Missing Folders in Documents & Settings for New Users

[Amy]

I recently got a new computer and am running XP Pro. I renamed the
default administrator account and set up a new administrator account.
I also set up a couple of limited user accounts (user1 and user2).
After these accounts were created, I changed the name of one of the
limited accounts from user1 to user3. Everything seemed ok until I
wanted to copy some MS Word and PDF files from the admin account I
created to my user3 account. I opened Windows Explorer and there were
folders for the admin account I created, user2 and another admin
account (administrator.computer name) which I assume is the default
Microsoft administrative account. However, instead of seeing a folder
for user3 under C:\Documents & Settings, there was a folder for user1
(the original name of the user3 login). However, the Welcome Screen
and Administrative Tools - Computer Management both show user3.

I tried logging in using the admin account I created and as user3 but
the folder was identified in both cases as user1. While in the admin
account, I deleted the troublesome limited account and created a new
limited account - user4. Now, regardless of what account I use to log
in, I don't see a folder in C:\Documents & Settings for any new
account I create. It doesn't matter whether the account is a limited
or admin account. User4 does appear on the Welcome screen and in Admin
tools - Computer management.

I read in some other posts to this and other groups about the setting
of one of the registry keys
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\DocFolderPaths]"user"="C:\\Documents
and Settings\\user\\My Documents"

So, I checked my registry. There is no entry for user4. There are
values for the admin account I created, the administrator.computer
name account and the user2 account. I know I can add a value to this
key and the missing folder should appear (note, I have not yet tried
to add another value to the key), but is there any way to have the key
added automatically as was done with my other accounts? Will I always
have to manually add a value to this key whenever I add a new user
account? Do you know what caused this problem?

Also, am I correct that the administrator.computer name is the default
MS admin account?

TIA for any suggestions and information you can provide.

Amy

 

[Will Denny]

Hi

How did you manage to rename the default Admin. Account? That's where your
problem could be.

--

Will Denny
MS-MVP Windows - Shell/User


| I recently got a new computer and am running XP Pro. I renamed the
| default administrator account and set up a new administrator account.
| I also set up a couple of limited user accounts (user1 and user2).
| After these accounts were created, I changed the name of one of the
| limited accounts from user1 to user3. Everything seemed ok until I
| wanted to copy some MS Word and PDF files from the admin account I
| created to my user3 account. I opened Windows Explorer and there were
| folders for the admin account I created, user2 and another admin
| account (administrator.computer name) which I assume is the default
| Microsoft administrative account. However, instead of seeing a folder
| for user3 under C:\Documents & Settings, there was a folder for user1
| (the original name of the user3 login). However, the Welcome Screen
| and Administrative Tools - Computer Management both show user3.
|
| I tried logging in using the admin account I created and as user3 but
| the folder was identified in both cases as user1. While in the admin
| account, I deleted the troublesome limited account and created a new
| limited account - user4. Now, regardless of what account I use to log
| in, I don't see a folder in C:\Documents & Settings for any new
| account I create. It doesn't matter whether the account is a limited
| or admin account. User4 does appear on the Welcome screen and in Admin
| tools - Computer management.
|
| I read in some other posts to this and other groups about the setting
| of one of the registry keys
|
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\DocFo
lderPaths]"user"="C:\\Documents
| and Settings\\user\\My Documents"
|
| So, I checked my registry. There is no entry for user4. There are
| values for the admin account I created, the administrator.computer
| name account and the user2 account. I know I can add a value to this
| key and the missing folder should appear (note, I have not yet tried
| to add another value to the key), but is there any way to have the key
| added automatically as was done with my other accounts? Will I always
| have to manually add a value to this key whenever I add a new user
| account? Do you know what caused this problem?
|
| Also, am I correct that the administrator.computer name is the default
| MS admin account?
|
| TIA for any suggestions and information you can provide.
|
| Amy

 

[Carrie Garth]

| message | <SNIP> I renamed the default administrator account <SNIP> I
| changed the name of one of the limited accounts from user1 to
| user3. <SNIP> I opened Windows Explorer and there were
| folders for the admin account I created, user2 and another
| admin account (administrator.computer name) which I assume is
| the default Microsoft administrative account. However, instead
| of seeing a folder for user3 under C:\Documents & Settings,
| there was a folder for user1 (the original name of the user3
| login). However, the Welcome Screen and Administrative Tools -
| Computer Management both show user3. <SNIP>

When you change the name of an account in the User Accounts tool
in Control Panel, the name of the folder that appears under the
Documents and Settings folder does not change to reflect the new
name of the account. For more information see the following
Microsoft Knowledge Base article:

KB283111 - Logon Name Does Not Match Name in Task Manager or
Under Documents and Settings
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?Product=winxp&scid=kb;en-us;283111

To restore things so that the user profile folders point to the
correct user names follow the steps outlined in the following
Microsoft Knowledge Base Article.

KB324734 - HOW TO: Restore a User Profile in Windows Server 2003
http://support.microsoft.com/?scid=324734

Note: Even though Windows XP is not listed as one of the
products that the article applies to, the procedure works the
same.

 

[Amy]

Hi Carrie,

Thanks for the info and references.

Since I moved all my documents etc to user2 (as well as replying "yes"
when prompted to save the files etc during the deletion process)
before deleting user3 (which, in turn, got rid of user1) and can
access the files in user2, is there any reason why I should follow the
procedure in KB324734 to restore the user1 profile?

When I changed the name of the default admin account, I did it in
Control Panel - User Accounts - Change Name instead of in Local
Policies - Security Options (which I just read is where I should have
changed it). Will following the procedure in KB324734 change the
administrator.computer name in Windows Explorer to the new name I gave
this account? Besides the discrepancy in the name of the account, is
there anything else "broken" in the account (ie pointers etc)?

Am I correct that the info you sent is not going to permanently fix my
problem of new accounts not appearing in Documents & Settings?

Thanks so much.

Amy

 

[Will Denny]

Hi Amy

The default Admin Account can't be renamed. It isn't allowed to be renamed.
So, I'm not sure which Account you have renamed.

--

Will Denny
MS-MVP Windows - Shell/User


| Hi Will,
|
| Thanks for the feedback. I think I changed it in Control Panel - User
| Accounts - Change name.
|
| Are you saying that by changing the name in Control Panel instead of
| in Local Policies - Security Options (which I just read is the correct
| way to change the name) caused
|
| 1. my problem with user1 still appearing in Windows Explorer and the
| default Admin Account to display as Administrator.computer name in
| Windows Explorer
|
| Or
|
| 2. my problem with new accounts not appearing in Windows Explorer -
| Documents & Settings?
|
| What do you recommend I do?
|
| Thanks a million.
|
| Amy
|
|
|
| > Hi
| >
| > How did you manage to rename the default Admin. Account? That's where
your
| > problem could be.
| >
| > --
| >
| > Will Denny
| > MS-MVP Windows - Shell/User
| >
| >
| > | > | I recently got a new computer and am running XP Pro. I renamed the
| > | default administrator account and set up a new administrator account.
| > | I also set up a couple of limited user accounts (user1 and user2).
| > | After these accounts were created, I changed the name of one of the
| > | limited accounts from user1 to user3. Everything seemed ok until I
| > | wanted to copy some MS Word and PDF files from the admin account I
| > | created to my user3 account. I opened Windows Explorer and there were
| > | folders for the admin account I created, user2 and another admin
| > | account (administrator.computer name) which I assume is the default
| > | Microsoft administrative account. However, instead of seeing a folder
| > | for user3 under C:\Documents & Settings, there was a folder for user1
| > | (the original name of the user3 login). However, the Welcome Screen
| > | and Administrative Tools - Computer Management both show user3.
| > |
| > | I tried logging in using the admin account I created and as user3 but
| > | the folder was identified in both cases as user1. While in the admin
| > | account, I deleted the troublesome limited account and created a new
| > | limited account - user4. Now, regardless of what account I use to log
| > | in, I don't see a folder in C:\Documents & Settings for any new
| > | account I create. It doesn't matter whether the account is a limited
| > | or admin account. User4 does appear on the Welcome screen and in Admin
| > | tools - Computer management.
| > |
| > | I read in some other posts to this and other groups about the setting
| > | of one of the registry keys
| > |
| >
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\DocFo
| > lderPaths]"user"="C:\\Documents
| > | and Settings\\user\\My Documents"
| > |
| > | So, I checked my registry. There is no entry for user4. There are
| > | values for the admin account I created, the administrator.computer
| > | name account and the user2 account. I know I can add a value to this
| > | key and the missing folder should appear (note, I have not yet tried
| > | to add another value to the key), but is there any way to have the key
| > | added automatically as was done with my other accounts? Will I always
| > | have to manually add a value to this key whenever I add a new user
| > | account? Do you know what caused this problem?
| > |
| > | Also, am I correct that the administrator.computer name is the default
| > | MS admin account?
| > |
| > | TIA for any suggestions and information you can provide.
| > |
| > | Amy

 

[Amy]

Hi Will,

Thanks again. I'm a bit confused. On
http://www.microsoft.com/resources/documentation/windows/xp/all/proddocs/en-us/583.mspx
there is a list of all the security options. If you click on Accounts:
Rename administrator account, an explanation of the option is
displayed, and my understanding of this explanation is that Microsoft
is recommending the default admin account name be changed. This is the
option that I was referring to in my email earlier today and that I
did not use to change the name of the default admin account on my
computer.

