Delete user

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Just bought new PC with Vista 64, and I made a mistake when setting up one of the users. I deleted the account, including “all fies” and thought it was completely removed. Started again, same user name, and aferwards,when I looked I could see traces of the previous attempt username.laptopname.001 or similar.

Is it possile to remove all traces of the erlier attempt, or will I forever be stuck wth some internal mapping behind the scenes?

Thanks,

Mike C

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Where did you find this “username.laptopname.001 or similar”?

On all of the accounts that I have deleted with files, the files and folders have all disappeared under users.

DaveA I am so far behind, I think I am First
Genealogy....confusing the dead and annoying the living

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Where did you find this “username.laptopname.001 or similar”?

On all of the accounts that I have deleted with files, the files and folders have all disappeared under users.

To start with, I can confirm that in the user lists (as in at sign-on) only the single username all on its own exists.

I found the leftover traces in c:users. The original account account is just “username” later accounts, and I made another after I messaged yesterday have the syntax I recorded above. Only the latest of these has the full set of folders, the earlier ones just have AppData, the very first one also has “Bluetooth Software” and “My Backup Files”.

Looking at the registry, there are references to all of them, but I dont really want to tackle this through registry changes

Thanks for input

Mike C

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This look like they are users that were made or saved because of a install over a OS to do a repair.

DaveA I am so far behind, I think I am First
Genealogy....confusing the dead and annoying the living

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This look like they are users that were made or saved because of a install over a OS to do a repair.

Hi Dave,

New PC, just the one OS installation, then th user with errors, my attempts to delte this user and all fles (and all traces) I never added any files or programmes under this user – I did all that in the Admin acount.. The one thing I did do with the very first bad attempt was try to move the location of the usrs files (to another partition of the dame disc)… the second and third versions I didnt evn do that.

So if it is, for any reason, a re-intallaton, is it posible to get rid of those traces?

Thanks,

Mike C

PS I will get used to this keyboard

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So if it is, for any reason, a re-intallaton, is it posible to get rid of those traces?

I have never seen any folders as you have them listed. Normally when one sees the “periods” in a user folder they are from repairs. But I have also never tried moving my accounts to and other location.

You have not stated what the Make and Model of this machine, it may help!

DaveA I am so far behind, I think I am First
Genealogy....confusing the dead and annoying the living

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Just bought new PC with Vista 64, and I made a mistake when setting up one of the users. I deleted the account, including “all fies” and thought it was completely removed. Started again, same user name, and aferwards,when I looked I could see traces of the previous attempt username.laptopname.001 or similar.

This sort of User Profiles thing is quite common on domains. I have had directories in Documents and Settings on one PC like:
Fred
Fred.pcname
Fred.pcname.001
Fred.domainname
Fred.domainname.001
Fred.domainname.002

And ‘Fred’ could be Administrator and also LocalService and NetworkService

Sometimes DELPROF from one of the Resource Kits/Support Tools/etc can be used to remove the ones which are no longer current, but it is usually worth leaving well alone…

BATcher

Plethora means a lot to me.

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This sort of User Profiles thing is quite common on domains. I have had directories in Documents and Settings on one PC like:
Fred
Fred.pcname
Fred.pcname.001
Fred.domainname
Fred.domainname.001
Fred.domainname.002

And ‘Fred’ could be Administrator and also LocalService and NetworkService

Sometimes DELPROF from one of the Resource Kits/Support Tools/etc can be used to remove the ones which are no longer current, but it is usually worth leaving well alone…

First of all apologies to Dave and Batcher for ignoring their replies. I thought (and still think) that I had set my post to email me if there were any replies. No email; didnt look till now!

The machine is a Dell Studio 17 laptop, as I say, running Vista SP1 64 bit.

I came up with a new distinguishable name and have been working with that to bed the machine in. No problems, and I am just about to formally delete all of the offending earlier attempts. I shall certainly not go any further by hand than the machine naturally takes me.

Still like to clear them completely though if anyone knows how

Mike C

PS Hadnt set email option correctly, only for persnal messages. Now OK

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Not sure if it will work in full under your current situation, but apparently the “correct” method of deleting profiles in Vista is to use the System Properties/Advanced Computer Settings/User Profiles section to delete the user – just deleting the profile folder under C:Users no longer completely deletes the entire profile. So far it works, at least on x86 Vista.

What method did you use to delete the account(s) in question?

Delprof might work for cross-network work, I haven’t tried it yet.

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