system folder

Leave it blank

--
Doug Knox, MS-MVP Windows XP/ Windows Smart Display
Win 95/98/Me/XP Tweaks and Fixes
http://www.dougknox.com
--------------------------------
Associate Expert
ExpertZone - http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/expertzone
--------------------------------
Please reply only to the newsgroup so all may benefit.
Unsolicited e-mail is not answered.

"Bob Brannon" wrote in message
...
I installed the recovery console but when I try to startup in it it asks
me
for a password. I have never assigned a password to an administrator
account, so what do I do?


"Doug Knox MS-MVP" wrote in message
...
Not that I'm aware of. Changing the computer name doesn't change the
information about who XP is licensed to. That's just a simple registry
setting that's easily changed.

www.dougknox.com, Win XP Utilities, Change Registered Owner and
Organization.

--
Doug Knox, MS-MVP Windows XP/ Windows Smart Display
Win 95/98/Me/XP Tweaks and Fixes
http://www.dougknox.com
--------------------------------
Associate Expert
ExpertZone - http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/expertzone
--------------------------------
Please reply only to the newsgroup so all may benefit.
Unsolicited e-mail is not answered.

"Bob Brannon" wrote in message
...
Doug,

Before I try this I thought I would pass along some more info. I
clicked
on
Help about in this console and noticed that the EULA is registered to
the
user I am trying to delete in Documents and settings. I thought this
would
have been fixed when I went into system properties and changed the name
of
the computer. This is a stand-alone PC. Would this be having some
influence we have not considered?

Bob

"Doug Knox MS-MVP" wrote in message
...
The only other suggestion is Recovery Console. You'll need to make a
change
in the Group Policy Editor (GPEDIT.MSC) to allow access to the Documents
and
Settings folder.

Click Start, Run and enter GPEDIT.MSC Go to:

Computer Configuration, Windows Settings, Security Settings, Local
Policies,
Security Options

Look in the right pane for Recovery Console: Allow floppy copy and
access
to all drives and folders. Double click this setting and set it to
Enabled.
This will give you access to the Documents and Settings folder and its
contents. You should be able to delete the files from the Recovery
Console
command prompt. Help and Support has a full list of the Recovery
Console
commands that are available.

--
Doug Knox, MS-MVP Windows XP/ Windows Smart Display
Win 95/98/Me/XP Tweaks and Fixes
http://www.dougknox.com
--------------------------------
Associate Expert
ExpertZone - http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/expertzone
--------------------------------
Please reply only to the newsgroup so all may benefit.
Unsolicited e-mail is not answered.

"Bob Brannon" wrote in message
...
Doug,

I tried all of what you suggested, while in safe mode, and I still get
a
response that the files are in use. So, I don't know what the problem
may
be or what to do about it. Any other suggestions?

Bob

"Doug Knox MS-MVP" wrote in message
...
Bob,

Boot the computer into Safe Mode and delete the files from there.
That
should prevent them from being 'in use'.

Additionally, if you still get the same error, open a Command Prompt
window,
and leave it open. Then open Task Manager and locate the Explorer.exe
process. Highlight it and end the process. Delete the files from the
Command Prompt window. Then, in Task Manager, go to New, Task and
enter
EXPLORER.EXE to restart the shell.

--
Doug Knox, MS-MVP Windows XP/ Windows Smart Display
Win 95/98/Me/XP Tweaks and Fixes
http://www.dougknox.com
--------------------------------
Associate Expert
ExpertZone - http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/expertzone
--------------------------------
Please reply only to the newsgroup so all may benefit.
Unsolicited e-mail is not answered.

"Bob Brannon" wrote in message
...
Well I thought that would work but it didn't. There are apparently
files
being used in that directory that keep me from deleting it using the
"rmdir"
command. These are an "index.dat" and "user.dat" file in the "local
settings" and "temp internet file" subfolders. I don't understand
this
because that user is gone so why would those files still be getting
used?


"Doug Knox MS-MVP" wrote in message
...
Yep, the command line is often over looked, but it isn't dead yet!
G

--
Doug Knox, MS-MVP Windows XP/ Windows Smart Display
Win 95/98/Me/XP Tweaks and Fixes
http://www.dougknox.com
--------------------------------
Associate Expert
ExpertZone - http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/expertzone
--------------------------------
Please reply only to the newsgroup so all may benefit.
Unsolicited e-mail is not answered.

