My home directory has the wrong name

[Alan Sh]

OK- here's one for the boffins.

I have one machine (my test box) where, instead of my home directory being c:\users\alan, it's c:\users\downloads.

I have no idea why - I must have done something some time ago. I cannot rename it back to cL\users\alan. I have tried everyting I know.

However, there is one view where it does show as being c:\users\alan (I can't remember what it is - but it's a property somewhere - which leads me to believe that the "downloads" name is a symbolic one and not the actual folder name.

So, how can I get it all back to normal?

Clues appreciated.

Alan

 

[Alan Sh]

And here's the view from a folder in there where I show the properties of a file/dir. Note the location in the properties window.

 

[Regedit32]

Hi Alan,

I have to admit that is a rather bizarre thing to see. You peaked my curiosity by selecting to name your user profile as Downloads as well.

Anyway fortunately this is actually pretty easy to resolve, but you will need to have your Local account of course (the one you need to change the name on) and a separate account (Administrator) will do just fine for the final bit.

So how to rename that user account:

STAGE ONE:

• Log is as the User who wants to change their Users Account folder name
• Press Winkey + R to open the Run dialog
• Type netplwiz then click OK to open the User Accounts window
• Place a Check next to Users must enter a user name and password to use this computer
  • Note: this can be unchecked later once you manage to get the User account renamed
• Select the account you want to change name of then click Properties button
• In the User name field enter the name you want (Alan for example)
• Click Apply then click OK to close that window, then click OK to close User Accounts window
• You'll now be prompted to sign out - click Yes
  • Note: Click NO if you first need to close other open programs to prevent data loss or corruption
  • In this event once having closed programs, click Start | click your Account name at top of context menu | click Sign out
• Now back at your login screen, sign back in to the account you just signed out of, then again sign out

STAGE TWO:

OK, so Stage One is completed, but you guessed it despite making that change your C:\Users\<User name> if viewed from File Explorer has not changed at all. This is where Stage Two comes into play.​

• OK so we are back at the login screen with Stage One completed
• Select another account with Administrator priveleges and sign in
• Now open File Explorer and navigate to the C:\Users folder (assuming Windows is on C-drive)
• As you can see here the Folder with the User name you just changed, is still the old name. Right-click on this folder and select Rename then enter the new name you chose in Stage One

STAGE THREE:

Finally, you need to edit a Registry Key. This sub key will be different for individual users so I can point you to where it will be, but you'll need to click each sub key to find the one you need to edit.

• Press Winkey + R to open Run dialog
• Type regedit then click OK to open Registry Editor
• In the left pane expand the HIVE keys to this location:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE

>SOFTWARE

>Microsoft

>Windows NT

>CurrentVersion

>ProfileList​

• Expand the ProfileList key in left pane to view its sub keys
  
  You'll see something like this (although as all ready said this will be different for individual users
  
  
  

• Left-click each of those sub keys to view its content in the right pane. One of these keys will contain a ProfileImagePath with a Data value of C:\Users\<the old user name you want to change>
  
  Note: It is only one of the sub keys here you need to edit. So when you find it, you do not need to keep checking any other sub keys. Sample image below showing ProfileImagePath with C:\Users\Regedit32
  
  
  

• Right-click this ProfileImagePath in the right pane and select Modify
• Next to Value data: enter the new user name you want to use then click OK
  
  
  
• Press F5 to refresh Registry
• Close Registry Editor
• Restart computer

That is it. Your C:\Users\<user name> path will now contain the correct name.

Regards,

Regedit32

WARNING !!!

To anyone reading this thread interested in trying out the stages to rename user name in their %HOMEPATH%. A common mistake by novice Registry editing, and sadly replicated on multiple forums on the Internet including Microsoft's own Community boards is to skip Stage TWO, and instead do only Stage ONE and Stage THREE.

This is a mistake and anyone doing this will find themselves logging in and watching Windows prepare itself for several minutes, followed by a very slow load of the Desktop and networking. In the case of Windows 10 you will also then have to wait a little longer while OneDrive is installed into the Profile.

Why does this happen? Because by skipping Stage TWO the windows system sees the new ProfileImagePath as a completely new profile but cannot find the %homepath% folder in the root directory. As a result to protect itself from major corruption a temporary profile is created.

If you somehow forget to do Stage TWO, or you actually did do Stage Two but a typing error means you renamed the %homepath% one name, then a slightly different name in Stage 3 then do the following to resolve the situation:

• Once the Temporary Profile's Desktop loads and is fully functional, repeat the instructions for Stage THREE above and rename the ProfileImagePath Data value to the previous %homepath% name you were intending to change from.
• Reboot computer, then repeat Stage TWO and Stage THREE

 

[Alan Sh]

Thanks - I will try that - but one point - I did NOT name my user account "downloads" - it's called "Alan". Which you can see from the second picture. It's only the folder in c:\users which is called "downloads". I log in as "Alan".

When I open the relevant key in regedit, I already see it set to c:\users\alan.

So, given what I have said, should I still go ahead and rename the account?

Alan

 

[Regedit32]

Hi Alan.

Let's first make a Restore Point! Better to be able to return to this strange state, than have worse troubles later.

If you go through the initial steps of Stage One what accounts do you see listed in terms of an account to select then view properties of? If there an account listed their called Downloads?

If yes when you view its properties, what name is entered in the User name box?

If no, and the account is Alan, when you view Alan's properties what name is entered in the User name box?

