anyone ever run into issues migrating redirected f...
# _generalm
Mike Streetz (O_P)
07/29/2025, 11:24 PManyone ever run into issues migrating redirected folders where the metadata in the files get read and used to populate the usershellfolders registry keys instead of Group Policy? I've never seen it before, but if I blow away the profile and have it recreate, the redirected folder locations are still set to the old location. Apparently windows will set it to what it sees in the location metadata which can include the previous location.
I'm going to try copying the files again with no metadata and see if it still does it.
j
James Kindon
07/30/2025, 2:35 AMare you talking about a situation where you are undoing folder redirection via GPO? I am kinda lost on the wording
m
Mike Streetz (O_P)
07/30/2025, 2:42 AMI’ve got a test vda in a different OU using folder redirection in Citrix profile management gpo. If I copy over the redirected folder, even with a new profile, it doesn’t redirect properly.
Mike Streetz (O_P)
07/30/2025, 2:43 AMI need to look at it again tomorrow, I don’t know what’s going on but it really seems to be coming from the copied redirected folder and files
Mike Streetz (O_P)
07/30/2025, 2:44 AMIt’s not using GPO to undo it
j
James Kindon
07/30/2025, 4:36 AMI think I am more confused than I was to start. What does "copy over the redirected folder, even with a new profile" mean?
m
Mike Streetz (O_P)
07/30/2025, 4:38 AMThe redirected folders are outside of the profiles which are full upm containers
Mike Streetz (O_P)
07/30/2025, 4:39 AMYou can blow away the container entirely, have it recreate, and the new registry will still have the paths to the original redirected folders even though you’ve copied them to a new location and changed the locations in policy
Mike Streetz (O_P)
07/30/2025, 4:40 AMIt’s not easy to explain because it doesn’t really make sense
j
James Kindon
07/30/2025, 5:00 AMOh I see what you mean, so something is still writing those reg keys - default profile altered? Citrix or GPO policy cache?
James Kindon
07/30/2025, 5:01 AMNo chance there is multiple policies with configurations in them? Nested vs studio etc
m
Mike Streetz (O_P)
07/30/2025, 5:23 AMThat’s what I thought so I checked everywhere, it’s not coming from studio or wem, it doesn’t show in a gpresult. If I clear out the registry keys they don’t change with a gp update or on next login. I’m stumped
Mike Streetz (O_P)
07/30/2025, 5:25 AMI always get the good ones.
Mike Streetz (O_P)
07/30/2025, 5:28 AMI’m going to see which steps cause it tomorrow but my instinct says it’s something to do with the robocopy of the redirected folder either copying a file that it shouldn’t copy which causes windows to write the old location or copying location metadata that causes windows to change the location to match that metadata
j
James Kindon
07/30/2025, 5:28 AMcheck the default user profile?
m
Mike Streetz (O_P)
07/30/2025, 5:28 AMYeah that’s about the only thing I haven’t done
Mike Streetz (O_P)
07/30/2025, 5:29 AMThe images aren’t domain joined so there shouldn’t be any policy in that account but I’ll check it in the morning
Mike Streetz (O_P)
07/30/2025, 5:31 AMIt doesn’t do it if you don’t copy the redirected folder though so I don’t think it’s the default user
Mike Streetz (O_P)
07/30/2025, 5:32 AMIf you let the redirected folder create on login then all the paths are correct
j
James Kindon
07/30/2025, 5:51 AMA new profile -> touching nothing -> everything works as expected, paths are OK. So no policy, nothing narky in the default, life is good
What are you robocopying? old data from fileserver\whatever\user to newfileserver\whatever\user ?
m
Mike Streetz (O_P)
07/30/2025, 6:04 AMYeah, it’s redirected desktop and documents folders
j
James Kindon
07/30/2025, 6:12 AMso you robocopy those, behind the scenes, and then all of a sudden folder redirection reverts back to the old paths?
c
c4rm0
07/30/2025, 9:30 AMi had a similar issue when moving from a single fqdn file server hosting redirected folders to a dfs namespace in front of two new file servers. The existing fslogix profile containers who hadnt logged in since the policy change had the old file paths for shell folders in their registry hive. Newly created fslogix profile containers got the new ivanti EM folder redirection policy and had new paths and worked fine. Once existing users logged in and the updated ivanti EM folder redirection policy with the new paths in got applied the shell folders in the registry got updated to the new paths so what i ended up doing was a creating a DNS CNAME from old fileserver to new and once policy got applied at first logon issue then goes away
m
Mike Streetz (O_P)
07/30/2025, 2:35 PMI was trying to avoid needing them to log in before doing the copy but it might just be easier to have the copy run inside their session
Mike Streetz (O_P)
07/30/2025, 2:35 PMAt least that way the new profile has the right paths and creates everything with the right permissions
Mike Streetz (O_P)
07/30/2025, 3:23 PMI just double checked, it's not in the default user registry so we can rule that out
Mike Streetz (O_P)
07/31/2025, 9:32 PMit was something to do with the 2 redirection policies fighting each other, I've got it working now except for start menu search, which is broken for some reason. Outlook and explorer search both work though, it looks like a display bug.