When you copy a user profile to a folder, the folder attributes are removed in Windows XP and in Windows Server 2003

When you use the User Profiles setting in the System Properties dialog box to copy a user profile to a folder in Microsoft Windows XP or in Microsoft Windows Server 2003, the attributes that are set on the destination folder are removed. For example, the Hidden file attribute may be removed from the destination folder when you copy the user profile to the folder.

This behavior occurs if you change the Permitted to use option when you use the User Profiles setting in the System Properties dialog box to copy the user profile to the target folder.

To work around this behavior, do not use the Permitted to use option when you use the User Profiles setting in the System Properties dialog box to copy a profile to a folder. Instead, use Windows Explorer to set the folder permissions on the target folder after you copy the file to the target folder. To use Windows Explorer to set the folder permissions, follow these steps:

1. Click Start, right-click My Computer, and then click Explore.
2. Locate the target folder in Windows Explorer.
3. Right-click the target directory, and then click Properties.
4. Click the Security tab.
5. In the Group or user names box, click the group or user name that you want to grant permissions.
6. In the Permissions for Group or user names box, click to select the Allow check box permissions that you want to grant the group or user. Click to select the Deny check box for the permissions that you do not want to grant the group or user.
7. Click Apply, and then click OK.

If you use the Permitted to use option in the User Profiles setting to change the permissions of a folder that already exists in Windows XP or Windows Server 2003, the folder subtree is deleted and then re-created. Therefore, the attributes that were set on the folder are deleted when the folder is deleted, and are not set when the folder is re-created.

This behavior differs from Microsoft Windows 2000. In Windows 2000, if the target folder that is selected already exists, it is not deleted, and the content of the local profile is copied to the existing folder. Therefore, in Windows 2000 the attributes that were set on the folder are not deleted.