If I go to this security option on my computer, the name shown is the
new name I gave what I thought was the default admin account. If you
right click on the option and select Properties, you are able to
change the name. So, even though I changed the name in user accounts,
my change is reflected in this option. Also, if I right click on a
program and select "Run As", the new name I gave the default account
appears as an option along with the other admin account I created.

Is my understanding that this option is for changing the name of the
default admin account incorrect? If so, what account does this option
refer to?

Any information you can provide is appreciated.

Amy

Hi Amy

The default Admin Account can't be renamed. It isn't allowed to be renamed.
So, I'm not sure which Account you have renamed.

--

Will Denny
MS-MVP Windows - Shell/User


| Hi Will,
|
| Thanks for the feedback. I think I changed it in Control Panel - User
| Accounts - Change name.
|
| Are you saying that by changing the name in Control Panel instead of
| in Local Policies - Security Options (which I just read is the correct
| way to change the name) caused
|
| 1. my problem with user1 still appearing in Windows Explorer and the
| default Admin Account to display as Administrator.computer name in
| Windows Explorer
|
| Or
|
| 2. my problem with new accounts not appearing in Windows Explorer -
| Documents & Settings?
|
| What do you recommend I do?
|
| Thanks a million.
|
| Amy
|
|
|
| > Hi
| >
| > How did you manage to rename the default Admin. Account? That's where
your
| > problem could be.
| >
| > --
| >
| > Will Denny
| > MS-MVP Windows - Shell/User
| >
| >
| > | > | I recently got a new computer and am running XP Pro. I renamed the
| > | default administrator account and set up a new administrator account.
| > | I also set up a couple of limited user accounts (user1 and user2).
| > | After these accounts were created, I changed the name of one of the
| > | limited accounts from user1 to user3. Everything seemed ok until I
| > | wanted to copy some MS Word and PDF files from the admin account I
| > | created to my user3 account. I opened Windows Explorer and there were
| > | folders for the admin account I created, user2 and another admin
| > | account (administrator.computer name) which I assume is the default
| > | Microsoft administrative account. However, instead of seeing a folder
| > | for user3 under C:\Documents & Settings, there was a folder for user1
| > | (the original name of the user3 login). However, the Welcome Screen
| > | and Administrative Tools - Computer Management both show user3.
| > |
| > | I tried logging in using the admin account I created and as user3 but
| > | the folder was identified in both cases as user1. While in the admin
| > | account, I deleted the troublesome limited account and created a new
| > | limited account - user4. Now, regardless of what account I use to log
| > | in, I don't see a folder in C:\Documents & Settings for any new
| > | account I create. It doesn't matter whether the account is a limited
| > | or admin account. User4 does appear on the Welcome screen and in Admin
| > | tools - Computer management.
| > |
| > | I read in some other posts to this and other groups about the setting
| > | of one of the registry keys
| > |
| >
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\DocFo
| > lderPaths]"user"="C:\\Documents
| > | and Settings\\user\\My Documents"
| > |
| > | So, I checked my registry. There is no entry for user4. There are
| > | values for the admin account I created, the administrator.computer
| > | name account and the user2 account. I know I can add a value to this
| > | key and the missing folder should appear (note, I have not yet tried
| > | to add another value to the key), but is there any way to have the key
| > | added automatically as was done with my other accounts? Will I always
| > | have to manually add a value to this key whenever I add a new user
| > | account? Do you know what caused this problem?
| > |
| > | Also, am I correct that the administrator.computer name is the default
| > | MS admin account?
| > |
| > | TIA for any suggestions and information you can provide.
| > |
| > | Amy

 

[Carrie Garth]

||| ||| <SNIP> I renamed the default administrator account <SNIP> I
||| opened Windows Explorer and there were folders for the admin
||| account I created, user2 and another admin account
||| (administrator.computer name) <SNIP> However, instead of
||| seeing a folder for user3 under C:\Documents & Settings,
||| there was a folder for user1 (the original name of the user3
||| login). However, the Welcome Screen and Administrative
||| Tools - Computer Management both show user3. <SNIP>

|| || <SNIP> http://support.microsoft.com/?scid=283111
|| <SNIP> http://support.microsoft.com/?scid=324734

| | <SNIP> Since I moved all my documents etc to user2 <SNIP>
| before deleting user3 (which, in turn, got rid of user1) and
| can access the files in user2, is there any reason why I should
| follow the procedure in KB324734 to restore the user1 profile?
|
| <SNIP> Will following the procedure in KB324734 change the
| administrator.computer name in Windows Explorer to the new name
| I gave this account? Besides the discrepancy in the name of the
| account, is there anything else "broken" in the account (i.e.
| pointers etc)?
|
| Am I correct that the info you sent is not going to permanently
| fix my problem of new accounts not appearing in Documents &
| Settings?

In regards to your problem with the discrepancy of names. The
Operating System uses Security Identifier's (SID's), and not
names, to identify users. So as far as the functioning of the OS
is concerned the discrepancy does not matter. Not being a
software developer I cannot say for sure whether or not *all*
programmers use SID's to identify users. But since I believe
that there are very few absolutes in this world, when I face a
similar situation as yours I follow the procedure in KB324734 to
restore Logon User Name (user account name) to ProfileList, to
ProfileImagePath.

As for your other problem mentioned in your newsgroup post Sent:
Monday, May 17, 2004 10:41 PM:

"created a new limited account - user4. Now, regardless of
what account I use to log in, I don't see a folder in
C:\Documents & Settings for any new account I create. It doesn't
matter whether the account is a limited or admin account. User4
does appear on the Welcome screen and in Admin tools - Computer
management."

To begin troubleshooting this problem do the following:

- Log on to the computer as user4
- Click Start, click Run, type the following command and
click OK:

explorer /e,%userprofile%

This will open the profile directory of user4 in folder view.
See what you can make of that and if you need anymore help reply
to this post
after doing the following:

- Log on to the computer as user4
- Click Start, click Run, type the following command and
click OK:

cmd /k set > c:\setoutput.txt & Exit

- Click Start, click Run, type the following command and
click OK:

c:\setoutput.txt

- Copy and paste the text in setoutput.txt into your reply
message.

 

[Amy]

Hi Carrie,

Thanks a million for the info.

Regarding the missing folders in Documents & Settings issue - Your
suggested troubleshooting solved the problem albeit in a different way
than anticipated. After running the couple of commands that you
suggested in user4, I logged in as a different user so I could compare
the two output files. Well, when I opened Windows Explorer the user4
account was in Documents & Settings. I also tried logging in with the
admin account I created, and the user4 account was there. I then
created another limited account to see what would happen. Initially,
this new account didn't appear in Documents & Settings. Then I logged
into the new account and logged out. I checked D & S in all the other
logins, and the new login was there. So, it seems that you have to log
into a new account before the login appears in D & S. I had not logged
into the user4 account until I ran your tests which is why I never saw
the folder in D & S.


Now, regarding the first issue, I've been review KB324734, and I'm a
bit unclear as to which profile I'm restoring. It seems like the
procedure in KB324734 would have worked well with my user1/user3
situation until I deleted them. Now, my situation is that I have the
Administrator.ComputerName account and the renamed default Admin
account. I'm not sure if the Administrator.ComputerName is really the
same account as the renamed default admin account. I looked at the
values for the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows
NT\CurrentVersion\ProfileList, and the account listed there is the
Administrator.ComputerName account. The renamed default admin account
isn't listed. So, does KB324734 apply to this situation? If so, is the
end result going to be my renamed account appearing in D & S? Since
the renamed default admin account is not in the HKEY ....\Profilelist,
How can I get the ProfileImagePath value which I need in steps 6 & 7
of the "To Edit the User Profile Key" section?

Many thanks, again, for any information, suggestions, etc. you can
share.

