
> type "copy user profile" into the search field; press enter. Scroll down
> the page a bit for step by step directions for copying the profile. Some
> but not all preferences will transfer to the new account. This procedure is
> usually reserved for replacing corrupt profiles and not used for creating
> multiple users that are similar.
>
> 2a) Network administrators will customize these accounts - All Users (XP)
> or Default (Vista) - to create a standardized desktop for all new user
> accounts. This is useful for large enterprises that want a specific and
> possibly restricted desktop for their many, many users. If not prepared, an
> errant click could cause an unpleasant restriction - one that could be
> difficult to reverse. Anyhow, I'm not finding much with a quick search via
> Vista's Help and Support or the MS Knowledge Base but there must be info
> about this somewhere (MSDN, books about Vista) but again, I would consider
> this overkill for what you want to accomplish.
>
> I think 1) is probably more what you are looking for to get those gadgets
> easily moved to other accounts that you use.
>
> --
> Sharon F
> MS-MVP ~ Windows Shell/User
>

> Thank you for all the information. I am upgrading 2 computers into VISTA
> (Ultimate and Business), then I am also setting up my laptop and have two
> accounts: One for business and one for personal. The gadgets might change
> later, but for now, the basic ones are in place only in one user (laptop).
> I think the best option for me is the USB mem stick. THANK YOU!
>
> "Sharon F" wrote:
>

> > On Sun, 16 Sep 2007 21:46:01 -0700, i1pro wrote:
> >

> > > I spent a lot of time downloading and installing gadgets. I would like to
> > > use them also in my office user account (work profile) or my desktop for
> > > example... I wonder if there is an easy way to copy all the basics between
> > > user-accounts (like background, colors, gadgets, etc). Is there a way to
> > > duplicate a user-account and then change its name? Or at least copy/share
> > > gadgets or sidebar??

> >
> > Your question is a lot more involved than I think you realize. Also, it's
> > not clear to me if the various accounts you mention are on the same machine
> > or on different machines. Will attempt to answer by breaking down your
> > question:
> >
> > 1) To share gadgets: If a signed gadget is installed by an administrator,
> > it will be installed in Program Files\Windows Sidebar\Shared Gadgets\. If a
> > gadget is not signed or if it's installed by a standard user to their own
> > account, it ends up in \User\<account name>\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows
> > Sidebar\
> >
> > Gadgets in \Shared Gadgets\ are available to all users by right clicking on
> > the sidebar and selecting "Add Gadgets."
> >
> > Gadgets in the \AppData\ location are only available to the user who
> > installed them. UNLESS.... Take a look at the following MSDN blog article:
> > http://blogs.msdn.com/sidebar/archiv...a-usb-key.aspx
> >
> > It has steps for transferring gadgets to a USB key and then editing the
> > config files so that the gadgets live on the USB key but can be loaded to
> > the sidebar of whatever system you're logged on to. You could probably
> > adapt these directions to move the gadgets to another hard drive/user
> > account.
> >
> > 2) Copying a user profile: This procedure is rather involved and is
> > overkill for what you want to do. If interested, open Help and Support and
> > type "copy user profile" into the search field; press enter. Scroll down
> > the page a bit for step by step directions for copying the profile. Some
> > but not all preferences will transfer to the new account. This procedure is
> > usually reserved for replacing corrupt profiles and not used for creating
> > multiple users that are similar.
> >
> > 2a) Network administrators will customize these accounts - All Users (XP)
> > or Default (Vista) - to create a standardized desktop for all new user
> > accounts. This is useful for large enterprises that want a specific and
> > possibly restricted desktop for their many, many users. If not prepared, an
> > errant click could cause an unpleasant restriction - one that could be
> > difficult to reverse. Anyhow, I'm not finding much with a quick search via
> > Vista's Help and Support or the MS Knowledge Base but there must be info
> > about this somewhere (MSDN, books about Vista) but again, I would consider
> > this overkill for what you want to accomplish.
> >
> > I think 1) is probably more what you are looking for to get those gadgets
> > easily moved to other accounts that you use.
> >
> > --
> > Sharon F
> > MS-MVP ~ Windows Shell/User
> >