Retrieving deleted user accounts...

  • Thread starter Thread starter Will
  • Start date Start date
W

Will

Hello!

Can anybody advise me how i might retrieve a deleted user
account in Windows 2000 pro? I deleted it by mistake and
whilst i can find the various files associated with it
(C:\documentsandsettings\useraccount\etc) i can't get it
back as my main account.

Thanks to anyone who might know.
Will
 
Can anybody advise me how i might retrieve a deleted user
account in Windows 2000 pro? I deleted it by mistake and
whilst i can find the various files associated with it
(C:\documentsandsettings\useraccount\etc) i can't get it
back as my main account.
Click to expand...

Your best bet is to simply copy the files you need from your old
USERPROFILE directory to your current one. The association between a
username and its USERPROFILE is created through a SID, not just the
literal name. If you delete the user "Will" and then create it again,
they will have different SIDs.

If you want to be adventurous, play with the registry key(s)/values in
HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\ProfileList
 
Thanks Michael. I had done this thinking that it would
solve the problem but i notice that not all programs
installed are associated with the new account and require
re-installing. Having an insubstantial hard drive means
that the programs are eating up the drive space (the old
account still takes up 10Gb). What exactly should i
change the values to in the register?

Thanks again!
Will
 
Before you fiddle with your current ProfileList, make sure you have
another username with Administrator privileges you can use to login; if
something goes wrong, you may not be able to login under your current
username at all.

The keys in HKLM/.../ProfileList are SIDs. Search the one where the
value ProfileImagePath points to your current profile. Change it to the
path of your old profile.

I something goes wrong after this, log in under a different username
which has Administrator privileges and change it back. You have to load
the affected registry as a hive. If you don't know about hives, I
recommend you take the option of re-installig your software.

I will deny any knowledge of this post.
Thanks Michael. I had done this thinking that it would
solve the problem but i notice that not all programs
installed are associated with the new account and require
re-installing. Having an insubstantial hard drive means
that the programs are eating up the drive space (the old
account still takes up 10Gb). What exactly should i
change the values to in the register?
Click to expand...

10GB in a profile? Surely, most of it must be My Documents, and they can
easily either stay and you access them there, or you can move them to
your current My Documents, or you can re-assign the target of your
current My Documenst to the old location.

The other big space eaters are Temp and Temporary Internet Files.
Similar principles applies here: delete them, or re-assign your current
such folders to the old directories.
 
Michael, thanks for your help.
Will

-----Original Message-----
Before you fiddle with your current ProfileList, make sure you have
another username with Administrator privileges you can use to login; if
something goes wrong, you may not be able to login under your current
username at all.

The keys in HKLM/.../ProfileList are SIDs. Search the one where the
value ProfileImagePath points to your current profile. Change it to the
path of your old profile.

I something goes wrong after this, log in under a different username
which has Administrator privileges and change it back. You have to load
the affected registry as a hive. If you don't know about hives, I
recommend you take the option of re-installig your software.

I will deny any knowledge of this post.


10GB in a profile? Surely, most of it must be My Documents, and they can
easily either stay and you access them there, or you can move them to
your current My Documents, or you can re-assign the target of your
current My Documenst to the old location.

The other big space eaters are Temp and Temporary Internet Files.
Similar principles applies here: delete them, or re-assign your current
such folders to the old directories.
NT\CurrentVersion\ProfileList
Click to expand...
 
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