Amy

||| ||| <SNIP> I renamed the default administrator account <SNIP> I
||| opened Windows Explorer and there were folders for the admin
||| account I created, user2 and another admin account
||| (administrator.computer name) <SNIP> However, instead of
||| seeing a folder for user3 under C:\Documents & Settings,
||| there was a folder for user1 (the original name of the user3
||| login). However, the Welcome Screen and Administrative
||| Tools - Computer Management both show user3. <SNIP>

|| || <SNIP> http://support.microsoft.com/?scid=283111
|| <SNIP> http://support.microsoft.com/?scid=324734

| | <SNIP> Since I moved all my documents etc to user2 <SNIP>
| before deleting user3 (which, in turn, got rid of user1) and
| can access the files in user2, is there any reason why I should
| follow the procedure in KB324734 to restore the user1 profile?
|
| <SNIP> Will following the procedure in KB324734 change the
| administrator.computer name in Windows Explorer to the new name
| I gave this account? Besides the discrepancy in the name of the
| account, is there anything else "broken" in the account (i.e.
| pointers etc)?
|
| Am I correct that the info you sent is not going to permanently
| fix my problem of new accounts not appearing in Documents &
| Settings?

In regards to your problem with the discrepancy of names. The
Operating System uses Security Identifier's (SID's), and not
names, to identify users. So as far as the functioning of the OS
is concerned the discrepancy does not matter. Not being a
software developer I cannot say for sure whether or not *all*
programmers use SID's to identify users. But since I believe
that there are very few absolutes in this world, when I face a
similar situation as yours I follow the procedure in KB324734 to
restore Logon User Name (user account name) to ProfileList, to
ProfileImagePath.

As for your other problem mentioned in your newsgroup post Sent:
Monday, May 17, 2004 10:41 PM:

"created a new limited account - user4. Now, regardless of
what account I use to log in, I don't see a folder in
C:\Documents & Settings for any new account I create. It doesn't
matter whether the account is a limited or admin account. User4
does appear on the Welcome screen and in Admin tools - Computer
management."

To begin troubleshooting this problem do the following:

- Log on to the computer as user4
- Click Start, click Run, type the following command and
click OK:

explorer /e,%userprofile%

This will open the profile directory of user4 in folder view.
See what you can make of that and if you need anymore help reply
to this post
after doing the following:

- Log on to the computer as user4
- Click Start, click Run, type the following command and
click OK:

cmd /k set > c:\setoutput.txt & Exit

- Click Start, click Run, type the following command and
click OK:

c:\setoutput.txt

- Copy and paste the text in setoutput.txt into your reply
message.

 

[Amy]

Hi, again, Carrie,

I forgot to ask one question in the email I just posted. Does it seem
correct to you that I had to log into the account after it was created
before I couls see its folder in Windows Explorer - Documents &
Settings, or do you think that the fact the folder appeared after I
logged into it was just coincidence and the problem still exists?

TIA

Amy

||| ||| <SNIP> I renamed the default administrator account <SNIP> I
||| opened Windows Explorer and there were folders for the admin
||| account I created, user2 and another admin account
||| (administrator.computer name) <SNIP> However, instead of
||| seeing a folder for user3 under C:\Documents & Settings,
||| there was a folder for user1 (the original name of the user3
||| login). However, the Welcome Screen and Administrative
||| Tools - Computer Management both show user3. <SNIP>

|| || <SNIP> http://support.microsoft.com/?scid=283111
|| <SNIP> http://support.microsoft.com/?scid=324734

| | <SNIP> Since I moved all my documents etc to user2 <SNIP>
| before deleting user3 (which, in turn, got rid of user1) and
| can access the files in user2, is there any reason why I should
| follow the procedure in KB324734 to restore the user1 profile?
|
| <SNIP> Will following the procedure in KB324734 change the
| administrator.computer name in Windows Explorer to the new name
| I gave this account? Besides the discrepancy in the name of the
| account, is there anything else "broken" in the account (i.e.
| pointers etc)?
|
| Am I correct that the info you sent is not going to permanently
| fix my problem of new accounts not appearing in Documents &
| Settings?

In regards to your problem with the discrepancy of names. The
Operating System uses Security Identifier's (SID's), and not
names, to identify users. So as far as the functioning of the OS
is concerned the discrepancy does not matter. Not being a
software developer I cannot say for sure whether or not *all*
programmers use SID's to identify users. But since I believe
that there are very few absolutes in this world, when I face a
similar situation as yours I follow the procedure in KB324734 to
restore Logon User Name (user account name) to ProfileList, to
ProfileImagePath.

As for your other problem mentioned in your newsgroup post Sent:
Monday, May 17, 2004 10:41 PM:

"created a new limited account - user4. Now, regardless of
what account I use to log in, I don't see a folder in
C:\Documents & Settings for any new account I create. It doesn't
matter whether the account is a limited or admin account. User4
does appear on the Welcome screen and in Admin tools - Computer
management."

To begin troubleshooting this problem do the following:

- Log on to the computer as user4
- Click Start, click Run, type the following command and
click OK:

explorer /e,%userprofile%

This will open the profile directory of user4 in folder view.
See what you can make of that and if you need anymore help reply
to this post
after doing the following:

- Log on to the computer as user4
- Click Start, click Run, type the following command and
click OK:

cmd /k set > c:\setoutput.txt & Exit

- Click Start, click Run, type the following command and
click OK:

c:\setoutput.txt

- Copy and paste the text in setoutput.txt into your reply
message.

 

[Carrie Garth]

||||| ||||| <SNIP> I renamed the default administrator account <SNIP> I
||||| opened Windows Explorer and there were folders <SNIP>
||||| (administrator.computer name) <SNIP>

|||| |||| <SNIP> http://support.microsoft.com/?scid=283111
|||| <SNIP> http://support.microsoft.com/?scid=324734

||| ||| <SNIP> Since I moved all my documents etc to user2 <SNIP>
||| before deleting user3 (which, in turn, got rid of user1) and
||| can access the files in user2, is there any reason why I
||| should follow the procedure in KB324734 to restore the
||| user1 profile?
|||
||| <SNIP> Will following the procedure in KB324734 change the
||| administrator.computer name in Windows Explorer to the new
||| name I gave this account? Besides the discrepancy in the name
||| of the account, is there anything else "broken" in the
||| account (i.e. pointers etc)?
|||
||| Am I correct that the info you sent is not going to
||| permanently fix my problem of new accounts not appearing
||| in Documents & Settings?

|| || <SNIP> The Operating System uses Security Identifier's
|| (SID's) [but] when I face a similar situation as yours I
|| follow the procedure in KB324734 <SNIP>
||
|| As for your other problem: <SNIP> type the following command
|| and click OK: explorer /e,%userprofile% <SNIP>

| | <SNIP> Your suggested troubleshooting solved the problem
| <SNIP> I logged into the new account and logged out. I checked
| D & S in all the other logins, and the new login was there.
| <SNIP>
|
| Now, regarding the first issue, I've been review KB324734, and
| I'm a bit unclear as to which profile I'm restoring. <SNIP> my
| situation is that I have the Administrator.ComputerName account
| and the renamed default Admin account. I'm not sure if the
| Administrator.ComputerName is really the same account as
| the renamed default admin account. I looked at the values for
| the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows
| NT\CurrentVersion\ProfileList, and the account listed there is
| the Administrator.ComputerName account. The renamed default
| admin account isn't listed. So, does KB324734 apply to this
| situation? If so, is the end result going to be my renamed
| account appearing in D & S? Since the renamed default admin
| account is not in the HKEY ....\Profilelist, How can I get the
| ProfileImagePath value which I need in steps 6 & 7 of the
| "To Edit the User Profile Key" section?

Yes, you can use the information in KB324734 to correct the
discrepancy in Logon User Name (user account name), Documents and
Settings folder name, and ProfileImagePath value. To do that:

- Log on to the computer using an account with Administrative
privileges, but not the "renamed default Admin account".

- If you follow a backup program that backs up your Documents and
Settings folder update your backup. If you do not follow a
backup program, for backup purposes create a backup of
C:\Documents and Settings folder. For more information see the
following Microsoft Knowledge Base article:

KB308422 - HOW TO: Use Backup to Back Up Files and Folders on
Your Computer in Windows XP
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?Product=winxp&scid=kb;en-us;308422

- If necessary configure your computer "To display hidden files
and folders" as explained in the Windows XP Professional Help and
Support Center Suggested Topic by that title.