"Bob Brannon" wrote in message
...
I should have thought of the attributes thing as I have done that
before
but
it has been so long I forgot about it.

Thanks,
Bob


"Doug Knox MS-MVP" wrote in message
...
As long as it is the folder for the account that you removed, then
you're
safe in deleting it. Use the ATTRIB command to remove the System
property.

--
Doug Knox, MS-MVP Windows XP/ Windows Smart Display
Win 95/98/Me/XP Tweaks and Fixes
http://www.dougknox.com
--------------------------------
Associate Expert
ExpertZone - http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/expertzone
--------------------------------
Please reply only to the newsgroup so all may benefit.
Unsolicited e-mail is not answered.

"Bob Brannon" wrote in message
...
Doug,

I think it may be, because I did remove an account several weeks
ago.
Does
that change what I should do?

Thanks,
Bob

"Doug Knox MS-MVP" wrote in message
...
Bob, first is this folder related to an account that you removed
from
the
system? If not, what is the name of the folder. There are
"system"
accounts, that exist for various purposes.

If you're absolutely sure that this is a folder you don't need,
open
a
Command Prompt window, and enter:

CD \Documents and Settings

Then type in ATTRIB -S foldername

Where folder name is the actual name of the folder. If it has
spaces
in
it,
put the folder name in quotes.

Again, only do this if you're absolutely sure of what you're
removing.

--
Doug Knox, MS-MVP Windows XP/ Windows Smart Display
Win 95/98/Me/XP Tweaks and Fixes
http://www.dougknox.com
--------------------------------
Associate Expert
ExpertZone - http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/expertzone
--------------------------------
Please reply only to the newsgroup so all may benefit.
Unsolicited e-mail is not answered.

"Bob Brannon" wrote in message
...
I have all permissions set to "full control" and cannot delete
the
folder.
I get a message saying it is a system folder and cannot be
deleted.


"Doug Knox MS-MVP" wrote in message
...
Its still a System folder, and you don't have access to it.
See
Help
and
Support and search for "take ownership"

HOW TO: Take Ownership of a File or Folder in Windows XP
http://support.microsoft.com/?id=308421

Additionally, you'll need to adjust the permissions on the
folder
so
that
you can delete it.

XP PRO: In Windows Explorer, go to Tools, Folder Options,
View
and
uncheck
Use Simple File Sharing. Now, when you right click on a
drive,
folder
or
file (on an NTFS partition) and select Properties, you'll see
a
Security
tab. Here you can assign or deny permissions based on user
name
or
user
group membership.

XP Home: By default, you can only make files and folders under
My
Documents
"private". This is done by right clicking a folder or file and
selecting
Properties, Sharing. To change the permissions on other
folders,
you
need
to boot the computer to Safe Mode and log in on the built in
Administrator
account. In this mode, you'll see the Security tab in
Properties,
and
you
can assign permissions based on user name or group membership.

How Do I Get the Security Tab in Properties - XP Home (makes
the
Security
tab appear outside of Safe Mode)
http://www.dougknox.com, Win XP Tips section

HOW TO: Set, View, Change, or Remove File and Folder
Permissions
in
Windows
XP
http://support.microsoft.com/default...b;en-us;308418

HOW TO: Set, View, Change, or Remove Special Permissions for
Files
and
Folders
http://support.microsoft.com/default...b;EN-US;308419

HOW TO: Disable Simplified Sharing and Password-Protect a
Shared
Folder
in
Windows XP
http://support.microsoft.com/default...b;EN-US;307874


--
Doug Knox, MS-MVP Windows XP/ Windows Smart Display
Win 95/98/Me/XP Tweaks and Fixes
http://www.dougknox.com
--------------------------------
Associate Expert
ExpertZone - http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/expertzone
--------------------------------
Please reply only to the newsgroup so all may benefit.
Unsolicited e-mail is not answered.

"Bob Brannon" wrote in message
...
Here's the thing, this folder does not have a user profile
associated
with
it. So there is nothing to copy. That is why I just want
to
rename
it.
Alternatively I would like to delete it but can't find a way
to
do
that
either. Any other ideas?

"Doug Knox MS-MVP" wrote in message
...
You cannot rename the folder that contains the user's name.
You
can
create
a new profile, with the user name the way you want it to
appear
in
the
user's folder. Then copy the old user account information
to
the
new
one.