If the relevant ProfileImagePath in the registry all ready contains the Value data: C:\Users\Alan then it must be pointing to this folder in the Users directory. If it isn't then you'd spot the obvious change in your Desktop and other settings immediately. So assuming you are actually getting into your Account fine and there is no issues there, then based on the first image you posted, the Folder icon has changed (hence the Down blue arrow) and for some reason the User Name has changed to Downloads.

So what happens if you click that Downloads in the C:\Users directory? Are you seeing the standard contacts, download, favorites, documents etcetera you'd expect to see? If you are then you ought to be able from an alternate Administrator account (rename that Downloads to Alan) and after a restart the ProfileImagePath ought to continue pointing to this folder given you say it all ready contains the Value data: C:\Users\Alan

 

[Alan Sh]

I log in as "Alan" and everything works as expected apart from any downloads end up in the "Downloads" folder - which is really the "alan" folder.

The "Downloads" folder does contain my usual "documents, contacts etc".

I'll try renaming it from an alternate account.

 

[Alan Sh]

I have another user - alantest - also administrator. If I log on as that user and view the "c:\users" folder, the folder for "alan" is shown as "alan". So, nothing to rename.

Very weird. Now what?

 

[Trouble]

Curiouser and curiouser......
Can't wait to see how this works out.

 

[Regedit32]

OK,

So from what you are saying the Downloads is in fact your User account albeit the name is wrong and ought to be Alan

In this scenario albeit repetitive:

• Log in as Alan
• Create a Restore Point
• Go to C:\Users folder and rename alantest folder to alantestOLD
• Via the Run dialog run the netplwiz and go to Properties for alantest and for User name enter Alan
• Close the netplwiz and sign out
• Log back in as Alan
• Sign out again
• Now sign in as alan.sharky (Administrator)
• Go to C:\Users folder and right-click on the Downloads and rename to Alan
• Now open Registry Editor to:
  
  HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\ProfileList

• Expand that ProfileList key and re-confirm the sub key containing ProfileImagePath containing the Value data: C:\Users\Alan does exist. Delete the C:\Users\Alan | press F5 | re-enter C:\Users\Alan | press F5 again
• Close Registry Editor
• Restart computer and as it boots up pray to the Microsoft's God's you will not be needing that Restore Point

If this does not work; then your alantest folder must be the %homepath% that needs the renaming and that would seem to make sense given your netplwiz image displays alantest as a user account.

So you could rename Downloads to DownloadsOLD then apply above steps but rather than renaming Downloads folder to Alan, rename alantest folder to Alan

It has to be one of those two folders - how you ended up with two such unusually named folders though is beyond me - logic says you created them at some time, perhaps originally as Alan and then for some reason known only to you renamed them to alantest and Downloads.

 

[Alan Sh]

It borks at bullet 4 - I cannot rename the properties of user name of alantest - it won't let me rename it.

Alan

 

[Regedit32]

It borks at bullet 4 - I cannot rename the properties of user name of alantest - it won't let me rename it.

Try logging in as your alantest (Administrator) and do it from there

 

[Alan Sh]

Nope - won't let me do that from that account either. Plus, it's reset all the defaults because it can't see c:\users\alantest anymore.

 

[Regedit32]

Well in that case alantest must be the original User account (not the Downloads)

Which means you'll need to apply Stages 1, 2 & 3 to alantest, not Downloads

 

[Alan Sh]

That is possible - I didn't know the first account created was special.

Given that this is only my test machine, it'll be easier if I copy the files I need elsewhere, delete the account (Alan), recreate it and copy the files back again.

I have no idea what I did. I do remember doing something when I wanted to move the downloads folder to another disk - but I must have done something wrong and it won't let me go back.

I'll be honest, I am getting fed up with trying things - so I think I'll try this delete/create method first....

Alan

 

[Regedit32]

The only other variation of this would be to rename the Value Data: in the ProfileImagePath to C:\Users\Downloads

If Downloads is indeed a User account then it ought to boot to your Desktop fine. If its not, then you'll see from login screen Windows preparing and eventually get to a unfamiliar Desktop and a alert will pop out from bottom right side of screen telling you a temp user is created

If that happens, simply sign out, log in as Admin and revert the ProfileImagePath back to C:\Users\Alan

If it actually logs in fine, then perhaps from that point you can apply Stage 1, then sign out, back in, then out again and log in as Admin and complete stages 2 and 3

 

[Regedit32]

I'll be honest, I am getting fed up with trying things - so I think I'll try this delete/create method first....

Not a problem. You certainly do have a most unusual thing going on.

If its easier and less stressful, then your approach ought to be just fine. Thank goodness you have backups.

 

[Alan Sh]

Oh - you have no idea of the backup regime I have in this house !!!!! Lets just say I should never ever lose it all.

If you want to know, all files from all our PCs are backed up automatically to a Synology server (either using Cloudstation for current files or Allway Sync for rarely changing files (photos, audio etc). That server then does two things - it does a synched instant backup of all changed files to another server sitting in a different location. It also, at weekly staged intervals, copies changed files to 3 different backup disks attached to the primary synology box.

So, if I get a corruped file, I have a backup which is up to a week old. If I lose my PC data, it's on the synology box. If I lose the Synology box, I've got all the files saved somewhere completely different.

I don't think I can do any more. But I am always open to suggestions.

Alan

 

[Regedit32]

Wow if only everyone made that effort to backup.

Nice one