Can't Create User Password

For the moment I'm still running Win7.

In order to improve security, I wanted to switch the user account I usually use from admin to standard. So I thought I would first create a new admin account just to install software and tweak settings.

But in the new account, when I try to create a password, there's only one field to enter a password, and another field to enter a password hint, and no field to enter the response to the password hint.

But when I enter a password and a password hint, Windows say that the passwords don't match.

And when I enter the desired password in both the password field and password hint field, it again says that the passwords don't match.

What am I doing wrong?

 

Sounds like the new admin account has the same name as an existing account.

 

No, it was "admin", which worked just fine on another computer (the one running XP).

And that still don't explain why the second of the two data entry fields was called "password hint".

 

Wow, I can't believe I said "that still don't explain". That was an accident, not a joke.

 

The usual way to correct system errors is to run sfc /scannow

 

I renamed the account (to a unique name) and ran sfc /scannow, but Create Password still responds with "passwords don't match", even after I rebooted. I'm mystified. And Create Password calling the second password entry field the "password hint" seems just plain wrong to me - is that what it's supposed to say?

 

I wasn't aware that you could rename a user account. Whatever you have done, to the computer it's the same account and that's why the behaviour hasn't changed. Better to set up a new account and delete that one.

 

Yeah, Change the account name is one of the options for any given account, at least in Win7.

Anyway, I deleted that account and created another new one, but I couldn't add a password to that one either.

 

Well, I just created a new Standard User account, and I can't add a password to that one either.

 

It is much more complicated than anyone could imagine which is why researching it first is crucial. For Win 7 Professional here is the Microsoft Tech Net guide to 'renaming' a user account:
http://social.technet.microsoft.com...-user-account-and-related-profile-folder.aspx
It always needs a new admin account to start with, and that is stated on other guides from a simple google search.

When carrying out multiple actions and changes on a system it's usually best to compile a list of things that need to be done and things that are desired - in order of priority - then do them one by one, finishing one thing first before going on to the next. And researching carefully each step. Only the most skilled, experienced and confident multi-tasker can do many things at the same time without errors.

 

Scratch that, you're right, it turns out that that changes the "Full Name" of the account, not the "actual" name, that is, the folder name in C:Users.

This link is to a webpage entitled "How to Rename a Windows 7 User Account and Related Profile Folder". I wasn't having any problem changing the "Full Name" of a user account (as opposed to the "actual" name). The problem I was having was that I couldn't set a password for any new user accounts I created, either from within my usual admin account, or from within the account that I was trying to create a password for.

But I tried it by the method to which you provided the link. And that DID work, both to change the "actual" name, and to set a password. Thank you for that.


However, just as a point of interest, the "actual" name of the account couldn't be changed using step 6c of this method as advertised. But I don't even know why they said it could, because it could and was changed by using step 8.


Anyway, one minor unexpected thing happened in changing the "actual" name: The folder name of the user in question WAS changed and contained everything it was supposed to (I think), but another user folder remained WITH THE OLD NAME, but it contained nothing but

AppData > Roaming > Wise Care 265 > WC365BootTime.ini

But of course such a set of nested folders with an innermost WC365BootTime.ini was in the newly-named user folder as well.

I thought maybe the set in the user folder with the old name could be deleted, but I wasn't sure if that was safe, so I left it there for the time being. Does anybody know what that's all about?

 

Have you uninstalled Wise Care?

If so, see if you can delete WC365BootTime.ini first and then remove the upper folders.

If you can't, use Autoruns to prevent it from being used at Boot, reboot and try again.

 

No, I want to keep it. But WC365BootTime.ini also resides in

C:/Users/( NEW USER NAME )/AppData/Roaming/Wise Care 365

as well as in

C:/Users/( OLD USER NAME )/AppData/Roaming/Wise Care 365

and there's NOTHING else in C:/Users/( OLD USER NAME )

and since the user name has been changed (including the "actual" name, not just the "Full Name" of that user), that mean user ( OLD USER NAME ) doesn't exist anymore, so I'm pretty sure Wise Care isn't really using

C:/Users/( OLD USER NAME )/AppData/Roaming/Wise Care 365/WC365BootTime.ini

As far as I know, there's nothing that would prevent its removal. But I guess you meant "see if you can delete WC365BootTime.ini without causing problems". That's exactly why I mentioned this, I was afraid of causing problems.

Maybe I could try just renaming it to something that won't work to test it, and change the name back if it causes problems?

Well, I WANT it to be used at boot by user ( NEW USER NAME ).

 

Just delete the file in C:/Users/( OLD USER NAME )/AppData/Roaming/Wise Care 365, if it doesn't go, forget about it.

 

OK, will do.

Incidentally, I recently bought an external hard drive for backups and of course installed its drivers, and I now see an analogous situation for it: there is a folder

C: > Users > ( OLD user name ) > AppData > Roaming > Seagate > Seagate Dashboard 2.0 > Files

which contains just two things: a file UserDataHelper.xml, which appears to pertain only to registering the product, and a folder udc, which is empty.

Actually, as I now discover that this 1 TB drive isn't quite large enough for even a single system backup, I'm going to return it and get a larger one, so doubtless after I use IObit Uninstaller to uninstall Seagate Dashboard (which I think should also uninstall Seagate StartService, hopefully), if C: > Users > ( OLD user name ) > AppData > Roaming > Seagate is still there, I could delete that too, right?

 

Sure, you can delete it once the software/hardware is uninstalled.

The basic issue is that anything that by default installs for all users will keep detecting the old user name - go custom on all installs that you can, and install for Current User only, if you can't remove the old User entirely, otherwise, don't sweat it, it won't take up enough disk space to worry about.