Windows XP Documents and Settings User Folders

Posted by: russmeister

Windows XP Documents and Settings User Folders - 29/11/2006 20:09

I purchased a new laptop for my wife for Christmas and in the process of setting up Windows, I used her maiden name instead of our last name (I've only been married 6 months, give me a break!). Now, her documents and settings folder has her maiden name (C:\Documents and Settings\"Maiden Name") and I can't change seem to find out how to change it. I don't want the previous name to show anywhere on the computer, thus she would know I made the mistake.

Any ideas?

Running Windows XP Media Center Edition with all the latest updates.
Posted by: wfaulk

Re: Windows XP Documents and Settings User Folders - 29/11/2006 20:19

Not sure if this is available in MCE, but this is, by far, the tidiest way to fix this: Open the User Accounts control panel. Create a new account for her with the correct name, making sure she's in the same group as the existing account (probably Administrators), log in with that account, delete the old account, then delete the offending directories.

If MCE doesn't have the User Accounts control panel, then you'll likely have to do some regedit goodness. Google for "Documents-and-Settings regedit". TweakUI ought to do it, but it doesn't actually seem to.
Posted by: FireFox31

Re: Windows XP Documents and Settings User Folders - 29/11/2006 23:04

I've done a profile folder rename once or twice, but forget the exact details. I think it was as simple as:

Like Bitt said, make a new account and log in.
Log out and back in as admin.
MOVE the contents of the old profile folder to the new folder, overwriting whatever is there.

This moves the old user's Application Data (Firefox bookmarks, Outlook PSTs), user portion of the registry, My Docs, Desktop, Start Menu, etc. I think it's as simple as that, but I'd have to check my notes at work.
Posted by: Waterman981

Re: Windows XP Documents and Settings User Folders - 29/11/2006 23:24

If you do need to go into the registry, lots of instructions say just log out, and log back in. I recommend doing restarts. I've lost files, and had many other problems just logging out/in.
Posted by: russmeister

Re: Windows XP Documents and Settings User Folders - 30/11/2006 12:30

Thanks Bitt. That did it.
Posted by: rubennyc

Re: Windows XP Documents and Settings User Folders - 30/11/2006 14:09

MCE has all the goodness of Professional, the stuff that's missing in Home Edition.

BTW, I much prefer copy to move. Copy ensures that the files inherit the permissions of the destination folder. Move preserves the existing file permissions. If she's going to have admin rights anyway, she really won't notice the difference.
Posted by: wfaulk

Re: Windows XP Documents and Settings User Folders - 30/11/2006 14:25

My understanding of the question was that the wife had not yet touched the computer, so there shouldn't be anything to retain, making the copy/move question moot.
Posted by: russmeister

Re: Windows XP Documents and Settings User Folders - 30/11/2006 14:29

Quote:
My understanding of the question was that the wife had not yet touched the computer, so there shouldn't be anything to retain, making the copy/move question moot.


Spot On.
Posted by: rubennyc

Re: Windows XP Documents and Settings User Folders - 30/11/2006 14:49

Even better.
Posted by: Roger

Re: Windows XP Documents and Settings User Folders - 30/11/2006 14:51

Quote:
Now, her documents and settings folder has her maiden name


What I do is to set up the initial users with just first names, so that the folders get call C:\Documents and Settings\roger and C:\Documents and Settings\jenni.

Then I go into the "Local Users and Groups" control panel (it's under Computer Management) and make sure that the full names are entered correctly. This means that the Welcome screen displays the full name, but the user names are just first names.

Thus, when I got married (in June), all I had to change was that one entry, since the username didn't change.
Posted by: drakino

Re: Windows XP Documents and Settings User Folders - 30/11/2006 14:54

Quote:
MCE has all the goodness of Professional, the stuff that's missing in Home Edition.


Not all of it. MCE 2005 can't join a domain, as it would turn off the fast user switching used to support extenders. Vista Ultimate allows the system to be joined to a domain and keep the full Media Center functionality.
Posted by: rubennyc

Re: Windows XP Documents and Settings User Folders - 30/11/2006 15:03

Quote:
Quote:
MCE has all the goodness of Professional, the stuff that's missing in Home Edition.


Not all of it. MCE 2005 can't join a domain, as it would turn off the fast user switching used to support extenders. Vista Ultimate allows the system to be joined to a domain and keep the full Media Center functionality.


Very good to know. Gracias.