They are particularly useful when users are encouraged to customize their computing environment, yet are forced to share computers with others who are also customizing their environments. User profiles are also beneficial to network administrators or help desk personnel who typically roam around, accessing the network from a variety of locations. Such users can work anywhere as if they were sitting at their own desks. These folders are in the directories for each user, which are in the Windows Profiles directory, as shown in the following illustration. When user profiles are enabled, users get their own configuration when they log on to a computer.
Users can define their own preferences by customizing their desktops.
Alternatively, you can define a standard user profile for use across the network or for a set of specific users. Each user's preferences are saved to a user profile that Windows 95 uses to configure the desktop each time that user logs on. When a second user logs on to the same computer with a different user name, Windows 95 creates a separate user profile for that user. A roving user's profile is stored on a network server and downloaded to any computer on the network to which the user logs on. This occurs automatically on a NetWare and a Windows NT network.