- Decide which of the two Documents and Settings profile folder
you want to use for the "renamed default Admin account". As it
stands right now when you log on to the "renamed default Admin
account" you are using the profile folder named:
C:\Documents and Settings\Administrator.ComputerName

- If the file system of the partition that stores the Documents
and Setting folders is formatted NTFS, check to make certain that
"Administrator", "Administrators", and "SYSTEM", have Full
Control permissions for the profile folder you have chosen to
use. For more information see KB324734 section titled: " To
Grant Full Control Permission for the User Profile Folder".

By default the partition that stores the Documents and Setting
folders is C:\ And to find out if the file system is NTFS you
can open Windows Explorer, right-click the drive letter that
stores the Documents and Setting folder, choose Properties and
read the "File system" line.

If the file system is NTFS and you do not have a Security tab see
the following Microsoft Knowledge Base Article:

KB308418 - HOW TO: Set, View, Change, or Remove File and Folder
Permissions in Windows XP
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?Product=winxp&scid=kb;en-us;308418

- For which ever profile folder you decide to use make certain
you copy any personal files you saved in the other profile
folder(s) to this/these profile folder(s). For more information
see KB324734 section titled: "Copy Documents from the Current
Profile Folder to the Appropriate User Profile Folder"

- Right-click the C:\Documents and Settings\<user name> folder
that you have decided to use, choose Rename, and rename the <user
name> part of the path to whatever name you used when you
"renamed default Admin account".

- For backup purposes, before you edit the ProfileImagePath value
as described in the next step export the following registry key:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows
NT\CurrentVersion\ProfileList

For more information see the following Microsoft Knowledge Base
article section titled: "Export Registry Keys"

KB322756 - HOW TO: Back Up, Edit, and Restore the Registry in
Windows XP and Windows Server
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?Product=winxp&scid=kb;en-us;322756

- Edit the ProfileImagePath value in the registry to reflect the
correct C:\Documents and Settings\<user name> path to that
"renamed default Admin account". For more information see
KB324734 section titled: "To Edit the User Profile Registry Key".

- Log in as using the "renamed default Admin account" and verify
that the correct user profile folder is being used by clicking
Start, clicking Run, typing the following command, clicking OK,
and verifying that the HOMEPATH= line is correct.

cmd /k set homepath

- Click Start, click Run, type the following command and
click OK: explorer /e,%userprofile%

Then use Windows Explorer to browse though your personal folders
(such as My Documents) to make certain all your personal files
are where they are supposed to be. If you use any software the
reads personal files, for example email software like Outlook
Express that reads *.dbx files, open that software and browse
through the folders to make certain your files (emails, etc.) are
there. If you find that you are missing files copy them from the
unused C:\Documents and Settings\<user name> folder.

- For temporary backup purposes right-click the unused
C:\Documents and Settings\<user name> folder and choose to rename
it.

- Then, after you have used the "renamed default Admin account"
for a while, and you are certain that everything is working as it
should be, and you are certain that you did indeed move all your
personal files from the old unused profile folders to the
"renamed default Admin account" profile folders, delete your
backups.

 

[Carrie Garth]

| | I forgot to ask one question in the email I just posted. Does
| it seem correct to you that I had to log into the account after
| it was created before I couls see its folder in Windows
| Explorer - Documents & Settings, or do you think that the fact
| the folder appeared after I logged into it was just coincidence
| and the problem still exists?

As KB324734 says, "when you first log on ... Windows creates a
user profile folder in the %SystemDrive%\Documents and Settings
folder." So, yes, the behavior you are seeing is by design
("correct" and not a problem).

 

[Amy]

Hi Carrie,

Thanks a million for the confirmation and the detailed instructions
for restoring a profile. I read the info and tried to figure out which
login I was going to keep. Given what you mentioned earlier about how
XP handles name changes and the latest info you sent, I reviewed my
logins and realized that I was mistaken about what's going on with the
accounts on my computer because the account names are very similar.
Here's what I think is going on based on how I created the accounts
and the info you sent ...

1. When I got my computer I renamed the default administrator account
in Control Panel - Admin Tools - Computer Management - System tools -
Local Users and Groups instead of in Local Security Policy- Security
options which I recently read is where you are supposed to change the
name of the default admin account.

2. Next, I created another local admin account in Control Panel - User
Accounts and a couple of limited accounts.

3. For security reasons, I then created a bogus administrator account
to appear to be the default admin account as a guest account. I named
the bogus admin account "Administrator"

Because I didn't change the name of default account in the right
place, the system kept the default administrator account name
"Administrator" in Windows Explorer. Since "Administrator" was already
used when I created the bogus admin acount. So XP created the
Administrator.Amy account. The end result of all this is that in
Windows Explorer, I see a folder named "Administrator" and an folder
named "Administrator.Amy". The folder labeled "Administrator" is
really the default account, and the folder labeled "Administrator.Amy"
is the bogus account.

The confusing part is that because the bogus account is named
"Administrator", it looks like it is associated with the
"Administrator" folder when it really isn't. It's associated with the
"Administrator.Amy" account. In other parts of the system such as in
Computer Management - Local Users & Groups and the list of user
profiles in My computer - Properties - Advanced - User profile -
Settings. However, the registry key
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows
NT\CurrentVersion\ProfileList lists Administrator and
Administrator.Amy and the registry key
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\Explorer\CurrentVersion\DocFolderPath
shows "default" and Administrative.Amy. Again, the Administrator
account is the default account (even though I renamed it) and the
Administrator.Amy is the bogus account (even though I named the bogus
account Administrator.

Basically, what I want is to have the folder for the default account
in Windows Explorer display the name I gave the default admin account
instead of "Administrator" and have the folder for the bogus admin
account be identified as "Administrator" instead of
"Administrator.Amy".

If I right click on the folders for these 2 accounts, thre is a rename
option. Can I simply use that option to rename the folders or should I
use the procedure in KB324734 to restore the profiles? If you think I
should restore the files and not rename the folders, how is KB324734
modified to deal with 3 accounts?


Does all the above make sense and is my undertanding of how the
accounts were named correct? If not, where am I mistaken?

Thanks a million for all of your help, patience, etc!

Amy

 

[Amy]

Hi Carrie,

Thanks a million for the confirmation and the detailed instructions
for restoring a profile. I read the info and tried to figure out which
login I was going to keep. Given what you mentioned earlier about how
XP handles name changes and the latest info you sent, I reviewed my
logins and realized that I was mistaken about what's going on with the
accounts on my computer because the account names are very similar.
Here's what I think is going on based on how I created the accounts
and the info you sent ...

1. When I got my computer I renamed the default administrator account
in Control Panel - Admin Tools - Computer Management - System tools -
Local Users and Groups instead of in Local Security Policy- Security
options which I recently read is where you are supposed to change the
name of the default admin account.

2. Next, I created another local admin account in Control Panel - User
Accounts and a couple of limited accounts.

3. For security reasons, I then created a bogus administrator account
to appear to be the default admin account as a guest account. I named
the bogus admin account "Administrator"

Because I didn't change the name of default account in the right
place, the system kept the default administrator account name
"Administrator" in Windows Explorer. Since "Administrator" was already
used when I created the bogus admin acount. So XP created the
Administrator.Amy account. The end result of all this is that in
Windows Explorer, I see a folder named "Administrator" and an folder
named "Administrator.Amy". The folder labeled "Administrator" is
really the default account, and the folder labeled "Administrator.Amy"
is the bogus account.

The confusing part is that because the bogus account is named
"Administrator", it looks like it is associated with the
"Administrator" folder when it really isn't. It's associated with the
"Administrator.Amy" account. In other parts of the system such as in
Computer Management - Local Users & Groups and the list of user
profiles in My computer - Properties - Advanced - User profile -
Settings. However, the registry key
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows
NT\CurrentVersion\ProfileList lists Administrator and
Administrator.Amy and the registry key
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\Explorer\CurrentVersion\DocFolderPath
shows "default" and Administrative.Amy. Again, the Administrator
account is the default account (even though I renamed it) and the
Administrator.Amy is the bogus account (even though I named the bogus
account Administrator.

Basically, what I want is to have the folder for the default account
in Windows Explorer display the name I gave the default admin account
instead of "Administrator" and have the folder for the bogus admin
account be identified as "Administrator" instead of
"Administrator.Amy".

If I right click on the folders for these 2 accounts, thre is a rename
option. Can I simply use that option to rename the folders or should I
use the procedure in KB324734 to restore the profiles? If you think I
should restore the files and not rename the folders, how is KB324734
modified to deal with 3 accounts?


Does all the above make sense and is my undertanding of how the
accounts were named correct? If not, where am I mistaken?

Thanks a million for all of your help, patience, etc!

