URGENT: Win Server 03 AD user ?

Hello,

Many thanks in advance.

I am running Windows Server 2003 SE.

I went in and created a new user account. Everything works fine with that. User is able to logon, access files, and so forth. I made sure the new user had the same active directory settings as the original user.

The problem is the first user on the workstation was not able to logon. We solved that issue, but now some of their files are gone. I did not delete or alter anything on the orginial account.

How can I access these "lost" files. What did I do wrong? Let me know, if you need more information.

Remember this is my first time messing with the server side of things.

edit**

I also downloaded ADrestore.net. Nothing showed of a tombstone for that user.

Are you using roaming profiles, and/or mapping a network share? Any folder redirection?

As stated by westin the My Documents folder may replicate up to the server.

I would check on the server in the Users Shared Folders directory...username..My Documents.

MLF

No roaming profiles nor folder redirection. We have network shares. However, the files they are missing supposedly were saved on the workstation hd.

Would adding or removing groups possibly affect their ability to see the files?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by kurt_der_koenig

Would adding or removing groups possibly affect their ability to see the files?

---

Maybe the ability to open them, but not see them. They would more likely get an 'Access Denied' message if it was a permissions issue. I don't mean to insult, but sometimes the simplest answer is the right one. Have you checked the Recycle Bin? Maybe the user threw the document out? Also run a search for the document on the system. If it was just created/modified recently, you can search by that as well, just in case the file was renamed/moved. It isn't often that files just up and disappear without some sort of user interaction! :)

Best of luck in your search.

Yeah....adding and removing groups where.

if it is on the harddrive it would be in the Users profile locally
C:\documents and settings

What OS is the workstation...
What kind of files are these..

Log onto the WS as Local administrator

MLF

Well, you do say "some of their files"...............? If it were an account, profile, ID or whatever problem then I would expect it to affect pretty much all of their work files?

Ideally they might know the name of one of the missing items and you can search for it..........chances are the rest will be there.

Drag and drop can be a real problem...........files accidentally moved into the wrong folder?

I think that MLF is on the money with using local admin account to search. Hopefully these files will be .doc, spreadsheets, databases and suchlike? If you just list all files of the appropriate extension the user might see where they have gone?

I agree with westin,

Quote:

---

It isn't often that files just up and disappear without some sort of user interaction! :)

---

To be honest with you, I don't like the idea of users storing anything important on a local drive when you have a network................they never back stuff up................:eek:

If these files really have been deleted you might try this:

http://www.piriform.com/recuva

Not sure what the rules for commercial use are but you should at least be able to get a fully functional trial? ;)

Thank you for everyone's help.

The user that had the issue was fired, so the issue is not as urgent as it was before.

I, however, would like to resolve the issue and know what to and what not do in the future.

I have checked the recycle bin, nothing was what the user said. I will check this again Monday. You do not have to worry about offending me. Sometimes I look overthings and I am new to this side of computers.

As far as the "user" swears, they are missing something. Nothing I bring up is what they "had" and they don't know what the filenames where. Only the probable extentsions. Maybe a possible hd corruption???

For all I know this user is inept. Its only been two weeks since I was slowly nudged into this. So I do not know what users had or did not have. I am still discovering what I have in front of me. Watch.... this user never "had" the missing files and this was "all" for waste. It was right in front of them!!! However, my boss expects me to "do something," even though he doesn't even know what is missing. Ugh... this company is a mess....

**End rant**

I will be experimenting with creating roaming profiles and redirection of their documents. Once I get a hang of it, I will migrate every workstation to this....

Thanks again...

One thing to remember is that users are liars....and they blame their incompetence on the computers...

I was duped many times when I first started many moons ago

Now I am just a cynical bitch and rarely believe anything they say.

By default many applications save to the My Documents folder...so it is best to have that replicate up to the server...and roaming profiles are good as long as they dont get too big.

MLF