How to change system user name in the Documents and Settings folde

R

Ronaldo

Try this way:
http://www.lockergnome.com/windows/2006/07/04/change-your-user-account-name-in-windows-xp/

Restart the computer after changing your account name in the Control
Panel\User Accounts, and check the profile folder in the Windows Explorer
and also check the registry to see if it has also changed there:

Check in Start\Run\type; "regedit" (w/no quotes) and hit Enter:
Next go to: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows
NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon\ look on the right pane for the string value
named "DefaultUserName", double click on it and Change "Toby" to your user
name if it hasn't changed.
 
F

Flashfox

System: Acer Aspire One & Windows XP Home SP3

Source: Bought a demonstrator from BB.

Preparation: Deleted the spamware, ran AV, ran updates, installed
applications.

Problem: The default My Documents folder name is "Toby". Evidently the
name of a clerk @ BB. I tried to change the name with no success.

What I did:
1. Made sure that the right name is in the User Accounts w/admin
rights.
2. The only other user is "Guest". This account is off.
3. Under Documents and Settings, the folder "Toby" is present. I
cannot delete it nor can I change its name. (Error message tells me
that it is a system file). I tried changing the rights to RWMD with no
success.
4. No matter how many other profiles I create, "Toby"continues to be
used.

Question: How can I either change the default name or delete this
folder?
 
A

Anteaus

The effect of this is cosmetic, it doesn't change the actual profile name or
data location. Nothing can, at least not without causing trouble.

You need to create a new useraccount if you haven't already, then Run

control userpassswords2

and set this account to logon automatically.

Main issue is that as fas as Windows is concerned you are now a n00b user.
You will have to set everything again as if it were the first time you'd used
the PC.
 
P

Pegasus \(MVP\)

Flashfox said:
System: Acer Aspire One & Windows XP Home SP3

Source: Bought a demonstrator from BB.

Preparation: Deleted the spamware, ran AV, ran updates, installed
applications.

Problem: The default My Documents folder name is "Toby". Evidently the
name of a clerk @ BB. I tried to change the name with no success.

What I did:
1. Made sure that the right name is in the User Accounts w/admin
rights.
2. The only other user is "Guest". This account is off.
3. Under Documents and Settings, the folder "Toby" is present. I
cannot delete it nor can I change its name. (Error message tells me
that it is a system file). I tried changing the rights to RWMD with no
success.
4. No matter how many other profiles I create, "Toby"continues to be
used.

Question: How can I either change the default name or delete this
folder?
Click to expand...

Reboot the machine, log on as Administrator, then delete the profile folder.
If you have WinXP Home, reboot in Safe Mode in order to log on as
Administrator.
 
N

Nightowl

Hmm. . . I think we have to be careful here as it sounds to me as if the
OP may be *using* the Toby profile; he says: "1. Made sure the right
name was in User Accounts w/admin rights. 2. The only other user is
"Guest". This account is off."

I think what Flashfox may have done is rename his account (i.e. changed
his logon name) but of course this doesn't affect the profile folder in
Docs and Settings.

Flashfox, if this is the case, there are two options:

Read this page from MVP Ramesh:
How to rename or move a User Profile folder?
http://windowsxp.mvps.org/userpath.htm

The second way is to create a duplicate user profile with your preferred
name. There is a link for this too on Ramesh's page above.

Hope this helps:)
 
N

Nepatsfan

Flashfox said:
System: Acer Aspire One & Windows XP Home SP3

Source: Bought a demonstrator from BB.

Preparation: Deleted the spamware, ran AV, ran updates, installed
applications.

Problem: The default My Documents folder name is "Toby". Evidently the
name of a clerk @ BB. I tried to change the name with no success.

What I did:
1. Made sure that the right name is in the User Accounts w/admin
rights.
2. The only other user is "Guest". This account is off.
3. Under Documents and Settings, the folder "Toby" is present. I
cannot delete it nor can I change its name. (Error message tells me
that it is a system file). I tried changing the rights to RWMD with no
success.
4. No matter how many other profiles I create, "Toby"continues to be
used.

Question: How can I either change the default name or delete this
folder?
Click to expand...


You missed a step in your preparation routine. That would be running whatever
method Acer provided to restore the computer to the condition it was in when it
left the factory. If you had done that first you wouldn't have to deal with
'Toby' or any of the possibly suspect files that may exist on a computer that
the public was allowed to access.

Nepatsfan
 
B

Bruce Chambers

Flashfox said:
System: Acer Aspire One & Windows XP Home SP3

Source: Bought a demonstrator from BB.

Preparation: Deleted the spamware, ran AV, ran updates, installed
applications.

Problem: The default My Documents folder name is "Toby". Evidently the
name of a clerk @ BB. I tried to change the name with no success.

What I did:
1. Made sure that the right name is in the User Accounts w/admin
rights.
2. The only other user is "Guest". This account is off.
3. Under Documents and Settings, the folder "Toby" is present. I
cannot delete it nor can I change its name. (Error message tells me
that it is a system file). I tried changing the rights to RWMD with no
success.
4. No matter how many other profiles I create, "Toby"continues to be
used.

Question: How can I either change the default name or delete this
folder?
Click to expand...


With second-hand computers (among which one would certainly have to
include a store demo unit), especially if acquired from strangers but
perhaps even if acquired from a family member or friend, your wisest
course of action would definitely 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.

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, without risky registry editing, 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. Once you've logged in using this
new account (and transfered any data you need to preserve, 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

Help us help you:


http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx/kb/555375

They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary
safety deserve neither liberty nor safety. ~Benjamin Franklin

Many people would rather die than think; in fact, most do. ~Bertrand Russell

The philosopher has never killed any priests, whereas the priest has
killed a great many philosophers.
~ Denis Diderot
 
F

Flashfox

Thanks for all of the information. As I suspected, it's practically
impossible to get rid of the "toby" account (tried all of the suggestions to
no avail).

As one person mentioned earlier, I should have simply reloaded the factory
defaults and started fresh. Perhaps I was too lazy or I got blinded by the
fact that I will be doing this anyway to load Linux on a new partition. So...
I will reload the factory defaults (recovery), use Acronis Disk Manager to
partition the drive, load Ubuntu on the new partition then reload my
applications in XP. Looks like I will have a fun afternoon ;-)

Thanks again for all of your suggestions.
 

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