New
#1210
That is both consistent and logical.
When you install Windows, Users folder is created on C: drive as any other system folders but no user accounts are created. After Setup has finished, after its last restart, when OOBE starts, Setup creates a temporary user account defaultuser0 to allow OOBE (Windows Welcome) to be run. It will be created in C:\Users.
Now you will restart to Audit Mode. Because no actual user accounts exists yet, Windows temporarily enables the built-in admin account and signs you in to Audit Mode using it. At this point, system has no knowledge that user profiles will be relocated, so also Administrator user profile will be created in C:\Users.
When you Sysprep with an answer file which relocates the Users folder to another drive, Windows deletes the current defaultuser0 profile and disables Administrator profile. It then creates the new Users folder on another drive and creates new defaultuser0 profile on that folder, this way allowing you now go through OOBE and create your initial user profile.
Because Sysprep disabled the built-in admin used in Audit Mode, its profile folders will be emptied but main folder Administrator remains. Windows Setup will not remove the C:\Users folder now because it contains profile folder Administrator, empty at this moment but still existing.
When user then signs in to desktop first time, temporary defaultuser0 profile will be automatically deleted. It is safe to remove now obsolete C:\Users folder manually. It will be no longer needed.
Thanks for your kind words!
Kari