Two Profiles, Unable To Connect Right Now, Reinstate Bypass Login

Help, please. I changed the name of my Windows 11 laptop, and it caused a problem. My laptop used to bypass all security features (it never leaves my home) and go straight to my desktop. Now when I reboot, it takes me to a screen where it says Unable to Connect Right Now. I click Okay, and on the next screen, there are two profiles with my name. I'm not aware of any reason I should have two profiles, but from what I've read trying to solve this, it could be Windows created a second one when I changed the laptop name. Not sure if that's accurate info floating around out there. Anyway, it defaults to the user without a picture, so I have to select "my" profile right above it and enter my PIN.

I opened Netplwiz. There was only one user account listed, and the checkbox for users must enter a username and password was already unchecked. I tried checking it, then rebooting, coming back and unchecking it, then rebooting again in hopes it might solve the issue, but it didn't work.

Please help me:

1 - get back to one user profile if it matters
2 - fix the unable to connect right now issue
3 - bypass the requirement to enter password/PIN/etc. step

I should add that I'm not computer savvy, so I need step-by-step instructions, please. I follow directions really well, but please don't assume I understand how to navigate anywhere to get you any info. or perform actions.

Thank you!

 

https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us...-pc-name/5fbe7500-8da2-4be9-98c6-22eb07e60f6d

 

Thanks, I had found that solution in that one and similar threads elsewhere (including the same question and solution on Major Geeks (https://www.majorgeeks.com/content/...to_connect_right_now_on_windows_10_login.html) by Googling, too. That's why I outlined the steps I'd found and tried in my 2nd paragraph. Are the steps I took not what they are saying to do? Am I missing something? Embarrassingly clueless and very appreciative of your help here...

 

1 - get back to one user profile if it matters
2 - fix the unable to connect right now issue ?? How??? not a good explantion.
3 - bypass the requirement to enter password/PIN/etc. step
VS
Turn off your automatic logon.
Restart computer.
Login to your main account (in my case the second account was vanished at this point).
Turn on your automatically logon and restart. Works like a charm!

They look similar, but step one of "Turn off your automatic logon."

The first set of instructions are as detailed as
1. Steal underpants
2.
3. Profit
Did you get them from Gnomes too?

 

Sadly that didn't work. When I turned off the auto login, the second profile did disappear. Entered my PIN, then turned on auto login and it did it again. The first screen showed the second profile with a message that said, "We are unable to connect right now. Please check your network and try again later." I click okay, and it takes me to the login screen where it's defaulted to this second profile and I have to choose 'my' profile, enter password or PIN...

 

Log in with the account you want to keep, go into user control and delete the other user. The edit the reg key Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\ProfileList & delete other profile key - then rename that user's folder in the Users folder by appending .OLD , then log off and see if it is gone.

 

Can you walk me through the first step, please? I can only find one account (the one I want to keep) so I must be looking in the wrong place.

 

Maybe it didn't create a profile, did you log in to the other profile? skip to see if there is a registry key?

 

That fixed it! I used my password to log into the mysterious second account. THANK YOU!!!!! This was the 'magic' missing piece of the puzzle for me. I didn't have to edit the registry key.

For anyone reading this in the future, these are the steps that fixed the issue for me:
Reboot. Hit okay when it says it can't connect. Log into the second account (it's the same password you use for your account - I wasn't expecting that).
Click Win+R, type in netplwiz, then click Ok. If you have more than one profile, make sure yours is highlighted. At the top, check the box Users must enter a username and password to use this computer. Reboot. Log in. Click Win+R, type in netplwiz, then click Ok. Again make sure that your profile is highlighted if you have more than one, then uncheck Users must enter a username and password to use this computer. Reboot.