Copy a User Profile:

Open System in Control Panel. On the User Profiles tab, and
under
Profiles
stored on this computer, click the user profile you want to
copy,
and
then
click Copy To.

In the Copy To dialog box, under Copy profile to, type the
location
for
the
new profile, or click Browse to select the path.
Click Change to open the Choose User dialog box, click a new
user
from
the
Names list, and then click Add. The new user name will
appear
in
Add
Name.
Click OK to add the user as a new user profile on your
computer.

Note: You must be logged on as an administrator to the local
computer
to
copy user profiles. To open a Control Panel item, click
Start,
point
to
Settings, click Control Panel, and then double-click the
appropriate
icon.


http://support.microsoft.com/default...b;en-us;811151
How to Copy User Data to a New User Profile

Note: You cannot copy to or from the account you are logged
into.

--
Doug Knox, MS-MVP Windows XP/ Windows Smart Display
Win 95/98/Me/XP Tweaks and Fixes
http://www.dougknox.com
--------------------------------
Associate Expert
ExpertZone - http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/expertzone
--------------------------------
Please reply only to the newsgroup so all may benefit.
Unsolicited e-mail is not answered.

"Bob Brannon" wrote in message
...
I am using XP Professional. Can anyone tell me how to
rename
a
system
folder in "C:\Documents and Settings\"? Some of them can
be
by
simply
renaming. Others can't and give an error message if one
tries.
One
I
can't
do by the simple method is the one I need to change.
There
must
be
some
way, in the registry or something? I have tried what I
could
find
in
the
registry but it didn't work, so I changed it back. I
don't
want
to
have
to
reinstall to create a new one or override an existing.

--
Bob Brannon

If I do that I get a response that the password is invalid????


"Doug Knox MS-MVP" wrote in message
...
Leave it blank

--
Doug Knox, MS-MVP Windows XP/ Windows Smart Display
Win 95/98/Me/XP Tweaks and Fixes
http://www.dougknox.com
--------------------------------
Associate Expert
ExpertZone - http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/expertzone
--------------------------------
Please reply only to the newsgroup so all may benefit.
Unsolicited e-mail is not answered.

"Bob Brannon" wrote in message
...
I installed the recovery console but when I try to startup in it it asks
me
for a password. I have never assigned a password to an administrator
account, so what do I do?


"Doug Knox MS-MVP" wrote in message
...
Not that I'm aware of. Changing the computer name doesn't change the
information about who XP is licensed to. That's just a simple registry
setting that's easily changed.

www.dougknox.com, Win XP Utilities, Change Registered Owner and
Organization.

--
Doug Knox, MS-MVP Windows XP/ Windows Smart Display
Win 95/98/Me/XP Tweaks and Fixes
http://www.dougknox.com
--------------------------------
Associate Expert
ExpertZone - http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/expertzone
--------------------------------
Please reply only to the newsgroup so all may benefit.
Unsolicited e-mail is not answered.

"Bob Brannon" wrote in message
...
Doug,

Before I try this I thought I would pass along some more info. I
clicked
on
Help about in this console and noticed that the EULA is registered to
the
user I am trying to delete in Documents and settings. I thought this
would
have been fixed when I went into system properties and changed the name
of
the computer. This is a stand-alone PC. Would this be having some
influence we have not considered?

Bob

"Doug Knox MS-MVP" wrote in message
...
The only other suggestion is Recovery Console. You'll need to make a
change
in the Group Policy Editor (GPEDIT.MSC) to allow access to the Documents
and
Settings folder.

Click Start, Run and enter GPEDIT.MSC Go to:

Computer Configuration, Windows Settings, Security Settings, Local
Policies,
Security Options

Look in the right pane for Recovery Console: Allow floppy copy and
access
to all drives and folders. Double click this setting and set it to
Enabled.
This will give you access to the Documents and Settings folder and its
contents. You should be able to delete the files from the Recovery
Console
command prompt. Help and Support has a full list of the Recovery
Console
commands that are available.

--
Doug Knox, MS-MVP Windows XP/ Windows Smart Display
Win 95/98/Me/XP Tweaks and Fixes
http://www.dougknox.com
--------------------------------
Associate Expert
ExpertZone - http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/expertzone
--------------------------------
Please reply only to the newsgroup so all may benefit.
Unsolicited e-mail is not answered.

