Working with Multiple IEAK Profiles

IEAK profiles, which are stored in .ins files, contain settings for Internet Explorer. In most cases, the IEAK Profile manager is recommended for making general changes to the .ins file.

There are three kinds of IEAK profiles, all of which work together to give you the flexibility you need:

• Per-user profile—per-user .ins files that contain settings for an individual. The filename usually consists of the user's logon name plus the .ins extension.
• Group profiles—group .ins files that contain settings for a group, division, or department. The filename usually consists of the group's name plus the .ins extension.
• Default profiles—a default .ins file that contains settings that Internet Explorer uses if it cannot find either a per-user or a group .ins file. The filename is Default.ins.

When a user logs on and runs Setup for your customized browser, Internet Explorer first looks for a per-user profile. If it doesn't find one, it looks for a group profile. If it doesn't find one, it uses the settings in the default profile.

If you specify a group profile within a per-user profile, the settings in the group profile override the settings in the per-user profile.

You can also refer to a group profile in the default profile. If both the default profile and the per-user profile specify a group profile, the settings in the per-user profile override the settings in the default profile.

Before you begin, you need to determine how many and which kinds of profiles you need to create. For example, you can create one profile for each user, one for each group, and a default file. Then, you can create and edit the .ins files you need by carrying out the following steps:

To create a Default.ins file

1. In the IEAK Profile Manager, open the sample IEAK profile, Peruser.ins.
2. Change the settings as needed.
3. Save the revised file as Default.ins. Copy the file to a network-accessible folder. When you are running the wizard, specify the path to this folder when it is requested.

• Repeat steps 1 through 3 for each profile you want to create.

  Name per-user files username.ins.

  Name group files groupname.ins.

If you are creating a group .ins file, add the following lines to the [Branding] section of any applicable per-user .ins files:

groupins=<group ins file name>
Peruserins=1

For example, for a finance group profile, you might add the following:

groupins=E:\INS\FINANCE.INS
Peruserins=1

Note
If you specify any add-on component settings during initial installation or in a default or group profile, you cannot change them by using per-user profile settings. For more information about .ins settings, see the .ISP/.INS Reference Guide.