XP Question, Everyone Step In Please

I have a question, that I don't need an answer for so much as I need to know how YOU would go about doing it.


Lets say, I am using XP, any flavor.

I decide I want to change my username to something else, for security reasons, i.e., someone learned of it. I want to change my username so that when I log in, I have to type this new username.


How would YOU go about doing it?

 

Local accounts, xflat.


There are no network components involved with my question.

 

well i just looked at mine and you can just change it through control panel user accounts

im the only administrator so shouldnt be a problem

or were you looking for something more technical

 

Nope, just your opinion on how it is to be done.

 

want to let us know why

 

create a new account, copy profile, delete old profile.

 

Just a couple more responses, LOL.

 

To simply change the password, I'd just change that in the account, but to do a complete new username, same as xflat, making sure everything worked in the new account before blowing away the old one.

 

ok theres more to this because all users on a local machine show the username already you just need to change the password
you dont have to type the username

 

Ok, I want to let you guys know what I found out.


Changing your user account name via Control Panel->User Accounts does NOTHING, but cosmetic changes.

You can stil log in with your new username, AND old one.

GLS: Hit ctrl-alt-del twice, and log in with your old username.


Besides the making a new account, etc. stuff, you can truly change the user account from start, run, control userpasswords2.

Maybe I am the only fool out there that didn't know this. In XP Pro it is quite evident your account doesn't change, because you can look under Computer Management and see it yourself.

The people with XP Home get shafted again, as it is not obvious at all.


So when you change your user account name via Control Panel, you are hurting security by allowing not only the old username, but you are also adding two possiblities to get into your account.

I haven't tested this yet, but I can almost bet that this little "feature" effects network access into your machine as well.

Typical MS. This is so typical of them, just like the "uninstall" feature of Messenger, and OE, which does nothing but remove shortcuts.


Bastards.

 

LOL

ok now i see where your coming from thought you were trying to trick us

well i guess if that was me i just got screwed

new i should have gone for a more technical answer

 

"Trustworthy Computing"

 

ROFL...

 

Indeed


Xflat, let me know what you find.

I tested this on XP Home SP1, XP Pro SP1, and XP Pro SP2 beta.

I'll be testing it in XP MCE and XP Tablet too, once I get them installed.

 

What value under LSA are you talking about?

 

If you are talking about what I think you are xflat, I don't think that has anything to do with local access, or the user accounts "feature" I mentioned.

Correct me if I am wrong.

 

More information. If you go to computer management in Pro, you can see exactly what MS does.

Changing your profile name in user accounts in control panel effectively adds a second username and never removes the old one.

The reason is, MS only adds/changes the value for full name. It never changes the value for name.

When you add/change the full name value, you give your account a second username to log in with.

And User Accounts in Control Panel never changes the original.


Talk about crap huh...