Logging on of XP is a problem because of the massive profiles it downloads.
Exactly. This has been a known problem for at least the past four years, so I don't know why it hasn't been fixed. We've only faced it since a batch of XP machines was put in last September. When people started complaining of long login times I hacked an old directory-walking Perl script so that it attacks all ~/.profiles directories at 1am each night and then at 6am sends me a list of the ten largest .profiles directories with their sizes. I investigate the largest ones and anything in them I delete and/or add to the wipe list. This clears several hundred megabytes most nights. It's very inefficient (but it covers 400 directories in two minutes). For your interest the guts of it at present are: ================ guts of .profiles-clearing script ============ $fname="/.profiles"; $fname1="/.profiles/My Documents"; $startmenuprogs="/.profiles/Start Menu/Programs/"; $applicationdata="/.profiles/Application\ Data/"; $gimpdir="/.profiles/.gimp-1.2/"; #print"checking..."; foreach $i (0 .. $#users) #users contains a list of all directories in this group { if (!-e $users[$i].$fname) {next;} # {print "\n$i $users[$i]";} # {print "$users[$i]/";} # system("du -s '".$users[$i].$fname."'"); system("rm -rf ".$users[$i]."/.profiles"."/.jpi_cache/*"); system("rm -rf ".$users[$i]."/.profiles/Desktop/cache/*"); system("rm -rf ".$users[$i]."/.profiles/Desktop/Demo*"); system("rm -rf ".$users[$i]."/.profiles/Desktop/New*"); system("rm -rf '".$users[$i]."/.profiles/Start Menu/Programs/Soldat'"); #system("rm -rf '".$users[$i].$startmenuprogs."Soldat'"); system("rm -rf '".$users[$i].$applicationdata."InstallShield'"); system("rm -rf '".$users[$i].$applicationdata."InstallShield Installation Information'"); system("rm -rf '".$users[$i].$gimpdir."gimpswap.*'"); # big problem: the gimpswap wildcard does not work inside the ' system("rm -rf '".$users[$i].$gimpdir."tmp'"); system("rm -rf '".$users[$i].$fname1."'"); # {print "$users[$i]\n";} if (-d $users[$i]."/.profiles/Desktop/cstrike") { system("rm -rf ".$users[$i]."/.profiles/Desktop/*");} system("find ".$users[$i]."/.profiles -name *.msi -print0 | xargs -0 rm"); system("find ".$users[$i]."/.profiles -name *.eml -print0 | xargs -0 rm"); system("find ".$users[$i]."/.profiles -name *.mov -print0 | xargs -0 rm"); system("find ".$users[$i]."/.profiles -name *.nws -print0 | xargs -0 rm"); system("find ".$users[$i]."/.profiles -name *.zip -print0 | xargs -0 rm"); system("find ".$users[$i]."/.profiles -name *.tmp -print0 | xargs -0 rm"); system("find ".$users[$i]."/.profiles -name *.wmz -print0 | xargs -0 rm"); system("find ".$users[$i]."/.profiles -name *.asd -print0 | xargs -0 rm"); system("find ".$users[$i]."/.profiles -name setup.exe -print0 | xargs -0 rm"); system("find ".$users[$i]."/.profiles -name SETUPNT.EXE -print0 | xargs -0 rm"); system("find ".$users[$i]."/.profiles -name SetupDl.exe -print0 | xargs -0 rm"); ========== end of guts of .profiles-clearing script ========= You will notice that most of the solutions are violent (e.g. all "My Documents" within .profiles are wiped, if any "cstrike" exists then the whole "Desktop" is cleared), but Donald Rumsfeld would approve. -- Christopher Dawkins, Felsted School, Dunmow, Essex CM6 3JG 01371-822698, mobile 07816 821659 cchd@felsted.essex.sch.uk