"Bob Brannon" wrote in message
...
Doug,

I tried all of what you suggested, while in safe mode, and I still get
a
response that the files are in use. So, I don't know what the problem
may
be or what to do about it. Any other suggestions?

Bob

"Doug Knox MS-MVP" wrote in message
...
Bob,

Boot the computer into Safe Mode and delete the files from there.
That
should prevent them from being 'in use'.

Additionally, if you still get the same error, open a Command Prompt
window,
and leave it open. Then open Task Manager and locate the Explorer.exe
process. Highlight it and end the process. Delete the files from the
Command Prompt window. Then, in Task Manager, go to New, Task and
enter
EXPLORER.EXE to restart the shell.

--
Doug Knox, MS-MVP Windows XP/ Windows Smart Display
Win 95/98/Me/XP Tweaks and Fixes
http://www.dougknox.com
--------------------------------
Associate Expert
ExpertZone - http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/expertzone
--------------------------------
Please reply only to the newsgroup so all may benefit.
Unsolicited e-mail is not answered.

"Bob Brannon" wrote in message
...
Well I thought that would work but it didn't. There are apparently
files
being used in that directory that keep me from deleting it using the
"rmdir"
command. These are an "index.dat" and "user.dat" file in the "local
settings" and "temp internet file" subfolders. I don't understand
this
because that user is gone so why would those files still be getting
used?


"Doug Knox MS-MVP" wrote in message
...
Yep, the command line is often over looked, but it isn't dead yet!
G

--
Doug Knox, MS-MVP Windows XP/ Windows Smart Display
Win 95/98/Me/XP Tweaks and Fixes
http://www.dougknox.com
--------------------------------
Associate Expert
ExpertZone - http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/expertzone
--------------------------------
Please reply only to the newsgroup so all may benefit.
Unsolicited e-mail is not answered.

"Bob Brannon" wrote in message
...
I should have thought of the attributes thing as I have done that
before
but
it has been so long I forgot about it.

Thanks,
Bob


"Doug Knox MS-MVP" wrote in message
...
As long as it is the folder for the account that you removed, then
you're
safe in deleting it. Use the ATTRIB command to remove the System
property.

--
Doug Knox, MS-MVP Windows XP/ Windows Smart Display
Win 95/98/Me/XP Tweaks and Fixes
http://www.dougknox.com
--------------------------------
Associate Expert
ExpertZone - http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/expertzone
--------------------------------
Please reply only to the newsgroup so all may benefit.
Unsolicited e-mail is not answered.

"Bob Brannon" wrote in message
...
Doug,

I think it may be, because I did remove an account several weeks
ago.
Does
that change what I should do?

Thanks,
Bob

"Doug Knox MS-MVP" wrote in message
...
Bob, first is this folder related to an account that you removed
from
the
system? If not, what is the name of the folder. There are
"system"
accounts, that exist for various purposes.

If you're absolutely sure that this is a folder you don't need,
open
a
Command Prompt window, and enter:

CD \Documents and Settings

Then type in ATTRIB -S foldername

Where folder name is the actual name of the folder. If it has
spaces
in
it,
put the folder name in quotes.

Again, only do this if you're absolutely sure of what you're
removing.

--
Doug Knox, MS-MVP Windows XP/ Windows Smart Display
Win 95/98/Me/XP Tweaks and Fixes
http://www.dougknox.com
--------------------------------
Associate Expert
ExpertZone - http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/expertzone
--------------------------------
Please reply only to the newsgroup so all may benefit.
Unsolicited e-mail is not answered.

"Bob Brannon" wrote in message
...
I have all permissions set to "full control" and cannot delete
the
folder.
I get a message saying it is a system folder and cannot be
deleted.


"Doug Knox MS-MVP" wrote in message
...
Its still a System folder, and you don't have access to it.
See
Help
and
Support and search for "take ownership"

HOW TO: Take Ownership of a File or Folder in Windows XP
http://support.microsoft.com/?id=308421

Additionally, you'll need to adjust the permissions on the
folder
so
that
you can delete it.

XP PRO: In Windows Explorer, go to Tools, Folder Options,
View
and
uncheck
Use Simple File Sharing. Now, when you right click on a
drive,
folder
or
file (on an NTFS partition) and select Properties, you'll see
a
Security
tab. Here you can assign or deny permissions based on user
name
or
user
group membership.

