How can I change my username completely?

[stanhilliard]

I have a new refurbished Dell Precession T1700 tower with Windows 7 that came with a use name = user and it does is not set up with a password. File Explorer shows folders for two users: Users/User and Users Public. The PC automatically logged me in to Users at start up. I want to rename the User to stan to match other computers in my work-group and add a password. (I have been told computers must have the same user and workgroup names.)

I found two web pages that explain how to make the change requiring the registry. I am cautious with the registry, and these explanations seem slightly different from one another.

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/2454362

Changing User Name in windows 7 - Microsoft Community

What is the best way?


Should I change, like this:
1 Create a new user = Administrator with administrator privliges
2 HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\profilelist\
3 [Rename user -->stan in registry]
4 [Then rename folder User -->stan] ?

 

[essenbe]

You can do the registry edit, as the link says or you could create a new administrator account under whatever name you want. There would be a users/newusername folder there then.

 

[stanhilliard]

You can do the registry edit, as the link says or you could create a new administrator account under whatever name you want. There would be a users/newusername folder there then.

Thanks. I changed two user names by registry edit and changing the user-folder names. That worked fine. I discovered though that the old user profiles still exist. For example, there is a profile for User even though that account was renamed to stan. Another account that used to be named stan is now named barb (so I could free up the name stan.) I found the old stan and user in:
[start] [system and security] [system] [advanced system settings] [system properties] [advanced] [user profiles] [settings].

Q Is it safe/reasonable to just delete the old profiles with the delete button that is provided -- in hopes that they will be recreated?

 

[paul1149]

It's best to leave the old alone and use MigWiz to export all settings and files. Then create the new account you want, and import everything in. Finally go to CP and delete the old account with its files.