Looking for recommendations to create a default user account on XP and still provide unique login and access to mapped drives on the Novell network. I have hundreds of users who use the same workstations, each having their own login and shared folders on Novell 6.0 servers. How can I mandate the profile of all users who log in to the XP workstation the same as any other user, while still having the unique mapped drives? Each new user that logs into an XP workstation must then have settings (ie: Proxy in I.E.)filled in before the PC can be used. Would like to find the purest way to create a single XP user profile for anyone who logs in to XP.

Two things, depending on the complexity of your needs. First, remember that there are three levels of login scripts: global, group and user. If what you want to set up is generic enough, you can set it up in the domain level login script that everyone executes (and users can't change). Second way is ZenWorks, which is very powerful, but will require some effort on your part to learn. HTH

You could create a test account locally on a Workstation running XP. Set it up with all your default settings. Then log out, log on as an administrator and copy the ntuser.dat file from the test user account profile to the Default User account. All users logging onto this machine should get all the same default settings.

sounds like what you want to do is exactly what DOC described. You'll get internet settings (proxy/homepage etc) and general setting info all the same that way when users log in for the first time. drive mapings should perform as they normally do from scripts.

Copying the a customised NTUser.dat into the default users subdirectory on your workstation will help in standardising settings but it doesn't stop your users from "playing". I would tend to use .adm files to push the registry key settings you need on login. The easiest way on a Novell Network is to push them through using Zenworks User and Workstation policies, if you aren't using Zen you can still use a Config.pol. Now the official method for enforcing policies in the "modern world" is by using MS Group Policies but I'm far from convinced that this is only of any real benefit if you are using Domains and Acrtive Directory Services. These are a little more confusing to hack than .adm files By setting a policy it will ensure that the correct settings for proxy servers, word templates, groupwise language etc are always written to the registry for a new user.