Loss of Profile When Changing From Administrator to Power User Gro

From: Larry Chriswell (LarryChriswell_at_discussions.microsoft.com)
Date: 04/02/05 

Date: Sat, 2 Apr 2005 04:05:02 -0800

How do I get the administrator group removed from a user's account without
screwing up the user's profile?

I am using WinXP Pro SP2 with a workgroup, not a domain. I have several
user accounts, including the default Administrator account and another
administrator account.

When I try to remove the administrator group from a third user account,
leaving it a member of either power user or user or limited user groups, most
of the desktop settings are changed to default, along with some applications
(MS Office toolbar no longer loads) when I log back in as this user. When
the administrator group is added back and I log back in, all goes back to the
way it was before I made any changes. For the time being, I use this account
as an adminstrator, but want to change it to a power user for added security.

The security settings for this user's folder (& subfolders) give full
control permission for the system, administrators, and the user. This is the
same for other users that are not members of the administrators group, so I
don't see why there is a difference.

Thinking that maybe I could copy all the settings to a new user name in the
power user group and then move the rest of the files in My Docs and Favorites
to this new user folder, I tried copying the profile to the folder of a new
user name under Documents & Settings. But the dialog just stops responding
once I accept the warning of an existing folder. The help instructions are
very limited regarding the folder name and the change button. Perhaps, I
don't understand why the copy function is used and how to apply it. All
this would be a lot of trouble trying to make sure all the files are moved
before deleting the old user. I really don't understand why this should be
necessary! Maybe it's not -- any suggestions?