Amy

 

[Carrie Garth]

||||||||| "Amy" <[email protected]>
||||||||| wrote in
||||||||| ||||||||| <SNIP> I renamed the default administrator account
||||||||| <SNIP> I opened Windows Explorer and there were
||||||||| folders <SNIP> (administrator.computer name)
||||||||| <SNIP>

|||||||| "Carrie Garth" <[email protected]>
|||||||| wrote in message
|||||||| |||||||| <SNIP> http://support.microsoft.com/?scid=283111
|||||||| <SNIP>http://support.microsoft.com/?scid=324734
|||||||| <SNIP>

||||||| "Amy" <[email protected]>
||||||| wrote in message
||||||| ||||||| <SNIP> Since I moved all my documents etc to user2
||||||| <SNIP> before deleting user3 (which, in turn, got rid of
||||||| user1) and can access the files in user2, is there any
||||||| reason why I should follow the procedure in
||||||| KB324734 to restore the user1 profile? <SNIP>
|||||||
||||||| Will following the procedure in KB324734 change the
||||||| administrator.computer name in Windows Explorer to
||||||| the new name I gave this account? Besides the
||||||| discrepancy in the name of the account, is there
||||||| anything else "broken" in the account (i.e.pointers etc)?
||||||| Am I correct that the info you sent is not going
||||||| to permanently fix my problem of new accounts not
||||||| appearing in Documents & Settings?

|||||| "Carrie Garth" <[email protected]>
|||||| wrote in message
|||||| |||||| <SNIP> The Operating System uses Security Identifier's
|||||| (SID's) [but] when I face a similar situation as yours I
|||||| follow the procedure in KB324734 <SNIP> As for your
|||||| other problem: <SNIP> type the following command
|||||| and click OK: explorer /e,%userprofile% <SNIP>

||||| "Amy" <[email protected]>
||||| wrote in message
||||| ||||| <SNIP> Your suggested troubleshooting solved the
||||| problem <SNIP> I logged into the new account and
||||| logged out. I checked D & S in all the other logins, and
||||| the new login was there. <SNIP>
|||||
||||| Now, regarding the first issue, I've been review
||||| KB324734, and I'm a bit unclear as to which profile I'm
||||| restoring. <SNIP> my situation is that I have the
||||| Administrator.ComputerName account and the renamed
||||| default Admin account. I'm not sure if the
||||| Administrator.ComputerName is really the same account
||||| as the renamed default admin account. I looked at the
||||| values for the
||||| HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft
||||| \Windows NT\CurrentVersion\ProfileList, and the
||||| account listed there is the Administrator.ComputerName
||||| account. The renamed default admin account isn't listed.
||||| So, does KB324734 apply to this situation? If so, is the
||||| end result going to be my renamed account appearing
||||| D & S? Since the renamed default admin account is not
||||| in the HKEY ....\Profilelist, How can I get the
||||| ProfileImagePath value which I need in steps 6 & 7 of
||||| the"To Edit the User Profile Key" section?

|||| "Carrie Garth" <[email protected]>
|||| wrote in message
|||| |||| Sent: Wednesday, May 19, 2004 5:36 AM
|||| Yes, you can use the information in KB324734 to correct
|||| the discrepancy in Logon User Name (user account
|||| name), Documents and Settings folder name, and
|||| ProfileImagePath value. To do that:
||||
|||| - Log on to the computer using an account with
|||| Administrative privileges, but not the "renamed default
|||| Admin account".
||||
|||| - If you follow a backup program that backs up your
|||| Documents and Settings folder update your backup. If
|||| you do not follow a backup program, for backup
|||| purposes create a backup of C:\Documents and Settings
|||| folder. For more information see the following Microsoft
|||| Knowledge Base article:
|||| KB308422 - HOW TO: Use Backup to Back Up Files
|||| and Folders on Your Computer in Windows XP
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?Product=winxp&scid=kb;en-us;308422
||||
|||| - If necessary configure your computer "To display
|||| hidden files and folders" as explained in the Windows
|||| XP Professional Help and Support Center Suggested Topic
|||| by that title.
||||
|||| - Decide which of the two Documents and Settings
|||| profile folder you want to use for the "renamed default
|||| Admin account". As it stands right now when you log
|||| onto the "renamed default Admin account" you are using
|||| the profile folder named: C:\Documents and
|||| Settings\Administrator.ComputerName
||||
|||| - If the file system of the partition that stores the
|||| Documents and Setting folders is formatted NTFS, check
|||| to make certain that "Administrator", "Administrators",
|||| and "SYSTEM", have Full Control permissions for the
|||| profile folder you have chosen to use. For more
|||| information see KB324734 section titled: " To Grant Full
|||| Control Permission for the User Profile Folder". By
|||| default the partition that stores the Documents and
|||| Setting folders is C:\ And to find out if the file system
|||| is NTFS you can open Windows Explorer, right-click the
|||| drive letter that stores the Documents and Setting folder,
|||| choose Properties and read the "File system" line.
||||
|||| If the file system is NTFS and you do not have a Security
|||| tab see the following Microsoft Knowledge Base Article:
||||
|||| KB308418 - HOW TO: Set, View, Change, or Remove
|||| File and Folder Permissions in Windows XP
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?Product=winxp&scid=kb;en-us;308418
||||
|||| - For which ever profile folder you decide to use make
|||| certain you copy any personal files you saved in the other
|||| profile folder(s) to this/these profile folder(s). For more
|||| information see KB324734 section titled: "Copy
|||| Documents from the Current Profile Folder to the
|||| Appropriate User Profile Folder" - Right-click the
|||| C:\Documents and Settings\<user name> folder that you
|||| have decided to use, choose Rename, and rename the
|||| <user name> part of the path to whatever name you used
|||| when you "renamed default Admin account".
||||
|||| - For backup purposes, before you edit the
|||| ProfileImagePath value as described in the next step
|||| export the following registry key:
||||
|||| KEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\
|||| Windows NT\CurrentVersion\ProfileList
|||
|||| For more information see the following Microsoft
|||| Knowledge Base article section titled: "Export Registry
|||| Keys"
||||
|||| KB322756 - HOW TO: Back Up, Edit, and Restore the
|||| Registry in Windows XP and Windows Server
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?Product=winxp&scid=kb;en-us;322756
||||
|||| - Edit the ProfileImagePath value in the registry to reflect
|||| the correct C:\Documents and Settings\<user name> path
|||| to that "renamed default Admin account". For more
|||| information see KB324734 section titled: "To Edit the
|||| User Profile Registry Key".
||||
|||| - Log in as using the "renamed default Admin account"
|||| and verify that the correct user profile folder is being
|||| used by clicking Start, clicking Run, typing the following
|||| command, clicking OK, and verifying that the
|||| HOMEPATH= line is correct.
||||
|||| cmd /k set homepath
||||
|||| - Click Start, click Run, type the following command and
|||| click OK: explorer /e,%userprofile%
|||| Then use Windows Explorer to browse though your
|||| Personal folders (such as My Documents) to make
|||| certain all your personal files are where they are
|||| supposed to be. If you use any software the reads
|||| personal files, for example email software like Outlook
|||| Express that reads *.dbx files, open that software and
|||| browse through the folders to make certain your files
|||| (emails, etc.) are there. If you find that you are missing
|||| files copy them from the unused C:\Documents and
|||| Settings\<user name> folder. - For temporary backup
|||| purposes right-click the unused C:\Documents and
|||| Settings\<user name> folder and choose to rename it.
||||
|||| - Then, after you have used the "renamed default Admin
|||| account" for a while, and you are certain that everything
|||| is working as it should be, and you are certain that you
|||| did indeed move all your personal files from the old
|||| unused profile folders to the "renamed default Admin
|||| account" profile folders, delete your backups.

||| "Amy" <[email protected]>
||| wrote in message
||| ||| I forgot to ask one question in the email I just posted.
||| Does it seem correct to you that I had to log into the
||| account after it was created before I couls see its folder in
||| Windows Explorer - Documents & Settings, or do you
||| think that the fact the folder appeared after I logged into
||| it was just coincidence and the problem still exists?

|| "Carrie Garth" <[email protected]>
|| wrote in message
|| || As KB324734 says, "when you first log on ... Windows
|| creates a user profile folder in the
|| %SystemDrive%\Documents and Settings folder." So,
|| yes, the behavior you are seeing is by design ("correct"
|| and not a problem).

