Remove user account in the registry?

[mac1]

Newbie, running XP SP2, IE7, Microsoft Outlook2000.

I need some clarification on instructions from a Microsoft Help and Support
article, titled "Save password setting not retained in Outlook"
Here's a portion of the instructions I don't quite understand, listed in
steps 10. and 11.


How to Remove The User Account Information in the registry
Step 10. Reads:
Double-click the Protected Storage System Provider key to expand the key,
click the user subkey folder that is directly underneath the Protected
Storage System Provider key, click Delete on the Edit menu, and then click
Yes in the warning message dialog box.

The user subkey folder looks similar to the following example:

S-1-5-21-124525095-708259637-1543119021-16701

Note For every identity that you have, there will be a subkey under the
Protected Storage System Provider key. To resolve this problem in all your
identities, you must delete all the user subkeys folders under the Protected
Storage System Provider key.

--------------------------------------------------------

My Dilemma: After I double-click on the Protected Storage System Provider:
Two folders are revealed..

The first folder - directly underneath the Protected Storage System Provider
Folder reads: S-1-5-18
The second Folder- is similar to their example of:
S-1-5-21-124525095-708259637-1543119021-16701

Not knowing what a Key is makes this confusing. It would be self explanatory
if the long sequence of numbers fell directly under the Protected Storage
System Provider folder. Is S-1-5-18 not a Key?

Thank you

The article I'm reading. http://support.microsoft.com/kb/290684

 

[Wesley Vogel]

Security identifiers (SIDs) are numeric values that identify a user or
group.

This registry key lists all of the SIDs.
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\
CurrentVersion\ProfileList

To tell which user has which SID, click on each SID, look at
ProfileImagePath, the Data has the user name at the end of the path. I.e.
%SystemDrive%\Documents and Settings\Wesley P. Vogel

For example:
S-1-5-18 is systemprofile
S-1-5-19 is NT Authority/ LocalService
S-1-5-20 is NT Authority/NetworkService
S-1-5-21-1708537768-1580436667-1202660629-500 is my machines Administrator,
%SystemDrive%\Documents and Settings\Administrator

<quote>
Profile Names and Storage in the Registry
Windows NT 4.0 records which profile should be used by which user by placing
registry keys for the user's security ID (SID) in the registry in:

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

Each user who has logged on to the local machine will have a SID recorded
here in a subkey, with a value that contains the path to that user's local
profile, ProfileImagePath. Should multiple users with the same account name
log on to the network, separate distinct profiles are created for each. For
example, if multiple users with the account name John Smith log on to the
computer, the first John Smith is assigned a folder named JohnSmith.
Subsequent users with the same name are assigned folders named JohnSmith
with a numerical suffix appended, for example JohnSmith.000, JohnSmith.001,
and so forth.
<quote>
Guide to MS Windows NT 4.0 Profiles and Policies
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/archive/winntas/maintain/prof_pol.mspx?mfr=true

This is a registry key or subkey...
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Protected Storage System Provider
So is this...
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Protected Storage System
Provider\S-1-5-21-1708537768-1580436667-1202660629-1003

"Folders represent keys in the registry and are shown in the navigation area
on the left side of the Registry Editor window. In the topic area on the
right, the entries in a key are displayed. When you double-click a entry, it
opens an editing dialog box."

S-1-5-18 is systemprofile. %systemroot%\system32\config\systemprofile

%systemroot%\system32\config\systemprofile is used by the system, the Local
System account.

S-1-5-18 is an identity that is used locally by the operating system and by
services configured to log on as LocalSystem. A service account that is
used by the operating system.

SID: S-1-5-18
Name: Local System
LocalSystem account
Description: A service account that is used by the operating system.

S-1-5-21-124525095-708259637-1543119021-16701 is YOU or another user's SID.

--
Hope this helps. Let us know.

Wes
MS-MVP Windows Shell/User

In