Cannot delete a "Windows System Folder" in XP Pro

[BobS]

I run under XP Pro and have created a new profile (BobS), because the
previous one (Bob) was giving me problems. Then I deleted the old profile
and said yes when it asked me if I wanted windows to save the old files in a
folder on my desktop. Although the old profile was giving me problems, I
did like its name (Bob), especially since I had a number of macros that
loaded some files in subdirectories under that folder. So, I would like to
delete the folder Bob and its subdirectories, and then rename BobS to Bob
(hoping that the folder currently named BobS will thereby become named Bob.
I have 3 questions.

1. If I delete the Bob tree and rename BobS profile to Bob, will the old
BobS tree become named Bob?
2. Is there any harm in deleting the Bob folder tree?
3. How can I delete the Bob Tree? When I try, I get the following error
message. "Bob is a windows system folder and is required for Windows to run
properly. It cannot be deleted."

Thank you for your help.
Bob

 

[Rick \Nutcase\ Rogers]

Hi Bob,

1. If I delete the Bob tree and rename BobS profile to Bob, will the old
BobS tree become named Bob?

You cannot rename a userprofile folder. The name is fixed, you can only
change the friendly name that appears for the account. The only way to have
a new userprofile folder named Bob is to create a new account by that name.
Obviously to do so you will first have to remove all traces of the old Bob.

2. Is there any harm in deleting the Bob folder tree?

As long as the account has been deleted first and you have retrieved any
needed data from it, no.

3. How can I delete the Bob Tree? When I try, I get the following error
message. "Bob is a windows system folder and is required for Windows to
run properly. It cannot be deleted."

Are you sure the account was removed and is no longer in use? If so, you may
need to take ownership of the folder tree or logon as administrator so that
you have sufficient privileges to delete the user profile.

--
Best of Luck,

Rick Rogers, aka "Nutcase" - Microsoft MVP

Windows help - www.rickrogers.org

 

[BobS]

Hi Rick,
Thanks. Your answers were both concise and clear.

"Are you sure the account was removed and is no longer in use?"
I am not totally sure. Here is what I know. The only two accounts which
show up when I go to Settings\Control Panel\User Accounts are BobS and
Guest. However, when I looked (without changing anything) in regedit for
"\Bob\" I found a lot of references to it still in the Registry. A lot of
them were default directories and Shell Folders.

"If so, you may need to take ownership of the folder tree or logon as
administrator so that you have sufficient privileges to delete the user
profile."
My BobS account does have administrator priviledges. And I did delete the
user profile. However I could not delete the userprofile Folder. How do I
take ownership of the folder tree?

"The only way to have a new userprofile folder named Bob is to create a new
account by that name. Obviously to do so you will first have to remove all
traces of the old Bob."
How do I do that?

Thanks in advance for your help.
Bob

 

[Rick \Nutcase\ Rogers]

Hi Bob,

Thanks. Your answers were both concise and clear.

Glad to hear it.

"Are you sure the account was removed and is no longer in use?"
I am not totally sure. Here is what I know. The only two accounts which
show up when I go to Settings\Control Panel\User Accounts are BobS and
Guest. However, when I looked (without changing anything) in regedit for
"\Bob\" I found a lot of references to it still in the Registry. A lot of
them were default directories and Shell Folders.

As this is WinXP Pro, click start/run, type lusrmgr.msc and click ok. Click
on the users folder, the valid accounts will show in the right pane. A
thought occurs to me that perhaps you renamed the administrator to Bob?

"If so, you may need to take ownership of the folder tree or logon as
administrator so that you have sufficient privileges to delete the user
profile."
My BobS account does have administrator priviledges. And I did delete the
user profile. However I could not delete the userprofile Folder. How do
I take ownership of the folder tree?

Please see this link on "taking ownership" of a folder:
http://rickrogers.org/fixes.htm#Taking_ownership

"The only way to have a new userprofile folder named Bob is to create a
new account by that name. Obviously to do so you will first have to
remove all traces of the old Bob."
How do I do that?

By checking that the account has been removed properly as described above.

--
Best of Luck,

Rick Rogers, aka "Nutcase" - Microsoft MVP

Windows help - www.rickrogers.org

 

[BobS]

Thanks Rick. I am reading your suggestions on Taking Ownership of a Folder.
Before I act upon it, let me tell you what I learned from your first
suggestion, and see what you think of that.
The valid accounts which showed up in the right pane (when typing
lusrmgr.msg) were:

Name Full Name
Administrator
Bob BobS
Guest
HelpAssistant Remote destop Help assistant account
Support_388945a0 CN=Microsoft Corporation, L=...
Support_fddfa904 CN=Hewlett Pakard, L=...

What does that tell you, Rick?
Thanks again for your help.
Bob

 

[Rick \Nutcase\ Rogers]

Hi Bob,

A normal scenario (those last few are support accounts, quite normal). It
also tells me that the "Bob" tree under Documents and Settings is no longer
in use. The only time an entry appears in the "Full Name" column is when it
is different than the "Name" column, meaning that the Administrator account
is using the folder tree by the same name, not the old "Bob" account.

--
Best of Luck,

Rick Rogers, aka "Nutcase" - Microsoft MVP

Windows help - www.rickrogers.org

 

[BobS]

Hi Rick,

Thanks for your reply. I have two questions.
1. Since there are a number of entries in my registry with Documents and
Settings\Bob\..., does that mean that these programs really should be
reinstalled?
2. Is is fine to follow the guidelines you gave below to take ownership of
the Bob tree and delete or move it, since the system is now using BobS
rather than Bob?

Thanks a lot for your help.
Bob

 

[BobS]

Hi Rick,
There is one other piece of very relevant data. As I looked at the
directory trees under Bob and BobS, I saw that there was nothing in BobS
that was not also under Bob. So, I tried to move BobS (like I had tried to
move Bob earlier). I tried a move rather than a delete so as not to be too
permanent. When I had tried to move Bob, it had said that I could not move
a folder needed by the system. But, it allowed me to move BobS. What does
that mean?
Bob

 

[Rick \Nutcase\ Rogers]

Hi Bob,

1. Since there are a number of entries in my registry with Documents and
Settings\Bob\..., does that mean that these programs really should be
reinstalled?

No, there is no need for that.

2. Is is fine to follow the guidelines you gave below to take ownership
of the Bob tree and delete or move it, since the system is now using BobS
rather than Bob?

Yes, as I've mentioned it is fine to do as long as the account has been
removed.

--
Best of Luck,

Rick Rogers, aka "Nutcase" - Microsoft MVP

Windows help - www.rickrogers.org

 

[BobS]

Thanks Rick for all of your help.
Bob

Hi Bob,


No, there is no need for that.


Yes, as I've mentioned it is fine to do as long as the account has been
removed.

--
Best of Luck,

Rick Rogers, aka "Nutcase" - Microsoft MVP

Windows help - www.rickrogers.org