Student Appdata folder - redirect or not? (2024)

FAQs

Should I redirect appdata? ›

Don't redirect appdata. It's one of the worst and oldest fail practices in the book. Simply manage your profile appropriately. File or Container tech is fine.

We use folder redirection and UEM because people roam, if your users are never sat at the same desk or device then this is pretty much a must. Even if they don't, FR will help with backup of their data and allows for them to move or use alternative devices if needs be. The best part is backing documents up.

Folder Redirection enables users and administrators to redirect the path of a known folder to a new location, manually or by using Group Policy. The new location can be a folder on the local computer or a directory on a file share.

For optimal performance of the Folder Redirection feature, it is strongly recommended that you create only the root share on the server, and then let the system create the folders for each user.

That's because any deletion in this folder can make the system unstable and functions missing. So, it is not recommended to move the folder location, if you stick to that, backup is what you should do.

Because most applications only store their configuration settings in this folder, and not the files you create, it's often not necessary to back it up.

A redirect is a way to send users and search engines to a different URL from the one they requested. This is commonly used when a webpage is moved to a new address, ensuring that visitors and search engine crawlers are automatically taken to the correct page.

After you create a GPO for Folder Redirection settings, follow these steps to edit the Group Policy settings that enable and configure Folder Redirection. By default, the Offline Files feature is enabled for redirected folders on Windows client computers, and disabled on Windows Server computers.

A home folder is a shared drive designation that maps at logon and enables the user to store personal files. On the other hand, folder redirection is an automated way to redirect specific folder contents.

URL redirects help make the move from one domain or subdomain name to another simple and easy. As we've mentioned previously, this delivers value for users to find the content they're looking for, or have bookmarked, in your new domain without having to hunt around for it or landing on a 404 page.

What are the advantages of redirection? ›

With proper redirection, you can transfer the SEO value of the old URL to the new one. This helps maintain your search engine rankings and organic traffic. Imagine clicking on a bookmark or search result only to land on a 404 error page.

When done successfully, respectful redirection can remove the need for further intervention. Talking to students in a positive, calm manner while giving specific feedback gives them a way to get back on task without needing more information.

Ideally, teaching redirection techniques should occur when a child is regulated. Trying to guide them when they're dysregulated can be a challenge for you and your child. Also, the learning process should be the focus of these learnings rather than the desired outcomes.

Deleting these folders can not only possibly break Windows, but they will also indeed remove most of your program settings. Since these folders are protected, you'd have to boot into safe mode, then delete them and immediately regret it.

The biggest downside is that the user needs administrative privileges, which isn't always required by the program. I'd advise against installing to AppData unless you have really good reason to do so. Program Files is where the user will expect it, and the permissions are set up like that as well.

Access Disk Cleanup by typing "Disk Cleanup" in the Start menu. Select the drive containing the AppData folder and let the utility analyze and suggest files to delete. Ensure that the "Temporary files" option is checked, and proceed with the cleanup.

The files in the AppData folder are important for the apps that are installed on your PC. If you delete these files then your apps might not work properly, and you will also lose user information and all other saved data.