if you create a user using the "useradd" command (in solaris), it copies the local.profile from /etc/skel into the user's home directory, but it doesn't rename it to .profile. because it doesn't rename it, the .profile or any other user initialization file isn't read upon login. creating a user using admintool or something other than the command line copies the initialization file and renames it.

if the person can't login period, check the ownership of the home directory (if you created this mannually, then more than likely root still owns it). using the -d option with the useradd command alleviates the task of having to create the home directory mannually because it does this for you.

on top of all that, if everything else is fine, yet the user still doesn't get CDE when they login, then check to see if $HOME/.dtprofile is configured properly or even exists. hope this all helps.