Deleting user profiles to many people
simple means deleting the user local directory.
Removing user profiles this way can be compared to uninstalling applications by
simply deleting the applications program directory.
By removing a user profile incorrectly we may cause all kinds of problems.
Application shortcuts and registry entries will still be present, but will now
point to non valid or non existent locations. This can have a detrimental effect on a computers performance
Applications which have been installed under the now deleted user account may
now work, or allow us to uninstall and reinstall properly.
To correctly remove user profiles
make sure that you’re not logged in under the account you wish to delete as this
will not work.
Do you really need to delete the profile? If it’s just to add another account in
its place, why not just change the profile name
Deleting User Accounts Start menu > Control Panel > System > Advanced tab
> User Profiles Settings >
Now select Delete, make sure you’ve backed up any required information as once
the Profile is delete everything within it, such as files and folders will also
be deleted.
Other Profile Options
From the User profiles screen we can also Change Type – This can be useful if you ever have a home computer which
was originally part of a Domain, you can change a cached domain profile to a
local profile. Copy to – This enables us to create a backup of a profile, useful if you
wish to move it to another computer.
Renaming Profiles
Unlike deleting a profile, Renaming allows a profile to retain all settings and
files, which is great especially if you have any profile dependant applications
which have been installed.
To rename a profile Start menu > Control Panel > user Accounts > select the
account you wish to rename and select Properties > Change the Username to
the new chosen name (it’s also good practice to change the full name and
add notes)
Other
Another way to view more detailed profile information is to go to the Start Menu > Control Panel > User Accounts > Advanced
tab > Advanced > Users, unlike the other method from here
we can see all the user profiles on your computer giving us greater control over
them.
