by Greg Shields

Discovered long ago, there has traditionally been an important issue with the process used by Windows Server in unloading roaming profiles during the logoff process. This issue relates to user profiles that don’t correctly respond to the system’s request to unhook themselves from the server’s registry. This can happen because an application or service is keeping open certain registry entries. It can also happen if the user incorrectly closes out of applications, leaving them resident in their session as they initiate the logon process. Open file handles can also be sources of this problem.

The result of this problem is that the logoff process can “hang,” taking an extended period of time to complete. Eventually the logoff process will time out, leaving portions of the user’s Terminal Services Roaming Profile on the local Terminal Server. This can and will happen even if you’ve configured the Group Policy to remove roaming profiles at logoff.

To combat this problem, Microsoft released a tool many years ago called UPHClean. This tool forces closed any open file or registry handles once the logoff process has been initiated. UPHClean installs as a service to the Terminal Server and operates completely in the background. You can consider this tool a must-install part of the build of any Terminal Server.

Windows Server 2008 includes the functionality of UPHClean v1.6 built-in to its operating system (OS) already. Versions of Windows Server prior to Windows Server 2008 include no functionality and require a separate installation. Microsoft has released UPHClean v2.0, which includes additional functionality and improvements. You can find this tool on the Microsoft Web site as a free download.

Strongly consider the installation of this tool to each and every Terminal Server in your environment prior to enabling their use for users.

About the Author

Greg Shields is an independent author, speaker, and IT consultant, as well as a Partner and Principal Technologist with Concentrated Technology. With 15 years in information technology, Greg has developed extensive experience in systems administration, engineering, and architecture specializing in Microsoft OS, remote application, systems management, and virtualization technologies. He is a Contributing Editor and columnist for TechNet Magazine and Redmond Magazine, and serves as the Series Editor for Realtime Publishers, the world’s leading provider of high-quality content for the IT market. Greg is a highly sought-after and top-ranked speaker for both live and recorded events, and is seen regularly at conferences like TechMentor Events, Microsoft Tech Ed, VMworld, and more. He is a multiple recipient of Microsoft “Most Valuable Professional” award.