| "Amy" <[email protected]>
| wrote in message
| | Thanks a million for the confirmation and the detailed
| instructions for restoring a profile. I read the info and tried
| to figure out which login I was going to keep. Given what
| you mentioned earlier about how XP handles name
| changes and the latest info you sent, I reviewed my logins
| and realized that I was mistaken about what's going on
| with the accounts on my computer because the account
| names are very similar. Here's what I think is going on
| based on how I created the accounts and the info you sent
|
| 1. When I got my computer I renamed the default
| administrator account in Control Panel - Admin Tools -
| Computer Management - System tools - Local Users and
| Groups instead of in Local Security Policy- Security
| options which I recently read is where you are supposed to
| change the name of the default admin account.
|
| 2. Next, I created another local admin account in Control
| Panel - User Accounts and a couple of limited accounts.
|
| 3. For security reasons, I then created a bogus
| administrator account to appear to be the default admin
| account as a guest account. I named the bogus admin
| account "Administrator"
|
| Because I didn't change the name of default account in the
| right place, the system kept the default administrator
| account name "Administrator" in Windows Explorer.
| Since "Administrator" was already used when I created
| the bogus admin acount. So XP created the
| Administrator.Amy account. The end result of all this is
| that in Windows Explorer, I see a folder named
| "Administrator" and a folder named "Administrator.Amy".
| The folder labeled "Administrator" is really the default
| account, and the folder labeled "Administrator.Amy" is
| the bogus account.
|
| The confusing part is that because the bogus account is
| named "Administrator", it looks like it is associated with
| the "Administrator" folder when it really isn't. It's
| associated with the "Administrator.Amy" account. In other
| parts of the system such as in Computer Management -
| Local Users & Groups and the list of user profiles in My
| computer - Properties - Advanced - User profile - Settings.
|
| However, the registry key
| HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\
| Windows NT\CurrentVersion\ProfileList lists
| Administrator and Administrator.Amy
|
| and the registry key
| HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\
| Windows\Explorer\ CurrentVersion\DocFolderPath shows
| "default" and Administrative.Amy.
|
| Again, the Administrator account is the default account (even
| though I renamed it) and the Administrator.Amy is the bogus
| account (even though I named the bogus account Administrator.
|
| Basically, what I want is to have the folder for the default
| account in Windows Explorer display the name I gave the
| default admin account instead of "Administrator" and
| have the folder for the bogus admin account be identified
| as "Administrator" instead of "Administrator.Amy".
|
| If I right click on the folders for these 2 accounts, thre is a
| rename option. Can I simply use that option to rename the
| folders or should I use the procedure in KB324734 to
| restore the profiles? If you think I should restore the files
| and not rename the folders, how is KB324734 modified to
| deal with 3 accounts?
|
| Does all the above make sense and is my undertanding of
| how the accounts were named correct? If not, where am I
| mistaken? Thanks a million for all of your help, patience,
| etc!

Yes, the above makes sense to me. To clarify and answer some
questions:

You wrote:
"I renamed the default administrator account in Control Panel -
Admin Tools - Computer Management - System tools - Local Users
and Groups instead of in Local Security Policy- Security options"

It does not matter in which area you change the name since the
change is propagated either way.

You wrote:
"Because I didn't change the name of default account in the right
place, the system kept the default administrator account name
"Administrator" in Windows Explorer."

Once again refer to KB283111. I does not matter whether you
"Change the name" using Control Panel | User Accounts. Or
"Rename a User Account" using the Local Users and Groups node of
a MMC console. Or "Rename administrator account" using the Local
Security Settings MMC. Or change the "User name" using the User
Accounts dialog box that appears in Windows XP Professional when
you click Start, click Run, type the following command and click
OK: control userpasswords2. The system will never automatically
change the name of the folder that appears in Windows Explorer
under the Documents and Settings folder for the user. This
behavior is by design.

You wrote:
"and the registry key
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\
Windows\Explorer\ CurrentVersion\DocFolderPath shows
"default" and Administrative.Amy"

The DocFolderPath value is the path to the "My Documents" folder
for the profile. To restore the default value:

- Correct all of the Logon User Name (user account name),
Documents and Settings folder name, and ProfileImagePath value
discrepancies.

- For each corrected profile log on to the computer

- Add the icon for My Documents to the desktop by right-clicking
the desktop, selecting Properties, on the Desktop tab click
Customize Desktop, click to select Desktop Icons: My Documents,
click the OK button, click the Apply button, then click the OK
button to close the Display Properties dialog box.

- Right-click the Desktop icon for My Documents, select
Properties, click the "Restore Default" button, click the Apply
button, click the Yes button if/when prompted to Move Documents
(this will not delete any documents from either location, and if
there are files stored in both locations with the same names this
will make a "Copy of..." the duplicate file for you), and after
Moving... is finished click the OK button to close the My
Documents Properties dialog box.

You wrote:
"Can I simply use that option to rename the folders or should I
use the procedure in KB324734 to restore the profiles?"

No, simply renaming the folder without correcting the
ProfileImagePath value is not going to correct the discrepancies.

I feel like these newsgroup messages and the Microsoft Knowledge
Base Articles include all the detailed information you need to
safely correct the discrepancy in Logon User Name (user account
name), Documents and Settings folder name, ProfileImagePath
value, and DocFolderPath value. Furthermore, I cannot think of
any other details add. However, if you feel hesitant and/or are
still unclear about how to correct the discrepancies I
suggest that you refrain making any changes and ask a friend who
is knowledgeable on the subject to correct them for you. Good
luck!

 

[Amy]

Hi Carrie,
Thanks so very much, once again! I sincereley appreciate all of your
help and patience!

I followed your procedure for getting the logon name, Documents &
Settings, and ProfileImagePath, and, so far,everything looks ok.

Again, thanks a million!

Amy

||||||||| "Amy" <[email protected]>
||||||||| wrote in
||||||||| ||||||||| <SNIP> I renamed the default administrator account
||||||||| <SNIP> I opened Windows Explorer and there were
||||||||| folders <SNIP> (administrator.computer name)
||||||||| <SNIP>

|||||||| "Carrie Garth" <[email protected]>
|||||||| wrote in message
|||||||| |||||||| <SNIP> http://support.microsoft.com/?scid=283111
|||||||| <SNIP>http://support.microsoft.com/?scid=324734
|||||||| <SNIP>

||||||| "Amy" <[email protected]>
||||||| wrote in message
||||||| ||||||| <SNIP> Since I moved all my documents etc to user2
||||||| <SNIP> before deleting user3 (which, in turn, got rid of
||||||| user1) and can access the files in user2, is there any
||||||| reason why I should follow the procedure in
||||||| KB324734 to restore the user1 profile? <SNIP>
|||||||
||||||| Will following the procedure in KB324734 change the
||||||| administrator.computer name in Windows Explorer to
||||||| the new name I gave this account? Besides the
||||||| discrepancy in the name of the account, is there
||||||| anything else "broken" in the account (i.e.pointers etc)?
||||||| Am I correct that the info you sent is not going
||||||| to permanently fix my problem of new accounts not
||||||| appearing in Documents & Settings?

|||||| "Carrie Garth" <[email protected]>
|||||| wrote in message
|||||| |||||| <SNIP> The Operating System uses Security Identifier's
|||||| (SID's) [but] when I face a similar situation as yours I
|||||| follow the procedure in KB324734 <SNIP> As for your
|||||| other problem: <SNIP> type the following command
|||||| and click OK: explorer /e,%userprofile% <SNIP>

||||| "Amy" <[email protected]>
||||| wrote in message
||||| ||||| <SNIP> Your suggested troubleshooting solved the
||||| problem <SNIP> I logged into the new account and
||||| logged out. I checked D & S in all the other logins, and
||||| the new login was there. <SNIP>
|||||
||||| Now, regarding the first issue, I've been review
||||| KB324734, and I'm a bit unclear as to which profile I'm
||||| restoring. <SNIP> my situation is that I have the
||||| Administrator.ComputerName account and the renamed
||||| default Admin account. I'm not sure if the
||||| Administrator.ComputerName is really the same account
||||| as the renamed default admin account. I looked at the
||||| values for the
||||| HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft
||||| \Windows NT\CurrentVersion\ProfileList, and the
||||| account listed there is the Administrator.ComputerName
||||| account. The renamed default admin account isn't listed.
||||| So, does KB324734 apply to this situation? If so, is the
||||| end result going to be my renamed account appearing
||||| D & S? Since the renamed default admin account is not
||||| in the HKEY ....\Profilelist, How can I get the
||||| ProfileImagePath value which I need in steps 6 & 7 of
||||| the"To Edit the User Profile Key" section?

