Mysterious User Accounts?

[Guest]

I recently noticed a couple weeks ago these "extra" User Accounts were
showing in Explorer. I didn't put them there, virus scan checks,
spyware......had some of that and have rid them. I have an Admin account set
up but use another account with my name only. The guest account is not
activated. Here is what is showing in explorer:

Administrator
Administrator. "computer name"
Administrator. "computer name".000
Administrator. "computer name".001
All Users
Default User

and finally....

My User Account

That is a total of six (6) User Accounts. I know the 1st Admin needs to stay
of course but what are these others, can I safely delete these? It seems they
were all created within a few weeks of each other with nobody but my using
the PC. When I go to Control Panel, it only shows the Admin and my Account. I
checked the last dates accessed, etc. They begun in late Feb and the ".001"
account was accessed as early as late March.


So, here I sit confused if anyone can explain this and help me rid them. I
am sure that one of them will be linked to the de-activated Guest Account?

TIA!

 

[Guest]

Sorry, I have WinXP Pro w/ SP2

 

[Steve N.]

I recently noticed a couple weeks ago these "extra" User Accounts were
showing in Explorer. I didn't put them there, virus scan checks,
spyware......had some of that and have rid them. I have an Admin account set
up but use another account with my name only. The guest account is not
activated. Here is what is showing in explorer:

Administrator
Administrator. "computer name"
Administrator. "computer name".000
Administrator. "computer name".001
All Users
Default User

and finally....

My User Account

That is a total of six (6) User Accounts. I know the 1st Admin needs to stay
of course but what are these others, can I safely delete these? It seems they
were all created within a few weeks of each other with nobody but my using
the PC. When I go to Control Panel, it only shows the Admin and my Account. I
checked the last dates accessed, etc. They begun in late Feb and the ".001"
account was accessed as early as late March.


So, here I sit confused if anyone can explain this and help me rid them. I
am sure that one of them will be linked to the de-activated Guest Account?

TIA!

Could be the result of trojans creating backdoor accounts, also could be
result of OS repair installation or upgrade. To be safe I would change
the actual administrator password to a strong one and scan with several
updated a/v & a/sw tools in safe mode. If more threats are found repeat
the scans in safe mode. Some are adept at hiding from scans.

Steve

 

[Sharon F]

I recently noticed a couple weeks ago these "extra" User Accounts were
showing in Explorer. I didn't put them there, virus scan checks,
spyware......had some of that and have rid them. I have an Admin account set
up but use another account with my name only. The guest account is not
activated. Here is what is showing in explorer:

Administrator
Administrator. "computer name"
Administrator. "computer name".000
Administrator. "computer name".001
All Users
Default User

and finally....

My User Account

That is a total of six (6) User Accounts. I know the 1st Admin needs to stay
of course but what are these others, can I safely delete these? It seems they
were all created within a few weeks of each other with nobody but my using
the PC. When I go to Control Panel, it only shows the Admin and my Account. I
checked the last dates accessed, etc. They begun in late Feb and the ".001"
account was accessed as early as late March.


So, here I sit confused if anyone can explain this and help me rid them. I
am sure that one of them will be linked to the de-activated Guest Account?

TIA!

Have you ever reinstalled Windows? Or connected to a user account on a
domain? Both of those scenarios will produce user account names with a dot
and a suffix.

When the account names are a result of reinstalling, it's due to choosing
to reinstall Windows to the existing folder. Two user folders of the same
exact name cannot exist in the Documents and Settings folder so a suffix is
added for the "new" user. The older folders are retained to preserve user
data which can be copied or moved to the new folders. They are not used
otherwise and become "orphaned." Choosing to repair instead of
reinstalling, will avoid this.

You can try deleting them. Windows may complain as there will be trace
references in security descriptors, share permissions and in the registry.
If that happens, try opening the Computer Management console to Local Users
and Groups. If "Unknown" accounts are listed, delete from this location.
Then delete the folders.

If that does not work, you'll need to get creative in removing the
accounts. I had this happen on my system once a long time ago. I'm a bit
hazy on how I removed them but I think I remember tracking down related
info in the registry manually (each account will have a unique SID) and
deleting the related registry keys. Also have a vague recollection of
checking permissions for shared folders and removing "unknown" accounts
there as well.

If, on the other hand, this is due to caching user accounts from a domain
setup, the behavior is expected and normal. The folders will be used when
you log on to the corresponding domain in the future.

To confirm which folder is active for your account (or the account in
question): Log on to the account. Click Start> Run and type in
%userprofile% and click ok. Windows Explorer will open with the focus on
the folders belonging to the account that is currently logged on.