RE: Location changes in registry not reflected in SFTP

Are you, by any chance, running Windows 2003? Because there are extra things you have to do to g

I have a locally-created document on how to install "OpenSSH for Windows" (the no-longer-updated version from sourceforge) which contains very detailed instructions on how to run the installer (what buttons to push on what screen) and exactly what to do to set up the server so that the user has a directory other than the default when they log in. The relevant portions describing the latter read as follows:

(Note that we are doing this for a single domain user called 'rxtfc'. Substitute as appropriate for yourself.)

3) SET UP OpenSSH Users & Groups
        a. Open a Command Prompt Window
                i. Start à Programs à Accessories à Command Prompt
        b. Go To OpenSSH installation directory
                i. cd "<openssh_install_dir>\bin"
                        e.g. cd c:\openssh\bin
        c. Create Groups from the local machine and the domain
                i. mkgroup -l > ..\etc\group
                ii. mkgroup -d >> ..\etc\group
        d. Create Users from the local machine and the domain RxTFC User
                i. mkpasswd -l > ..\etc\passwd
                ii. mkpasswd -d -u <rxtfc_user> >> ..\etc\passwd
        e. Change RxTFC Domain User's home directory for OpenSSH
                i. Use WordPad to open the file:
                        <openssh_install_dir>\etc\passwd
                ii. Find the <rxtfc_user> entry
                iii. Change home directory from:
                        /home/<rxtfc_user>
                        to
                        /cygdrive/<drive_letter>/<path>
                Example: If your share is C:\rx then the home directory should be set to /cygdrive/c/rx

Steps a-d should only need to be done once; the relevant step for changing the actual initial login directory is step e, and it does not involve the registry whatsoever. I can verify that these instructions work and do indeed change the initial login directory, as they have been executed scores of times.

I am given to understand from some off-list emails that the initial login directory is now controlled by a registry setting in more modern versions of the OpenSSH protocol (such as the one implemented in newer versions of copSSH) but this is *not* the case for the three-year-old implementation in OpenSSH for Windows. You should not have to touch the registry at all in order to change the initial login directory for a user.

Also of note: if you are installing on a Windows 2003 server, then you will need to take additional steps. Write back if such is the case.

-- 
Shane Travis
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