XP Home: By default, you can only make files and folders under
My
Documents
"private". This is done by right clicking a folder or file and
selecting
Properties, Sharing. To change the permissions on other
folders,
you
need
to boot the computer to Safe Mode and log in on the built in
Administrator
account. In this mode, you'll see the Security tab in
Properties,
and
you
can assign permissions based on user name or group membership.

How Do I Get the Security Tab in Properties - XP Home (makes
the
Security
tab appear outside of Safe Mode)
http://www.dougknox.com, Win XP Tips section

HOW TO: Set, View, Change, or Remove File and Folder
Permissions
in
Windows
XP
http://support.microsoft.com/default...b;en-us;308418

HOW TO: Set, View, Change, or Remove Special Permissions for
Files
and
Folders
http://support.microsoft.com/default...b;EN-US;308419

HOW TO: Disable Simplified Sharing and Password-Protect a
Shared
Folder
in
Windows XP
http://support.microsoft.com/default...b;EN-US;307874


--
Doug Knox, MS-MVP Windows XP/ Windows Smart Display
Win 95/98/Me/XP Tweaks and Fixes
http://www.dougknox.com
--------------------------------
Associate Expert
ExpertZone - http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/expertzone
--------------------------------
Please reply only to the newsgroup so all may benefit.
Unsolicited e-mail is not answered.

"Bob Brannon" wrote in message
...
Here's the thing, this folder does not have a user profile
associated
with
it. So there is nothing to copy. That is why I just want
to
rename
it.
Alternatively I would like to delete it but can't find a way
to
do
that
either. Any other ideas?

"Doug Knox MS-MVP" wrote in message
...
You cannot rename the folder that contains the user's name.
You
can
create
a new profile, with the user name the way you want it to
appear
in
the
user's folder. Then copy the old user account information
to
the
new
one.

Copy a User Profile:

Open System in Control Panel. On the User Profiles tab, and
under
Profiles
stored on this computer, click the user profile you want to
copy,
and
then
click Copy To.

In the Copy To dialog box, under Copy profile to, type the
location
for
the
new profile, or click Browse to select the path.
Click Change to open the Choose User dialog box, click a new
user
from
the
Names list, and then click Add. The new user name will
appear
in
Add
Name.
Click OK to add the user as a new user profile on your
computer.

Note: You must be logged on as an administrator to the local
computer
to
copy user profiles. To open a Control Panel item, click
Start,
point
to
Settings, click Control Panel, and then double-click the
appropriate
icon.


http://support.microsoft.com/default...b;en-us;811151
How to Copy User Data to a New User Profile

Note: You cannot copy to or from the account you are logged
into.

--
Doug Knox, MS-MVP Windows XP/ Windows Smart Display
Win 95/98/Me/XP Tweaks and Fixes
http://www.dougknox.com
--------------------------------
Associate Expert
ExpertZone - http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/expertzone
--------------------------------
Please reply only to the newsgroup so all may benefit.
Unsolicited e-mail is not answered.

"Bob Brannon" wrote in message
...
I am using XP Professional. Can anyone tell me how to
rename
a
system
folder in "C:\Documents and Settings\"? Some of them can
be
by
simply
renaming. Others can't and give an error message if one
tries.
One
I
can't
do by the simple method is the one I need to change.
There
must
be
some
way, in the registry or something? I have tried what I
could
find
in
the
registry but it didn't work, so I changed it back. I
don't
want
to
have
to
reinstall to create a new one or override an existing.

--
Bob Brannon

Well, I have never has a password on this system but now since installing
the recovery console it asks me for one in the console and when XP starts.
Because I never assigned one and I am the only one who ever has used the
computer I don't know what password it is looking for. As a result I can't
use the computer at all. Any ideas? I am corresponding from a different
computer, have been all along.

Bob

"Doug Knox MS-MVP" wrote in message
...
Then someone set a password on the account at setup, sometime since, or the
password may have expired. If you don't know the Administrator password, or
another Administrator level account password, there isn't much you can do,
other than reset the password (risky in my opinion).

http://home.eunet.no/~pnordahl/ntpasswd/bootdisk.html

--
Doug Knox, MS-MVP Windows XP/ Windows Smart Display
Win 95/98/Me/XP Tweaks and Fixes
http://www.dougknox.com
--------------------------------
Associate Expert
ExpertZone - http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/expertzone
--------------------------------
Please reply only to the newsgroup so all may benefit.
Unsolicited e-mail is not answered.

