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Windows Server Forum / Windows NT / Registry / July 2007why ntuser.dat file time stamp is not updated for over a year?
Hello, I am trying to find out under what circuimstances ntuser.dat registry file will not be time stamped, even when user login into Windows daily and performs regular tasks such as running programs. I have checked on my 3 computers running Win XP and soon after I start Windows, few minutes later, ntuser.dat will update time stamp to the current date. However, over last few years I had few situations, when the persons using Windows XP had their usernt.dat file time stamp not updated for 500 or more days! How is that possible? Jack > Hello, > I am trying to find out under what circuimstances ntuser.dat [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > How is that possible? > Jack You're probably looking in the wrong profile folder. No. It is not me who is looking, but my code. And my code is looking at ntuser.dat located in the current user profile. "C:\Documents and Settings\<current user name>\ntuser.dat" <Current User Name> is determined by API call. It works 99.5% of the time but .remaining 05% is the reason I would like to find the answer. Jack >> Hello, >> I am trying to find out under what circuimstances ntuser.dat [quoted text clipped - 10 lines] > > You're probably looking in the wrong profile folder. You should have a look here to make sure you're looking at the right profile folder: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\hivelist\ \REGISTRY\USER\S-1-5-21-4233798886-620521722-3728218106-1004 > No. > It is not me who is looking, but my code. [quoted text clipped - 19 lines] >> >> You're probably looking in the wrong profile folder. The API call I use is: GetUserName() http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms724432.aspx This is a recommended method by Microsoft to obtain the current user name. Jack > You should have a look here to make sure you're looking at > the right profile folder: [quoted text clipped - 24 lines] >>> >>> You're probably looking in the wrong profile folder. > The API call I use is: > GetUserName() > http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms724432.aspx > > This is a recommended method by Microsoft to obtain the current user name. That is the recommended way to get the current user name but NOT the recommended way to get the current user profile path. Please note that there is no guarantee that the the current user path is C:\Documents and Settings\<current user name>, if for example the ntuser.dat in the user profile is damaged in some way and cannot be loaded when the user logs on the user will get a new profile with a new path. Same goes if there is already another directory present with the name C:\Documents and Settings\<current user name> when the user logs on for the first time. Either do like "Pegasus" said, look at the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\hivelist registry key for loaded hive files or use the GetUserProfileDirectory() API.  SignatureOlof Lagerkvist ICQ: 724451 Web: http://here.is/olof Olof, Thank you for the insight. I see I have not explained all properly. I do not use a hardcoded path. What I do is: In Windows registry I look up the path to 'Desktop' HKEY_CURRENT_USER/"Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Shell Folders\" From that key I extract path, then I add the current user name (returned from API) and that is the way I create path to the ntuser.dat file. What can be wrong with that approach? Thanks, Jack >> The API call I use is: >> GetUserName() [quoted text clipped - 15 lines] > HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\hivelist registry key > for loaded hive files or use the GetUserProfileDirectory() API. > Olof, > Thank you for the insight. I see I have not explained all [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > from API) and that is the way I create path to the ntuser.dat file. > What can be wrong with that approach? Still the same problem. You are using the user name returned by GetUserName() and may not necessarily be part of the path to the user's profile. Think about this situation: You have a user 'user1' and log on that user. A profile 'C:\Documents and Settings\user1' is created and the ntuser.dat is then 'C:\Documents and Settings\user1\ntuser.dat'. Your technique will find the ntuser.dat successfully because you get the path 'C:\Documents and Settings\user1\Desktop' from the registry and the user name 'user1' from GetUserName(), you extract 'C:\Documents and Settings' and then add '\user1\ntuser.dat' and that will work. Now, example 1: Someone renames the user account 'user1' to 'user2'. The profile is still 'C:\Documents and Settings\user1' but the GetUserName() function will return 'user2' and your approach will no longer work. Example 2: Someone changes the location for the user's desktop from 'C:\Documents and Settings\user1\Desktop' because he wants to share the desktop of another user's profile and set it to 'C:\Documents and Settings\anotheruser\Desktop'. Your method will find the wrong directory in this case too. Example 3: Someone adds the computer to the domain 'domainname' and makes a domain logon with a domain account that also has the name 'user1'. A new user profile is created for this domain account 'C:\Documents and Settings\user1.domainname'. GetUserName() will return just 'user1'... etc... SignatureOlof Lagerkvist ICQ: 724451 Web: http://here.is/olof Olof, What is your opinion about using: SHGetFolderPath() with CSIDL_PROFILE? I appreciate your comments, Jack >> Olof, >> Thank you for the insight. I see I have not explained all [quoted text clipped - 41 lines] > > etc... > Olof, > What is your opinion about using: > SHGetFolderPath() with CSIDL_PROFILE? > I appreciate your comments, That should work (as long as you specify the SHGFP_TYPE_CURRENT flag), or you can use GetUserProfileDirectory(). Either of them should return the same, currently correct, user profile path. SignatureOlof Lagerkvist ICQ: 724451 Web: http://here.is/olof Thank you. Jack >> Olof, >> What is your opinion about using: [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > Either of them should return the same, currently correct, user profile > path. Also, by the exchanging emails with the user I confirmed that the user name is correct. There must be something else causing that. Jack > You should have a look here to make sure you're looking at > the right profile folder: [quoted text clipped - 24 lines] >>> >>> You're probably looking in the wrong profile folder. I have tried that key. On my computer the value is: \Device\HarddiskVolume1\Documents and Settings\Jacek\ntuser.dat How to translate that path to the generally accepted format? Jack > You should have a look here to make sure you're looking at > the right profile folder: [quoted text clipped - 24 lines] >>> >>> You're probably looking in the wrong profile folder. To remove any doubt about the location of this file, do this while the user is logged on: - Unhide it (this will work). - Try to rename it to "ntuser.dat" (this won't work while the user is logged on). >I have tried that key. > On my computer the value is: [quoted text clipped - 32 lines] >>>> >>>> You're probably looking in the wrong profile folder. |
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