|||| "Carrie Garth" <[email protected]>
|||| wrote in message
|||| |||| Sent: Wednesday, May 19, 2004 5:36 AM
|||| Yes, you can use the information in KB324734 to correct
|||| the discrepancy in Logon User Name (user account
|||| name), Documents and Settings folder name, and
|||| ProfileImagePath value. To do that:
||||
|||| - Log on to the computer using an account with
|||| Administrative privileges, but not the "renamed default
|||| Admin account".
||||
|||| - If you follow a backup program that backs up your
|||| Documents and Settings folder update your backup. If
|||| you do not follow a backup program, for backup
|||| purposes create a backup of C:\Documents and Settings
|||| folder. For more information see the following Microsoft
|||| Knowledge Base article:
|||| KB308422 - HOW TO: Use Backup to Back Up Files
|||| and Folders on Your Computer in Windows XP
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?Product=winxp&scid=kb;en-us;308422
||||
|||| - If necessary configure your computer "To display
|||| hidden files and folders" as explained in the Windows
|||| XP Professional Help and Support Center Suggested Topic
|||| by that title.
||||
|||| - Decide which of the two Documents and Settings
|||| profile folder you want to use for the "renamed default
|||| Admin account". As it stands right now when you log
|||| onto the "renamed default Admin account" you are using
|||| the profile folder named: C:\Documents and
|||| Settings\Administrator.ComputerName
||||
|||| - If the file system of the partition that stores the
|||| Documents and Setting folders is formatted NTFS, check
|||| to make certain that "Administrator", "Administrators",
|||| and "SYSTEM", have Full Control permissions for the
|||| profile folder you have chosen to use. For more
|||| information see KB324734 section titled: " To Grant Full
|||| Control Permission for the User Profile Folder". By
|||| default the partition that stores the Documents and
|||| Setting folders is C:\ And to find out if the file system
|||| is NTFS you can open Windows Explorer, right-click the
|||| drive letter that stores the Documents and Setting folder,
|||| choose Properties and read the "File system" line.
||||
|||| If the file system is NTFS and you do not have a Security
|||| tab see the following Microsoft Knowledge Base Article:
||||
|||| KB308418 - HOW TO: Set, View, Change, or Remove
|||| File and Folder Permissions in Windows XP
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?Product=winxp&scid=kb;en-us;308418
||||
|||| - For which ever profile folder you decide to use make
|||| certain you copy any personal files you saved in the other
|||| profile folder(s) to this/these profile folder(s). For more
|||| information see KB324734 section titled: "Copy
|||| Documents from the Current Profile Folder to the
|||| Appropriate User Profile Folder" - Right-click the
|||| C:\Documents and Settings\<user name> folder that you
|||| have decided to use, choose Rename, and rename the
|||| <user name> part of the path to whatever name you used
|||| when you "renamed default Admin account".
||||
|||| - For backup purposes, before you edit the
|||| ProfileImagePath value as described in the next step
|||| export the following registry key:
||||
|||| KEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\
|||| Windows NT\CurrentVersion\ProfileList

|||| For more information see the following Microsoft
|||| Knowledge Base article section titled: "Export Registry
|||| Keys"
||||
|||| KB322756 - HOW TO: Back Up, Edit, and Restore the
|||| Registry in Windows XP and Windows Server
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?Product=winxp&scid=kb;en-us;322756
||||
|||| - Edit the ProfileImagePath value in the registry to reflect
|||| the correct C:\Documents and Settings\<user name> path
|||| to that "renamed default Admin account". For more
|||| information see KB324734 section titled: "To Edit the
|||| User Profile Registry Key".
||||
|||| - Log in as using the "renamed default Admin account"
|||| and verify that the correct user profile folder is being
|||| used by clicking Start, clicking Run, typing the following
|||| command, clicking OK, and verifying that the
|||| HOMEPATH= line is correct.
||||
|||| cmd /k set homepath
||||
|||| - Click Start, click Run, type the following command and
|||| click OK: explorer /e,%userprofile%
|||| Then use Windows Explorer to browse though your
|||| Personal folders (such as My Documents) to make
|||| certain all your personal files are where they are
|||| supposed to be. If you use any software the reads
|||| personal files, for example email software like Outlook
|||| Express that reads *.dbx files, open that software and
|||| browse through the folders to make certain your files
|||| (emails, etc.) are there. If you find that you are missing
|||| files copy them from the unused C:\Documents and
|||| Settings\<user name> folder. - For temporary backup
|||| purposes right-click the unused C:\Documents and
|||| Settings\<user name> folder and choose to rename it.
||||
|||| - Then, after you have used the "renamed default Admin
|||| account" for a while, and you are certain that everything
|||| is working as it should be, and you are certain that you
|||| did indeed move all your personal files from the old
|||| unused profile folders to the "renamed default Admin
|||| account" profile folders, delete your backups.

||| "Amy" <[email protected]>
||| wrote in message
||| ||| I forgot to ask one question in the email I just posted.
||| Does it seem correct to you that I had to log into the
||| account after it was created before I couls see its folder in
||| Windows Explorer - Documents & Settings, or do you
||| think that the fact the folder appeared after I logged into
||| it was just coincidence and the problem still exists?

|| "Carrie Garth" <[email protected]>
|| wrote in message
|| || As KB324734 says, "when you first log on ... Windows
|| creates a user profile folder in the
|| %SystemDrive%\Documents and Settings folder." So,
|| yes, the behavior you are seeing is by design ("correct"
|| and not a problem).

| "Amy" <[email protected]>
| wrote in message
| | Thanks a million for the confirmation and the detailed
| instructions for restoring a profile. I read the info and tried
| to figure out which login I was going to keep. Given what
| you mentioned earlier about how XP handles name
| changes and the latest info you sent, I reviewed my logins
| and realized that I was mistaken about what's going on
| with the accounts on my computer because the account
| names are very similar. Here's what I think is going on
| based on how I created the accounts and the info you sent
|
| 1. When I got my computer I renamed the default
| administrator account in Control Panel - Admin Tools -
| Computer Management - System tools - Local Users and
| Groups instead of in Local Security Policy- Security
| options which I recently read is where you are supposed to
| change the name of the default admin account.
|
| 2. Next, I created another local admin account in Control
| Panel - User Accounts and a couple of limited accounts.
|
| 3. For security reasons, I then created a bogus
| administrator account to appear to be the default admin
| account as a guest account. I named the bogus admin
| account "Administrator"
|
| Because I didn't change the name of default account in the
| right place, the system kept the default administrator
| account name "Administrator" in Windows Explorer.
| Since "Administrator" was already used when I created
| the bogus admin acount. So XP created the
| Administrator.Amy account. The end result of all this is
| that in Windows Explorer, I see a folder named
| "Administrator" and a folder named "Administrator.Amy".
| The folder labeled "Administrator" is really the default
| account, and the folder labeled "Administrator.Amy" is
| the bogus account.
|
| The confusing part is that because the bogus account is
| named "Administrator", it looks like it is associated with
| the "Administrator" folder when it really isn't. It's
| associated with the "Administrator.Amy" account. In other
| parts of the system such as in Computer Management -
| Local Users & Groups and the list of user profiles in My
| computer - Properties - Advanced - User profile - Settings.
|
| However, the registry key
| HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\
| Windows NT\CurrentVersion\ProfileList lists
| Administrator and Administrator.Amy
|
| and the registry key
| HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\
| Windows\Explorer\ CurrentVersion\DocFolderPath shows
| "default" and Administrative.Amy.
|
| Again, the Administrator account is the default account (even
| though I renamed it) and the Administrator.Amy is the bogus
| account (even though I named the bogus account Administrator.
|
| Basically, what I want is to have the folder for the default
| account in Windows Explorer display the name I gave the
| default admin account instead of "Administrator" and
| have the folder for the bogus admin account be identified
| as "Administrator" instead of "Administrator.Amy".
|
| If I right click on the folders for these 2 accounts, thre is a
| rename option. Can I simply use that option to rename the
| folders or should I use the procedure in KB324734 to
| restore the profiles? If you think I should restore the files
| and not rename the folders, how is KB324734 modified to
| deal with 3 accounts?
|
| Does all the above make sense and is my undertanding of
| how the accounts were named correct? If not, where am I
| mistaken? Thanks a million for all of your help, patience,
| etc!

Yes, the above makes sense to me. To clarify and answer some
questions:

You wrote:
"I renamed the default administrator account in Control Panel -
Admin Tools - Computer Management - System tools - Local Users
and Groups instead of in Local Security Policy- Security options"

It does not matter in which area you change the name since the
change is propagated either way.

You wrote:
"Because I didn't change the name of default account in the right
place, the system kept the default administrator account name
"Administrator" in Windows Explorer."