"Bob Brannon" wrote in message
...
If I do that I get a response that the password is invalid????


"Doug Knox MS-MVP" wrote in message
...
Leave it blank

--
Doug Knox, MS-MVP Windows XP/ Windows Smart Display
Win 95/98/Me/XP Tweaks and Fixes
http://www.dougknox.com
--------------------------------
Associate Expert
ExpertZone - http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/expertzone
--------------------------------
Please reply only to the newsgroup so all may benefit.
Unsolicited e-mail is not answered.

"Bob Brannon" wrote in message
...
I installed the recovery console but when I try to startup in it it asks
me
for a password. I have never assigned a password to an administrator
account, so what do I do?


"Doug Knox MS-MVP" wrote in message
...
Not that I'm aware of. Changing the computer name doesn't change the
information about who XP is licensed to. That's just a simple registry
setting that's easily changed.

www.dougknox.com, Win XP Utilities, Change Registered Owner and
Organization.

--
Doug Knox, MS-MVP Windows XP/ Windows Smart Display
Win 95/98/Me/XP Tweaks and Fixes
http://www.dougknox.com
--------------------------------
Associate Expert
ExpertZone - http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/expertzone
--------------------------------
Please reply only to the newsgroup so all may benefit.
Unsolicited e-mail is not answered.

"Bob Brannon" wrote in message
...
Doug,

Before I try this I thought I would pass along some more info. I
clicked
on
Help about in this console and noticed that the EULA is registered to
the
user I am trying to delete in Documents and settings. I thought this
would
have been fixed when I went into system properties and changed the
name
of
the computer. This is a stand-alone PC. Would this be having some
influence we have not considered?

Bob

"Doug Knox MS-MVP" wrote in message
...
The only other suggestion is Recovery Console. You'll need to make a
change
in the Group Policy Editor (GPEDIT.MSC) to allow access to the
Documents
and
Settings folder.

Click Start, Run and enter GPEDIT.MSC Go to:

Computer Configuration, Windows Settings, Security Settings, Local
Policies,
Security Options

Look in the right pane for Recovery Console: Allow floppy copy and
access
to all drives and folders. Double click this setting and set it to
Enabled.
This will give you access to the Documents and Settings folder and its
contents. You should be able to delete the files from the Recovery
Console
command prompt. Help and Support has a full list of the Recovery
Console
commands that are available.

--
Doug Knox, MS-MVP Windows XP/ Windows Smart Display
Win 95/98/Me/XP Tweaks and Fixes
http://www.dougknox.com
--------------------------------
Associate Expert
ExpertZone - http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/expertzone
--------------------------------
Please reply only to the newsgroup so all may benefit.
Unsolicited e-mail is not answered.

"Bob Brannon" wrote in message
...
Doug,

I tried all of what you suggested, while in safe mode, and I still
get
a
response that the files are in use. So, I don't know what the
problem
may
be or what to do about it. Any other suggestions?

Bob

"Doug Knox MS-MVP" wrote in message
...
Bob,

Boot the computer into Safe Mode and delete the files from there.
That
should prevent them from being 'in use'.

Additionally, if you still get the same error, open a Command Prompt
window,
and leave it open. Then open Task Manager and locate the
Explorer.exe
process. Highlight it and end the process. Delete the files from
the
Command Prompt window. Then, in Task Manager, go to New, Task and
enter
EXPLORER.EXE to restart the shell.

--
Doug Knox, MS-MVP Windows XP/ Windows Smart Display
Win 95/98/Me/XP Tweaks and Fixes
http://www.dougknox.com
--------------------------------
Associate Expert
ExpertZone - http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/expertzone
--------------------------------
Please reply only to the newsgroup so all may benefit.
Unsolicited e-mail is not answered.

"Bob Brannon" wrote in message
...
Well I thought that would work but it didn't. There are
apparently
files
being used in that directory that keep me from deleting it using
the
"rmdir"
command. These are an "index.dat" and "user.dat" file in the
"local
settings" and "temp internet file" subfolders. I don't understand
this
because that user is gone so why would those files still be
getting
used?


