How to get an user's Startup folder

[ponghy]

Hi! I'm programming an VBScript and I have found the following problem:

I don't know how to get what is the Startup folder of an user other than the current logged on. That is, If I use the SpecialFolders("Startup") Property of WshShell class, I get the the Startup folder for the current user, not for a specified user.

Note I'm getting this information on the T-9 Phase of Windows Setup, therefore I have another handicap: The UserDomain Property of WshNetwork class don't work. I did the following:

Set useracc = GetObject( _
  "winmgmts:\root\cimv2:Win32_UserAccount.Domain='" & _
  CreateObject("WScript.Network").UserDomain & "',Name='" & SPECIFIED_USER & _
   "'" _
)

But I have a Run-Time error. The UserDomain Property returns a Null string (can't find the user domain).

I used the Win32_UserAccount class in order to get the user's SID. With his SID, I could access to the corresponding Registry key to query his Startup Folder:

' Get the Startup folder of SPECIFIED_USER by using his SID.
x = .RegRead( _
  "HKEY_USERS\" & useracc.SID & "\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion" & _
  "\Explorer\Shell Folders\Startup" _
)

But the previous code don't work because the first snippet is unable to get the User's SID.

Any idea to workaround this? Is necessary to get the User's SID or is there an easier way? ONLY I want to get the Startup folder for SPECIFIED_USER.

Thanks very much for your help

Edited November 8, 2005 by ponghy

[gunsmokingman]

Try this VBS script

Const ALL_USERS_STARTUP = &H18&

Set objShell = CreateObject("Shell.Application")

Set objFolder = objShell.Namespace(ALL_USERS_STARTUP)

Set objFolderItem = objFolder.Self

Wscript.Echo objFolderItem.Path

Set colItems = objFolder.Items

For Each objItem in colItems

Wscript.Echo objItem.Name

Next

[IcemanND]

that will work if you are after the startup folder for the All Users profile, for a specific user who is not logged in try this

SPECIFIED_USER="UserID"
strComputer = "."
Set objWMIService = GetObject("winmgmts:\\" & strComputer & "\root\cimv2")
Set WshShell = WScript.CreateObject("WScript.Shell")

Set objAccount = objWMIService.Get ("Win32_UserAccount.Name='" & SPECIFIED_USER & "',Domain='" & CreateObject("WScript.Network").UserDomain & "'")

x=wshshell.regread("HKEY_USERS\"  & objAccount.SID & "\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Shell Folders\Startup")
wscript.echo x

[ponghy]

Thanks for your replies. IcemanND: Your code dind't work The problem is the UserDomain property: this is Null when Installing Windows

Any other way to solve this? Another class? I believe this is possible

[gunsmokingman]

Here a VBS script that list all local user on the computer try and mod it to your needs.

Set objDomain = GetObject("WinNT://PLACE_COMPUTER_NAME_HERE")

objDomain.Filter = Array("User")

For Each objUser in objDomain

Wscript.Echo "User name: " & objUser.Name

Wscript.Echo "Description: " & objUser.Description

Wscript.Echo "Logon script path: " & objUser.LoginScript

Wscript.Echo

Next

[IcemanND]

@ponghy - Strange it works on every machine I've tried it in, both domain and non-domain systems. Sure it's not an issue with your system?

[ponghy]

Nope, I think so... Anyway, I've found another way in a higher level to solve this problem with the IADs Interface (Active Directory Services Interface).

But, I don't know how to use... I see on the Microsoft reference page (here).

Can you provide me an example? The HomeDirectory property of this class sounds very good...

TIA