Once again refer to KB283111. I does not matter whether you
"Change the name" using Control Panel | User Accounts. Or
"Rename a User Account" using the Local Users and Groups node of
a MMC console. Or "Rename administrator account" using the Local
Security Settings MMC. Or change the "User name" using the User
Accounts dialog box that appears in Windows XP Professional when
you click Start, click Run, type the following command and click
OK: control userpasswords2. The system will never automatically
change the name of the folder that appears in Windows Explorer
under the Documents and Settings folder for the user. This
behavior is by design.

You wrote:
"and the registry key
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\
Windows\Explorer\ CurrentVersion\DocFolderPath shows
"default" and Administrative.Amy"

The DocFolderPath value is the path to the "My Documents" folder
for the profile. To restore the default value:

- Correct all of the Logon User Name (user account name),
Documents and Settings folder name, and ProfileImagePath value
discrepancies.

- For each corrected profile log on to the computer

- Add the icon for My Documents to the desktop by right-clicking
the desktop, selecting Properties, on the Desktop tab click
Customize Desktop, click to select Desktop Icons: My Documents,
click the OK button, click the Apply button, then click the OK
button to close the Display Properties dialog box.

- Right-click the Desktop icon for My Documents, select
Properties, click the "Restore Default" button, click the Apply
button, click the Yes button if/when prompted to Move Documents
(this will not delete any documents from either location, and if
there are files stored in both locations with the same names this
will make a "Copy of..." the duplicate file for you), and after
Moving... is finished click the OK button to close the My
Documents Properties dialog box.

You wrote:
"Can I simply use that option to rename the folders or should I
use the procedure in KB324734 to restore the profiles?"

No, simply renaming the folder without correcting the
ProfileImagePath value is not going to correct the discrepancies.

I feel like these newsgroup messages and the Microsoft Knowledge
Base Articles include all the detailed information you need to
safely correct the discrepancy in Logon User Name (user account
name), Documents and Settings folder name, ProfileImagePath
value, and DocFolderPath value. Furthermore, I cannot think of
any other details add. However, if you feel hesitant and/or are
still unclear about how to correct the discrepancies I
suggest that you refrain making any changes and ask a friend who
is knowledgeable on the subject to correct them for you. Good
luck!

 

[Carrie Garth]

NOTE: "Amy" and "Carrie Garth" exchanged many messages discussing
the topic of changing the name of an account, changing the users'
folders under the Documents and Settings folder to reflect the
change, and editing the registry to correct the ProfileImagePath
value. The entire archived newsgroup thread can be accessed via
Google Groups (header info and link below):

From: Amy ([email protected])
Subject: Missing Folders in Documents & Settings for New Users
Newsgroups: microsoft.public.windowsxp.customize
Date: 2004-05-17 20:41:41 PST
Google Groups URL to thread:
http://www.google.com/groups?&[email protected]

|||||||||| Hi Carrie,
|||||||||| Thanks so very much, once again! I sincereley
|||||||||| appreciate all of your help and patience!
||||||||||
|||||||||| I followed your procedure for getting the logon name,
|||||||||| Documents & Settings, and ProfileImagePath, and, so
|||||||||| far,everything looks ok. Again, thanks a million!

Your Welcome, Amy. And glad to read that "everything looks ok".

BTW, since I am uncertain as to whether or not I was able to
replicate your situation exactly I am not sure if the following
applies. However, if the "original User Name" appears in Task
Manager, use the userpasswords2 tool to change it to the "New
User Name". As follows are the details...

- Log on to the computer as a user whose name was changed
- Click Start, click Run, type the following command and click
OK: taskmgr
- Select the Processes tab and view the User Name column for
taskmg.exe
- If the User Name does not match the "New User Name"
- Log on to the computer as a user with Administrative privileges
- Click Start, click Run, type the following command and click
OK: control userpasswords2
- On the Users tab select the "original User Name"
- Click the Properties button
- In the User name: box delete the "original User Name" and type
in the "New User Name" exactly as you typed it when you selected
"Change the name" using Control Panel | User Accounts
- Click Apply, click OK, click OK

 

[Amy]

Hi Carrie,

Thanks so much for the additional information and your continued
support. I checked Task Manager, and the names are correct.

Cheers,

Amy

 

[Carrie Garth]

NOTE: "Amy" and "Carrie Garth" have exchanged many messages
discussing the topics of how to: Change the name of a user's
account; Rename the user's Documents and Settings profile folder
to reflect the change; Edit the registry to correct the
ProfileImagePath value; and Correct the DocFolderPaths registry
values. The entire archived newsgroup thread can be accessed via
Google Groups (Original Message Header and URL below):

----- Begin Original Message Header -----
From: Amy ([email protected])
Subject: Missing Folders in Documents & Settings for New Users
Newsgroups: microsoft.public.windowsxp.customize
Date: 2004-05-17 20:41:41 PST
----- End Original Message Header -----

Google Groups URL to entire thread:
http://www.google.com/groups?&[email protected]

|||||||||||| |||||||||||| <SNIP> I followed your procedure for getting the
|||||||||||| logon name, Documents & Settings, and
|||||||||||| ProfileImagePath, and, so far,everything looks ok.
|||||||||||| Again, thanks a million!

||||||||||||| ||||||||||||| <SNIP> if the "original User Name" appears in Task
||||||||||||| Manager, use the userpasswords2 tool to change it
||||||||||||| to the "New User Name". As follows are the
||||||||||||| details...<SNIP>

|||||||||||||| Thanks so much for the additional information and
|||||||||||||| your continued support. I checked Task Manager,
|||||||||||||| and the names are correct. Cheers, Amy

Good that the names are correct.

And once again, since I am uncertain as to whether or not I was
able to replicate your situation exactly I am not sure if the
following applies. However, there is a chance that the "Original
User Name's Documents" still appears in Windows Explorer and My
Computer. As follows are the details...

For Windows Explorer, the problem effects the name of the user's
My Documents, My Music, and My Pictures folders when other users
view those folders. For example, if the Administrator uses
Windows Explorer to navigate to C:\Documents and
Settings\LimitedUser, the My Documents folder might be named
"Original User Name's Documents" instead of "LimitedUser's
Documents"

The display of "Original User Name's Documents" occurs because,
by design, when a new user logs on for the first time the
desktop.ini file within these folders automatically customizes
the display name of the folder. It does this by setting the
"Owner=" line to the user's logon name. And renaming the user's
Profile folders does not trigger another customization. Thus, the
Owner line in the desktop.ini file needs to be manually changed
to the "New User Name" so that the folder name displays properly
in Windows Explorer.

To manually change the Owner line... Use Windows Explorer to
navigate to the renamed user's My Documents folder, double-click
the desktop.ini file and modify the Owner value under the
"DeleteOnCopy" section to match the "New User Name". Repeat this
process for the renamed user's My Music and My Pictures folders.

Note 1: The desktop.ini files are marked with the System and
Hidden attributes. As such, to be able to see them using Windows
Explorer you need to configure your computer to show protected
operating system files and "display hidden files and folders".
For more information search the Windows XP Professional Help and
Support Center for the words in double-quotes and follow the
steps in the Suggested Topic by that title.

Note 2: Do not remove the System and Hidden attributes of the
desktop.ini file.

For My Computer, the problem effects the name of the user's My
Documents folder when you view the "Files Stored on This
Computer" heading in My Computer. For example, My Computer may
display "Original User Name's Documents" instead of
"LimitedUser's Documents". Or, My Computer may not display the
users shared documents folder at all.

The display of "Original User Name's Documents" occurs because of
an incorrect DocFolderPaths registry value, as we discussed on
Saturday, May 22, 2004 7:49 AM. And this is where a need add a
correction.

In the method I outlined in my message (sent Saturday, May 22,
2004 7:49 AM) about correcting this registry value I mistakenly
omitted a step. The step should occur immediately before
clicking the "Restore Default" button. And the step is to click
the "Move" button to temporarily move the My Documents folder.
Because of my mistake your DocFolderPaths registry value my still
be incorrect. My apologies.

To force a correction of the DocFolderPaths registry entries you
can use the "Move" and "Restore Default" buttons on the
Properties sheet of the My Documents folder. However, a quicker
method is to use the Registry Editor (regedit.exe) to manually
edit (or add) the Name and Data values located in the following
registry subkey:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\
Explorer\DocFolderPaths

For more information see the following Microsoft Knowledge Base
article. Note that the "Cause" does not apply in your situation.
However the "Symptoms" may be the same, and the "Workaround"
section has the details that you (may) need to perform the edit.

KB319825 - Shared Documents Folders Are Missing From My Computer
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?Product=winxp&scid=kb;en-us;319825