Changing Registered User Name on System screen

[Capt. Wild Bill Kelso, USAAC]

Hello all,

I have a computer that I bought cheap that has a factory(OEM) XP Home
installation on it. It has the original user name listed on the Start Menu and
System screen. How can I change the registered name to mine? Is there a
program/patch that will change the name and registry to me?

Thanks,

Bill
=================================================================
Pilots track their lives by the number of hours in the air,
as if any other time isn't worth noting....
Michael Rarfit

 

[Will Denny]

Hi

Please try the following link to Doug Knox's web site:

http://www.dougknox.com/xp/utils/xp_change_owner.htm

 

[Capt. Wild Bill Kelso, USAAC]

Hi

Please try the following link to Doug Knox's web site:

http://www.dougknox.com/xp/utils/xp_change_owner.htm

--

Will Denny
MS-MVP Windows Shell/User
Please reply to the News Groups

Wahoo! That's it, worked great, thanks!

Bill

 

[Will Denny]

You're welcome Bill

 

[Rock]

Hello all,

I have a computer that I bought cheap that has a factory(OEM) XP Home
installation on it. It has the original user name listed on the Start Menu and
System screen. How can I change the registered name to mine? Is there a
program/patch that will change the name and registry to me?

Thanks,

Bill
=================================================================
Pilots track their lives by the number of hours in the air,
as if any other time isn't worth noting....
Michael Rarfit

When getting a used computer it is a wise move to format and clean
install the OS. You don't want to inherit someone else's problems and
nasties such as kiddie porn.

 

[Bruce Chambers]

Hello all,

I have a computer that I bought cheap that has a factory(OEM) XP Home
installation on it. It has the original user name listed on the Start Menu and
System screen. How can I change the registered name to mine? Is there a
program/patch that will change the name and registry to me?

Thanks,

Bill
=================================================================
Pilots track their lives by the number of hours in the air,
as if any other time isn't worth noting....
Michael Rarfit

With second-hand computers, especially if acquired from strangers
but perhaps even if acquired from a family member or friend, your wisest
course of action would probably be to format the hard drives and start
fresh. You don't want to get in trouble because the original owner may
have filled the hard drive with kiddie porn, or have problems because
the original owner downloaded/installed viruses or other malware.

However, to fix the "Registered to" information for WinNT/2K/XP,
you can use Start > Run > Regedit.exe to edit:

HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\Current Version\RegisteredOwner

and:

HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\Current
Version\RegisteredOrganization

How this will affect the name displayed in previously installed
applications will vary depending upon each individual program; some
read the registered owner information dynamically, while others read
it only during installation.

The user profile folders (C:\Documents and Settings\Username)
_cannot_ be renamed, even if the associated user account has been.
So, your best course of action would be to log on using the built-in
Administrator account, create a new user account, with the username
desired. You can then delete the old user account(s).

HOW TO Create and Configure User Accounts in Windows XP
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;279783

How to Copy User Data to a New User Profile
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;811151


--

Bruce Chambers

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