Hello,
I'm using Windows 8.1 Update to setup a lab of computers that will use standard user accounts with Mandatory Profiles and Group Policy to lock them down. Everything is working great with the exception of Group Policy Preferences. I am using GPP printers to add a shared printer to the computer lab and set the default. Due to asynchronous processing, the GPPs are applied only every other time. Since they are mandatory profiles, the settings are wiped out every time.
I have enabled the GPO setting "Always wait for network at startup and logon" but it doesn't seem to have any effect. The Mandatory Profile is assigned in the user's AD object.
From everything I can find on the issue, the problem seems to stem from the synchronous processing/asynchronous processing of group policy preferences, which explains the consistent alternating working. Fast logon optimization is always off when using a roaming user profile, which is the case of these standard users, to my understanding. I also configured cached logons to '0', disabling cached logons. The computers (configured to automatically sign in with SysInternals' Autologon) received an error (no logon servers available) trying to sign in before the network was ready, showing that they are ignoring the setting. Even with waiting for the network and signing in manually, the GPP printers are only successfully added every other time.
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/jj573586.aspx
2008R2 functional level
I have created and recreated GPOs to test creating them on the DC and a Windows 8.1 Update computer, with no change in outcome.
I have also tried setting Startup policy processing wait time, run logon scripts synchronously, and GPP Printers processing behaviors. For the latest testing, I created a new OU with blocked inheritance and created a new GPO with just the key settings to wait for network, install the printers, and use the mandatory profile. It still only worked every other time.
I am currently at a loss for a good way to add the printers to the mandatory profiles. I have hacked them into the HKCU of the mandatory profile but I feel that is a kludge solution and not very sustainable. I have tried a logon PowerShell script but had no luck.
TL;DR: Win8.1Update, Mandatory Profiles, standard user: Every other restart, GPP Printers are added perfectly and the desired outcome is reached. Every other, other restart the printers are not added.