I did not "skillfully avoid" anything. I didn't want to start an
argument and I simply decided to let it slide because I thought you
would do your own tests and realize for yourself that your assertion
that "... *any* registry settings...WILL be transferred (from
HKEY_USERS\.DEFAULT) to any new user profiles..." is wrong.
You can easily test this with something as basic as the Wallpaper
setting. Do any changes in HKEY_USERS\.DEFAULT\Control
Panel\International or HKEY_USERS\.DEFAULT\Control Panel\Desktop or add
any bogus keys or values in HKEY_USERS\.DEFAULT\Software and see the
results for yourself, these changes *will* *not* be transfered to new users.
Some legacy applications might read and write to this key, even
Microsoft applications might do so for compatibility reasons and some
programs and services that run as Local System will write to this key
but the notion that the HKEY_USERS\.DEFAULT hive is the default profile
for new users is a common misconception that some Windows 9x users carry
with them to NT operating systems.
On W9x operating systems user profiles are optional, you can log on to a
W9x installation without a profile. Unless a certain network key is set
in the W9x registry you can simply hit "Cancel" when asked for a User
Name or password and the system will log you on without a profile, when
you do so you use the HKEY_USERS\.DEFAULT profile. On W9x installations
new profiles are created out of this hive but on NT systems things are
different, profiles are not optional, you cannot hit cancel and logon
without a profile and new profiles are not created from the
HKEY_USERS\.DEFAULT, HKEY_USERS\.DEFAULT is the System profile.
http://blogs.msdn.com/b/oldnewthing/archive/2007/03/02/1786493.aspx
The .Default user is not the default user
As for the suggestion that the default profile path can be changed for
any new users by making changes to the "Personal" value at
HKU\.DEFAULT\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\User
Shell Folders that too is easy enough to test.
To change the default profile path for new users you need to do two things:
1- Copy the %SystemDrive%\Documents and Settings\Default User *and* the
%SystemDrive%\Documents and Settings\All Users folders to the new folder
of your choice.
2- Modify the ProfilesDirectory value at
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows
NT\CurrentVersion\ProfileList to reflect the change in the Default User
and All Users directory location.
John
Tim Meddick wrote:
> Whatever, John, as I said, what you say may be true.
>
> However, you skilfully avoided parts of my reply.
>
> Please re-read (carefully) my re-quote :
>
> "I can see that the hive in "Documents and Settings\Default User"
> (ntuser.dat) is different (incomplete) to that of what you call the
> SYSTEM's (HKU\.Default) key, but nonetheless, there are registry settings
> in HKU\.Default\Software that are translated to new profiles where they do
> not even exist in the loaded hive from "Default User" folder...."
>
> ...and you will see that the first part of it *agrees* with you!
>
> But what about the rest????
>
> ==
>
> Cheers, Tim Meddick, Peckham, London. 
>
>
>
>
> "John John - MVP" wrote in message
> news:OzdxqnFBLHA.420@TK2MSFTNGP02.phx.gbl...
>> It's a common misconception,
>>
>> < clipped >
>