Exclude Cookies folder from Roaming Profile, in the Profiles / User Environment forum on BrianMadden.com

Please can someone offer some advice?

I am about to implement a GPO to exclude the Cookies folder from roaming profiles. This will stop (and actually delete) the Cookies folder from the users profiles that are all stored centrally, thus stopping thousands of 1kb files cluttering up our SAN!

Cookies will only be stored locally on the server serving IE and for only that session.

Has anyone else done this? Any issues / problems?

Thanks.

Hi,

I can't remember where I got this from. I use a custom Group Policy admin template for this:

CLASS USER
CATEGORY !!WindowsComponents
CATEGORY !!InternetExplorer
CATEGORY !!IE_Favorites
KEYNAME "Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\User Shell Folders"

POLICY !!IE_Favorites
#if version >= 4
SUPPORTED !!SUPPORTED_IE5
#endif

EXPLAIN !!IE_Favorites_Location_Explain

PART !!IE_Favorites_Location_Tip1 TEXT
END PART

PART !!IE_Favorites_Location EDITTEXT EXPANDABLETEXT
VALUENAME Favorites
DEFAULT %USERPROFILE%\Favorites
;; MAXLEN 120
REQUIRED
END PART
END POLICY

POLICY "Redirect Cookies"
PART "Cookies Folder" EDITTEXT REQUIRED EXPANDABLETEXT
DEFAULT "%USERPROFILE%\Cookies"
VALUENAME "Cookies"
END PART
END POLICY

END CATEGORY ;; IE_Favorites
END CATEGORY ;; Internet Explorer
END CATEGORY ;; WindowsComponents


[strings]

WindowsComponents="Windows Components"
IE_Favorites="Location of Internet Explorer Favorites"
IE_Favorites_Location="The path to the favorites folder"
IE_Favorites_Location_Explain="Specify the path to the location of favorites. You can use variables like %USERPROFILE%, %USERNAME%, etc... Both local and UNC path are valid."
IE_Favorites_Location_Tip1="Specify the UNC path to the favorites location"
InternetExplorer="Internet Explorer"
SUPPORTED_IE5="at least Internet Explorer v5.01"

This admin template allows you to set the path for both the IE Favorites and the Cookies folders, over-riding the roaming profile location. You'll need to turn off "only show policy settings that can be fully managed" in GPMC filtering in order to see the settings added by this template under User -> Administrative Templates -> Windows Components -> Internet Explorer. Turn on "Empty Temporary Internet Files folder when browser is closed" as well.

Thanks (forgot to post back) I found a similar ADM template and applied it and it works a treat. After logging out users Cookies folders simply dissappeared from roaming profiles without the need to clean up.

Hi Lee

Glad to hear you got the Cookies problem sorted out. I am trying to do the same thing and would be interested in seeing the ADM template that you found. could you post it here?

Many thanks,

Andy

Hi Andy,

My last post was not accurate, I did find a similar template to redirect cookies but I actually wanted to prevent them from being roamed altogether, rather than redirected. So I used the in-built option to exclude folders from being roamed at:

User Configuration > Administrative Templates > System > User Profiles > Exclude directories in romaing profile ... and then enabled it and entered the "Cookies" folder.


I have listed the ADM to redirect folders if you are interested (please note you'll need to turn off "only show policy settings that can be fully managed" in GPMC filtering in order to see the settings):


---------------------------------------


CLASS USER

CATEGORY "User Data Folders"

POLICY "Redirect My Documents"
KEYNAME "Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\User Shell Folders"
PART "Documents Folder" EDITTEXT REQUIRED EXPANDABLETEXT
DEFAULT "D:\Profiles\%USERNAME%\My Documents"
VALUENAME "Personal"
END PART
END POLICY

POLICY "Redirect My Pictures"
KEYNAME "Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\User Shell Folders"
PART "Pictures Folder" EDITTEXT REQUIRED EXPANDABLETEXT
DEFAULT "D:\Profiles\%USERNAME%\My Pictures"
VALUENAME "My Pictures"
END PART
END POLICY

POLICY "Redirect Cookies"
KEYNAME "Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\User Shell Folders"
PART "Cookies Folder" EDITTEXT REQUIRED EXPANDABLETEXT
DEFAULT "D:\Profiles\%USERNAME%\Cookies"
VALUENAME "Cookies"
END PART
END POLICY

POLICY "Redirect Favorites"
KEYNAME "Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\User Shell Folders"
PART "Favorites Folder" EDITTEXT REQUIRED EXPANDABLETEXT
DEFAULT "D:\Profiles\%USERNAME%\Favorites"
VALUENAME "Favorites"
END PART
END POLICY

POLICY "Redirect Desktop"
KEYNAME "Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\User Shell Folders"
PART "Desktop Folder" EDITTEXT REQUIRED EXPANDABLETEXT
DEFAULT "D:\Profiles\%USERNAME%\Desktop"
VALUENAME "Desktop"
END PART
END POLICY
END CATEGORY


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Hope this is usefull.