"Doug Knox MS-MVP" wrote in message
...
Yep, the command line is often over looked, but it isn't dead yet!
G

--
Doug Knox, MS-MVP Windows XP/ Windows Smart Display
Win 95/98/Me/XP Tweaks and Fixes
http://www.dougknox.com
--------------------------------
Associate Expert
ExpertZone - http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/expertzone
--------------------------------
Please reply only to the newsgroup so all may benefit.
Unsolicited e-mail is not answered.

"Bob Brannon" wrote in message
...
I should have thought of the attributes thing as I have done
that
before
but
it has been so long I forgot about it.

Thanks,
Bob


"Doug Knox MS-MVP" wrote in message
...
As long as it is the folder for the account that you removed,
then
you're
safe in deleting it. Use the ATTRIB command to remove the
System
property.

--
Doug Knox, MS-MVP Windows XP/ Windows Smart Display
Win 95/98/Me/XP Tweaks and Fixes
http://www.dougknox.com
--------------------------------
Associate Expert
ExpertZone - http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/expertzone
--------------------------------
Please reply only to the newsgroup so all may benefit.
Unsolicited e-mail is not answered.

"Bob Brannon" wrote in message
...
Doug,

I think it may be, because I did remove an account several
weeks
ago.
Does
that change what I should do?

Thanks,
Bob

"Doug Knox MS-MVP" wrote in message
...
Bob, first is this folder related to an account that you
removed
from
the
system? If not, what is the name of the folder. There are
"system"
accounts, that exist for various purposes.

If you're absolutely sure that this is a folder you don't
need,
open
a
Command Prompt window, and enter:

CD \Documents and Settings

Then type in ATTRIB -S foldername

Where folder name is the actual name of the folder. If it has
spaces
in
it,
put the folder name in quotes.

Again, only do this if you're absolutely sure of what you're
removing.

--
Doug Knox, MS-MVP Windows XP/ Windows Smart Display
Win 95/98/Me/XP Tweaks and Fixes
http://www.dougknox.com
--------------------------------
Associate Expert
ExpertZone - http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/expertzone
--------------------------------
Please reply only to the newsgroup so all may benefit.
Unsolicited e-mail is not answered.

"Bob Brannon" wrote in message
...
I have all permissions set to "full control" and cannot
delete
the
folder.
I get a message saying it is a system folder and cannot be
deleted.


"Doug Knox MS-MVP" wrote in message
...
Its still a System folder, and you don't have access to it.
See
Help
and
Support and search for "take ownership"

HOW TO: Take Ownership of a File or Folder in Windows XP
http://support.microsoft.com/?id=308421

Additionally, you'll need to adjust the permissions on the
folder
so
that
you can delete it.

XP PRO: In Windows Explorer, go to Tools, Folder Options,
View
and
uncheck
Use Simple File Sharing. Now, when you right click on a
drive,
folder
or
file (on an NTFS partition) and select Properties, you'll
see
a
Security
tab. Here you can assign or deny permissions based on user
name
or
user
group membership.

XP Home: By default, you can only make files and folders
under
My
Documents
"private". This is done by right clicking a folder or file
and
selecting
Properties, Sharing. To change the permissions on other
folders,
you
need
to boot the computer to Safe Mode and log in on the built in
Administrator
account. In this mode, you'll see the Security tab in
Properties,
and
you
can assign permissions based on user name or group
membership.

How Do I Get the Security Tab in Properties - XP Home (makes
the
Security
tab appear outside of Safe Mode)
http://www.dougknox.com, Win XP Tips section

HOW TO: Set, View, Change, or Remove File and Folder
Permissions
in
Windows
XP

http://support.microsoft.com/default...b;en-us;308418

HOW TO: Set, View, Change, or Remove Special Permissions for
Files
and
Folders

http://support.microsoft.com/default...b;EN-US;308419

HOW TO: Disable Simplified Sharing and Password-Protect a
Shared
Folder
in
Windows XP

http://support.microsoft.com/default...b;EN-US;307874


--
Doug Knox, MS-MVP Windows XP/ Windows Smart Display
Win 95/98/Me/XP Tweaks and Fixes
http://www.dougknox.com
--------------------------------
Associate Expert
ExpertZone - http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/expertzone
--------------------------------
Please reply only to the newsgroup so all may benefit.
Unsolicited e-mail is not answered.

