How to rename user account?

[nomail1983]

How can I rename a user account, notably including the folder name
under Documents and Settings?

When I go to Start > Control Panel > User Accounts > Change an account

Change the name, I can change the name that appears on the login screen.

However, that does not change the name of the folder under Documents
and Settings.

When I manually renamed that folder, then logged in, it behaved as if
the user account had just been created.

When I manually renamed the folder back to its original name,
everything was fine. But I really wish I could change the folder name
as well as the name that appears on the login screen.

I have XP Pro version 2002 SP2 with the "latest" patches -- well, as
recently as a couple weeks ago.

 

[Roberto]

How can I rename a user account, notably including the folder name
under Documents and Settings?

When I go to Start > Control Panel > User Accounts > Change an account

However, that does not change the name of the folder under Documents
and Settings.

When I manually renamed that folder, then logged in, it behaved as if
the user account had just been created.

When I manually renamed the folder back to its original name,
everything was fine. But I really wish I could change the folder name
as well as the name that appears on the login screen.

I have XP Pro version 2002 SP2 with the "latest" patches -- well, as
recently as a couple weeks ago.

Create a new user account and import the old users settings
Read MS Article ID: 811151
and Article ID: 308421

rgds
Roberto

 

[S.Sengupta]

No,you can't rename a User Account.You will need to create another profile.

And the following KB Article will be handy:-

How to copy data from a corrupted user profile to a new profile
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/811151/

regards,
S.Sengupta[MS-MVP]

 

[NewScience]

Try this, I've done this a number of times with no problems. Since you
already went thru renaming the profile using Windows User Account:

First, login as administrator account.

1. Open Regedit
2. Open key: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows
NT\CurrentVersion\ProfileList
3. Locate key (S-1-5-21-....) which contains ProfileImagePath you want to
change.
4. Right click (or double click) on ProfileImagePath and modify name from
path
5. Close regedit
6. Reboot and login as new user (make sure C:\Documents and
Settings\[USERNAME] exists).

 

[Ramesh, MS-MVP]

Your best option is to create a new user account (with the preferred name)
and transfer your files there. There are a couple of ways to do that.

How to Copy User Data to a New User Profile:
http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=811151

If you follow the steps in the above article, the user profile
customizations are not transferred to the newly created user account. To
make an exact copy of the user account, see the following page:

Copy a user profile: (files and settings will be transferred)
http://www.microsoft.com/resources/...ll/proddocs/en-us/sysdm_userprofile_copy.mspx

Harder way
------------

See:

How to rename or move a User Profile folder?:
http://windowsxp.mvps.org/userpath.htm

Ignore the article title. You'll just need to update the Profile path.
Create a folder with your preferred name and transfer the files from old
profile to newly created profile. Whatsoever, have a complete registry
backup before you do anything in the vital areas of the Windows Registry.

--
Regards,

Ramesh Srinivasan, Microsoft MVP [Windows XP Shell/User]
Windows® XP Troubleshooting http://www.winhelponline.com


How can I rename a user account, notably including the folder name
under Documents and Settings?

When I go to Start > Control Panel > User Accounts > Change an account

Change the name, I can change the name that appears on the login screen.

However, that does not change the name of the folder under Documents
and Settings.

When I manually renamed that folder, then logged in, it behaved as if
the user account had just been created.

When I manually renamed the folder back to its original name,
everything was fine. But I really wish I could change the folder name
as well as the name that appears on the login screen.

I have XP Pro version 2002 SP2 with the "latest" patches -- well, as
recently as a couple weeks ago.

 

[nomail1983]

No,you can't rename a User Account.You will need to create another profile.
And the following KB Article will be handy:-
How to copy data from a corrupted user profile to a new profile
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/811151/

Thanks to you and others for pointing this out. Since XP provides the
action "Change the name" in the control panel, I think this is a
horrific product flaw. I am surprised that people are not up in arms,
compelling MS to fix this rather than offer KBs that provide a
complicated alternative.

 

[nomail1983]

Try this, I've done this a number of times with no problems. Since you
already went thru renaming the profile using Windows User Account:
[....]
1. Open Regedit
[....]
4. Right click (or double click) on ProfileImagePath and modify name from
path

Thanks. This is the answer I was hoping for.

But I wonder: why didn't I find this using Find in regedit?

I selected Keys, Values and Data in the Find dialog box.

 

[Bruce Chambers]

Thanks to you and others for pointing this out. Since XP provides the
action "Change the name" in the control panel, I think this is a
horrific product flaw. I am surprised that people are not up in arms,
compelling MS to fix this rather than offer KBs that provide a
complicated alternative.

People aren't "up in arms" because it's not a "flaw."

--

Bruce Chambers

Help us help you:



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. -Bertrum Russell

 

[Bruce Chambers]

How can I rename a user account, notably including the folder name
under Documents and Settings?

When I go to Start > Control Panel > User Accounts > Change an account

However, that does not change the name of the folder under Documents
and Settings.

When I manually renamed that folder, then logged in, it behaved as if
the user account had just been created.

When I manually renamed the folder back to its original name,
everything was fine. But I really wish I could change the folder name
as well as the name that appears on the login screen.

I have XP Pro version 2002 SP2 with the "latest" patches -- well, as
recently as a couple weeks ago.

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

Help us help you:



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. -Bertrum Russell