How to rename a system folder (XP Home)

Topic

New Reply

I have been given the responsibility to maintain the PC’s at our tiny local library and need to know how to rename a system folder. Here is the situation: There is one Administrator account named, “Bridge River Library” and one “Guest” account. The PC name is again, Bridge River Library. However, under Documents and Settings, in addition to the expected folders, e.g., Administrator, All Users, Default User, there is one with the past librarian’s name. The goal is to rename this folder to simply “Librarian” so as to accommodate future changes to the staff. However, this folder cannot be renamed since it is a system folder.

I created a new account and then tried to delete and rename that folder but no go. I was able to delete it in Safe Mode after logging into the Administrator account, but after rebooting back into Windows and redoing all the settings, Desktop, etc., etc….. the folder with the person’s name is still there.

So, can this folder be either deleted or renamed? Renaming seems to be the best option if possible which will circumvent having to reconfigure everything again.

Jeff

Reply | Quote

Replies

Hi there

How about just copying the files from the old profile to the Librarian profile. It is very much like the method for recreating corrupt profiles:

1) Log on as a user other than the user whose profile you are copying files to or from.
2) In Windows Explorer,
i) click Tools,
ii) click Folder Options,
iii) click the View tab,
iv) click Show hidden files and folders,
v) click to clear the Hide protected operating system files check box,
vi) click OK.
3) Locate the C:Documents and SettingsOld_Username folder
4) Press and hold down the CTRL key while you click each file and subfolder in this folder, except the following files:
i) Ntuser.dat
ii) Ntuser.dat.log
iii) Ntuser.ini
5) On the Edit menu, click Copy.
6) Locate the C:Documents and SettingsLibrarian,
7) On the Edit menu,
i) click Paste.
8)Log off the computer, and then log on as the new user.

Reply | Quote

That’s all well and good, BUT it doesn’t accomplish what I have been asked to do, i.e., to REMOVE or CHANGE the proper name of the folder under “Documents and Settings”. When someone opens a folder, the person’s name is always in the address.

Jeff

Reply | Quote

After you’ve moved all the settings and information you want to preserve, delete the profile from the Control Panel.

Reply | Quote

I would have tried to copy the profile to a new one (Librarian) by simplest method: Create the new account and test it logon/logoff, use Admin account: CP > System > Advanced tab > Settings (under User Profiles) > Select “Old Profile” and click Copy To > Browse and select the new one, C:Documents and SettingsLibrarian.

MS: To copy a user profile
How do I copy a user profile in Windows XP? – at Daniel Petri

Then used User Accounts to delete old accounts (the way one should delete accounts, when everything is saved and copied).

Jerry’s method is good and is mentioned at MS in: How to copy data from a corrupted user profile to a new profile
Do note the comments about the import of e-mail.

(Another, not so beautiful and not in your question, more a quick and dirty is to use the User Accounts in CP and change the Full name to Librarian, i.e. the name shown on Welcome screen, Start menu etc. However, this will not change the name of the profile folder or the actual account name. More on this below.)

Folders
Microsoft strongly recommends against renaming system folders in general. There are some pages out there that describes how to rename, and change corresponding values in the registry, but that is nothing I would try. Basically: change folder name, change path in ProfileList key’s sub-key, since it’s there Windows checks for the path before mapping NTuser.dat to HKEY_CURRENT_USER etc. [shudder]

User name = Full name = Actual account name
As you’ve found these profile folders are not so easy to change name on, and one should not manage profiles in Explorer! The folder (containing the profile) is, when created, given the same name as used for the user account. I.e. when an account is created the name you provide is used both for the Actual account name and the Full name.

The Full name is used on the Welcome screen, Start menu, in User Accounts tool etc. The Actual account name is used as name for the profile folder and internally in Windows (listed in Task Manager), sometimes in commands etc.

In most cases everyone has the same name on Full name and Actual account name, but the Full name can easyly be changed in User Accounts tool in CP to show something nice on Welcome screen.

In Home and Pro, User Accounts only changes the Full name.

The User Accounts in CP comes in a different flavour if the PC is joined to a domain, but that is not the case for your XP Home.

However, it is possible to show this by running: “control userpasswords2”. Here one can set some nifty things ex.: automatic logon (if not using Tweak UI), and one can change the Actual account name. The only other place to change that, as I know, is the Local Users And Groups console, but it is not included in XP Home.

Reply | Quote

Thanks to all who replied. The information provided appears to be just what I need to know. It would appear that to copy an existing Profile to another, you cannot be logged into either the old or new, which means first creating a third Profile, logging into that new third Account and then go through the procedure, correct?

Jeff

Reply | Quote

correct?

Yes.

StuartR

Reply | Quote

(Edited by Argus on 12-May-07 08:35. Minor change: “orphan” profiles with no account are shown in User Profiles, not User Accounts.)

As Stuart said: yes.

But I don’t know if I completely agree with your second part: “… which means first creating a third Profile …” As you said; one can not be logged on to the old, “the one to be copied”, or the new ” the one to copy to”. It’s like doing brain surgery on oneself. Not possible.

But then it doesn’t follow that you have to create a new profile/account to be able to do the copy operation. Why? It seems really unnecessary.

Since, to be able to do the copy as I described you need to be logged on as an administrator or a member of the Administrators group (i.e. an account with administrator privileges (standard in Home as to limited account).

And you already have such an account on the machine, and if I interpret you correct you have:
-Bridge River Library (account with administrator privileges)
-Guest account
Then, you also have the built-in Administrator account, on Home only available in Safe Mode.

And of course, to use the method Jerry mentioned, you only need to be logged on to another account than copied from or to. Administrator accounts are useful here also, no need to create a third.

So you create a new account “Librarian”; use a present administrator account to copy from “Joe/Jane Doe-Librarian” to “Librarian”.

Now that I re-read your OP I see you don’t mention the past librarian’s account among the accounts, you just say there is a profile folder. If this is correct, then the past librarian’s account could have been deleted in some other way but User Accounts, then the account’s profile folders is left. Arrrgh.

((If this is the case it would show up as an Unknown Account in User Accounts.))
———
ADDED: Wrong, it would show up as an Unknown Account in User Profiles (CP > System > Advanced tab > Settings (under User Profiles)). Too little coffee …

Reply | Quote