mangoes

I'm wondering if anyone knows how to change the registered user name in Windows XP Home Edition? My purpose for doing this is to hopefully give a more user-friendly name to the user folder that was created under c:\Documents and Settings. Right now, the folder that was created for me is called something like c:\Documents and Settings\user.your-7D4e9j, but I would really like it to simply be my name! When I try to re-name the folder, it won't let me do it. Can anyone please help?

Many thanks!

xsivforce

I think this is what you are looking for. Start->control panel->user accounts->pick a task->change account. You can rename there.

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mangoes

nope, that only adds a new user, and it doesn't change the registered user for Windows XP Home Edition. Specifically, I want to be able to change the name of my user folder that appears under c:\Documents and Settings. On my computer, my user folder has a garbled name like "user.your-and some numbers'. Several people I know have their user folders with their own names. Yet, no one knows how they ended up being so lucky! Anyone have any ideas?

xsivforce

I have "home" and doing that, I can change the users name to whatever I want. Maybe we are not talking about the same thing.

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mangoes

I just want to be able to change the name of the my user folder that appears under the Documents and Settings folder.

According to the MS Knowledge Base, it is not possible.

However, I am hoping there is some wizard out there who has figured out how to do it anyway!!

MultiPle3

I have a partial fix to your problem. In order to change the registered user and organization on a computer you need to open 'regedit'.

Find the value: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\RegisteredOwner

Change that to whatever you want. There is also a key there for 'RegisteredOrganization'. The problem with this fix is that it does not change the folder name in C:\Documents and Settings. I hope this is some help to you.

mangoes

Thanks for being on the right track with your suggestion. Actually, I've already done that and realized, as you did, that it still doesn't change the folder name under "Documents & Settings". Is there any way, without formatting the hard-drive, to re-register XP Home, so I can put a registered user name in from the start (instead of the default name "user")? Perhaps then the folder under "Documents & Settings" would be named correctly! I have plenty of friends who have XP and their folders are named the same as their registered user names. Thanks....

mangoes

Someone replied earlier suggesting I try to change the user folder under c:\Documents and Settings by going into Safe Mode. Oddly enough, that person's post has disappeared! In any case, the Safe Mode approach doesn't work. Anyone else with ideas? Many thanks!