Removing an old user

  • Thread starter Thread starter Nebulus
  • Start date Start date
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Nebulus

I bought a laptop from a neighbor this week, and after cleaning it up,
the only thing left is the folder in C:\Documents and Settings that has
his name.

Now, I've added myself as the admin and removed his user profil
comepletely, but I'm unable to delete that last folder because windows
says ntuser.dat is in use.

Is there a way to wipe that out, and what's the risk?

Also, is there a way to perform a global search/replace for his name in
the registry?
 
Who are you logged in as when trying to delete folder? Have you tried when
booted in Safe Mode.

It sounds like that there is a program that is started that may lock some
registry key in that users' ntuser.dat.
See what is started when system is not in Safe Mode.
 
Nebulus said:
I bought a laptop from a neighbor this week, and after cleaning it up,
the only thing left is the folder in C:\Documents and Settings that
has his name.

Now, I've added myself as the admin and removed his user profil
comepletely, but I'm unable to delete that last folder because windows
says ntuser.dat is in use.

Is there a way to wipe that out, and what's the risk?

Also, is there a way to perform a global search/replace for his name
in the registry?
Click to expand...


If I bought a used computer, the first thing I would do with it would be to
reinstall the operating system cleanly. You have no idea how the computer
has been maintained, what has been installed incorrectly, what is missing,
what viruses and spyware there may be, etc. I wouldn't want to live with
somebody else's mistakes and problems, possibility of kiddie porn, etc., and
I wouldn't recommend that anyone else do either.

But if you just want to change the "Registered to" name, you can do so by
editing HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\Current Version\RegisteredOwner
with Regedit.
 
If I bought a used computer, the first thing I would do with it would be to
reinstall the operating system cleanly. You have no idea how the computer
has been maintained, what has been installed incorrectly, what is missing,
what viruses and spyware there may be, etc. I wouldn't want to live with
somebody else's mistakes and problems, possibility of kiddie porn, etc., and
I wouldn't recommend that anyone else do either.

But if you just want to change the "Registered to" name, you can do so by
editing HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\Current Version\RegisteredOwner
with Regedit.
Click to expand...

I'd do that, but it had no discs included. A coworker's neighbor is
having legal trouble and needed to unload hi PC. It's a Toshiba Qosmio
G25-AV513. On eBay, they're going for near 1800 bucks an dI got it for
600.

It's also using Windows Media Center 2002, and I'm unfamiliar with
that. I did go through and scrub it clean with SpyBot, registry
cleaners/defrag, etc. It purs like a cat now.
 
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