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https://github.com/larrywisherman/winprofileops

PowerShell module for managing Windows user profiles, including detection and removal of orphaned profiles, registry operations, and remote management support.
https://github.com/larrywisherman/winprofileops

automation powershell registry userprofiles windows

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PowerShell module for managing Windows user profiles, including detection and removal of orphaned profiles, registry operations, and remote management support.

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README 

        
# WinProfileOps





  WinProfileOps Icon




The **WinProfileOps** module provides a robust toolkit for managing Windows user

profiles on both local and remote computers. This module simplifies and automates

complex profile management tasks, such as detecting orphaned profiles, validating

profile paths, and identifying stale or corrupted profiles. It handles both filesystem

and registry operations, utilizing the **WinRegOps** module for registry-related

functions.



**WinProfileOps** seamlessly integrates with **WinRegOps** to manage profiles by

querying, validating, and auditing user profile-related data from the Windows

registry. This module is ideal for system administrators who want to streamline

profile management operations, especially in environments with numerous users and

computers.



---



## Dependencies



- **WinRegOps**: The **WinProfileOps** module depends on

  [**WinRegOps**](https://github.com/LarryWisherMan/WinRegOps) for registry

  operations such as querying, opening, and modifying registry keys related to user

  profiles.



---



## Key Features



- **Retrieve user profile information** from both the registry and the file system

  (local and remote).



- **Detect orphaned profiles**, such as profiles missing from the file system or

  registry.



- **Filter and exclude special accounts** like system or service accounts (e.g.,

  `defaultuser0`, `S-1-5-18`).



- **Remote profile management** with support for handling user profiles across

  different systems.



- **Error handling** for permission issues, unreachable systems, and missing data.



- **Class-based profile objects** for easy integration with other automation tasks

  or scripts.



---



## Typical Use Cases



- **Cleaning up orphaned profiles** after system migrations,

user deactivations, or profile corruption.



- **Managing user profiles in large-scale environments**, such as terminal servers,

  Citrix environments, or multi-user systems.



- **Excluding system accounts** from profile cleanup operations to prevent accidental

  deletion of important system profiles.



- **System maintenance routines** that include profile validation

 and management as part of a broader system health check.



---



## Installation



You have two options to install **WinProfileOps**:



1. **Install from PowerShell Gallery**  

   You can install the module directly from the 

   [PowerShell Gallery](https://www.powershellgallery.com/packages/WinProfileOps)

   using the `Install-Module` command:



   ```powershell

   Install-Module -Name WinProfileOps

   ```



1. **Install from GitHub Releases**  

   You can also download the latest release from the 

   [GitHub Releases page](https://github.com/LarryWisherMan/WinProfileOps/releases).

   Download the `.zip` file, extract it, and place it in one of your `$PSModulePath`

   directories.



---



## Usage



#### Example 1: Detecting Orphaned Profiles



Use the `Get-OrphanedProfiles` function to detect orphaned profiles on a local or

remote machine:



```powershell

$orphanedProfiles = Get-OrphanedProfiles -ComputerName "RemotePC" -IgnoreSpecial

```



This retrieves all orphaned profiles on `RemotePC`, excluding special accounts.



#### Example 2: Retrieving User Profiles from the File System



Use the `Get-UserProfilesFromFolders` function to retrieve user profile folders from

the file system on a local or remote machine:



```powershell

$userFolders = Get-UserProfilesFromFolders -ComputerName "Server01"

```



This retrieves user profile folders from the default `C:\Users` directory on `Server01`.



#### Example 3: Retrieving User Profiles from the Registry



Use the `Get-UserProfilesFromRegistry` function to query user profiles from the

Windows registry:



```powershell

$registryProfiles = Get-UserProfilesFromRegistry -ComputerName "LocalHost"

```



This retrieves user profiles from the registry on `LocalHost`.



#### Example 4: Auditing User Profiles



Use the `Invoke-UserProfileAudit` function to audit profiles across the file

 system and

registry:



```powershell

$allProfiles = Invoke-UserProfileAudit -ComputerName "Server01"

```



This audits user profiles on `Server01`, returning both file system and registry

profile information.



#### Example 5: Removing User Profiles from the Registry



Use the `Remove-UserProfilesFromRegistry` function to remove user profiles from

 the Windows registry based on SIDs, Usernames, or UserProfile objects:



- Remove profiles by SIDs:



  ```powershell

  Remove-UserProfilesFromRegistry -SIDs "S-1-5-21-1234567890-1", "S-1-5-21-1234567890-2"

  ```



- Remove profiles by usernames on a remote computer:



  ```powershell

  Remove-UserProfilesFromRegistry -Usernames "john.doe", "jane.smith"

  -ComputerName "Server01" -Force -Confirm:$false

  ```



- Audit user profiles before removal:



  ```powershell

  Remove-UserProfilesFromRegistry -UserProfiles $userProfileList -AuditOnly

  ```



**Note:** To bypass any confirmation prompts during profile removal, both the

 `-Force` switch and `-Confirm:$false` must be specified.

  

This allows you to either remove or audit profiles based on their SIDs,

usernames, or UserProfile objects.



---



## Key Functions



- **`Get-OrphanedProfiles`**: Detects orphaned profiles by checking both the

  registry and file system.

- **`Invoke-UserProfileAudit`**: Audits and compares profiles from both the registry

  and file system, identifying discrepancies such as orphaned profiles.

- **`Get-UserProfilesFromRegistry`**: Retrieves user profiles from the Windows

  registry.

- **`Get-UserProfilesFromFolders`**: Retrieves user profile folders from the file

  system.

- **`Remove-UserProfilesFromRegistry`**: Removes user profiles from the Windows

registry based on SIDs, Usernames, or UserProfile objects,

 with options for audit-only mode or forced removal.



---



## Environment Variables



The **WinProfileOps** module uses several environment variables to configure

certain default paths and behaviors. These variables are automatically set

when the module is loaded and can be adjusted as needed:



- **`$env:WinProfileOps_IsAdmin`**: Determines if the current user has

administrative privileges. It is determined by the current context of the

user.

  

- **`$env:WinProfileOps_RegistryPath`**: Specifies the registry path used for

 managing user profiles. Default value: `"SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\ProfileList"`.



- **`$env:WinProfileOps_RegistryHive`**: Defines the registry hive used in

 operations, set to `LocalMachine` by default.



- **`$env:WinProfileOps_RegBackUpDirectory`**: Specifies the directory where

 registry backups are stored. Default value: `"C:\LHStuff\RegBackUp"`.



- **`$env:WinProfileOps_ProfileFolderPath`**: The profile folder path, defaulting

 to `"C:\Users"`, but can be customized based on the system's configuration.



These variables are set automatically when the module is imported and are cleared

 when the module is unloaded or the PowerShell session ends.