I'm dealing with a Windows Server 2019 setup where I've implemented folder redirection and selected the option to redirect the folders back to the local user profile when the policy is removed. However, I'm currently facing an issue trying to disable this folder redirection. I've changed the Group Policy Object (GPO) for Videos to 'Not Configured', but when I check with gpresult, it indicates that Documents, Pictures, and Music are indeed redirected but Videos still points to the old redirected folder. I've run gpupdate /force multiple times without any changes. Can anyone provide insights on how to successfully end this folder redirection?
2 Answers
Just a heads up, the 'Redirect the folder back to the local user profile' option is typically only effective when the GPO is completely removed or the user logs on after making changes. Setting it to 'Not Configured' might not do the trick if other redirection policies are still applied. Make sure the GPO for Videos is disabled or unlinked for the users affected. Also, keep an eye on the registry settings at `HKCUSoftwareMicrosoftWindowsCurrentVersionExplorerUser Shell Folders`; leftover entries could be causing this issue. In some cases, manually moving the Videos folder back to the local profile and clearing the redirection path in the registry can help too.
You should check out the concept of "GPO tattooing". Some GPO settings stick around even after being disabled, particularly if they aren't explicitly set back to default. Instead of just setting it to 'Not Configured', try changing it to 'Disabled' to see if that helps. If it’s tattooed, you might need to do some extra cleanup to fix it up.
Got it! Just to clarify, how do you completely "remove" the GPO? Do I need to delete or unlink it? I’m concerned that removing it could affect other settings linked to it.