"Bob Brannon" wrote in message
...
Here's the thing, this folder does not have a user profile
associated
with
it. So there is nothing to copy. That is why I just want
to
rename
it.
Alternatively I would like to delete it but can't find a
way
to
do
that
either. Any other ideas?

"Doug Knox MS-MVP" wrote in message
...
You cannot rename the folder that contains the user's
name.
You
can
create
a new profile, with the user name the way you want it to
appear
in
the
user's folder. Then copy the old user account information
to
the
new
one.

Copy a User Profile:

Open System in Control Panel. On the User Profiles tab,
and
under
Profiles
stored on this computer, click the user profile you want
to
copy,
and
then
click Copy To.

In the Copy To dialog box, under Copy profile to, type the
location
for
the
new profile, or click Browse to select the path.
Click Change to open the Choose User dialog box, click a
new
user
from
the
Names list, and then click Add. The new user name will
appear
in
Add
Name.
Click OK to add the user as a new user profile on your
computer.

Note: You must be logged on as an administrator to the
local
computer
to
copy user profiles. To open a Control Panel item, click
Start,
point
to
Settings, click Control Panel, and then double-click the
appropriate
icon.


http://support.microsoft.com/default...b;en-us;811151
How to Copy User Data to a New User Profile

Note: You cannot copy to or from the account you are
logged
into.

--
Doug Knox, MS-MVP Windows XP/ Windows Smart Display
Win 95/98/Me/XP Tweaks and Fixes
http://www.dougknox.com
--------------------------------
Associate Expert
ExpertZone - http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/expertzone
--------------------------------
Please reply only to the newsgroup so all may benefit.
Unsolicited e-mail is not answered.

"Bob Brannon" wrote in message
...
I am using XP Professional. Can anyone tell me how to
rename
a
system
folder in "C:\Documents and Settings\"? Some of them
can
be
by
simply
renaming. Others can't and give an error message if one
tries.
One
I
can't
do by the simple method is the one I need to change.
There
must
be
some
way, in the registry or something? I have tried what I
could
find
in
the
registry but it didn't work, so I changed it back. I
don't
want
to
have
to
reinstall to create a new one or override an existing.

--
Bob Brannon

If you don't know the passwords for any accounts on the computer, there
isn't much you can do, other than try to reset it, or reinstall XP.

I can't vouch for this process, some say it works, others say it doesn't.

http://home.eunet.no/~pnordahl/ntpasswd/editor.html

If you have to reinstall XP, you'll need to "take ownership" of your old
files and folders, after the installation.

See Help and Support and search for "take ownership"

HOW TO: Take Ownership of a File or Folder in Windows XP
http://support.microsoft.com/?id=308421
--
Doug Knox, MS-MVP Windows XP/ Windows Smart Display
Win 95/98/Me/XP Tweaks and Fixes
http://www.dougknox.com
--------------------------------
Associate Expert
ExpertZone - http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/expertzone
--------------------------------
Please reply only to the newsgroup so all may benefit.
Unsolicited e-mail is not answered.

"Bob Brannon" wrote in message
...
Well, I have never has a password on this system but now since installing
the recovery console it asks me for one in the console and when XP starts.
Because I never assigned one and I am the only one who ever has used the
computer I don't know what password it is looking for. As a result I
can't
use the computer at all. Any ideas? I am corresponding from a different
computer, have been all along.

Bob

"Doug Knox MS-MVP" wrote in message
...
Then someone set a password on the account at setup, sometime since, or
the
password may have expired. If you don't know the Administrator password,
or
another Administrator level account password, there isn't much you can do,
other than reset the password (risky in my opinion).

http://home.eunet.no/~pnordahl/ntpasswd/bootdisk.html

--
Doug Knox, MS-MVP Windows XP/ Windows Smart Display
Win 95/98/Me/XP Tweaks and Fixes
http://www.dougknox.com
--------------------------------
Associate Expert
ExpertZone - http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/expertzone
--------------------------------
Please reply only to the newsgroup so all may benefit.
Unsolicited e-mail is not answered.

"Bob Brannon" wrote in message
...
If I do that I get a response that the password is invalid????


"Doug Knox MS-MVP" wrote in message
...
Leave it blank

--
Doug Knox, MS-MVP Windows XP/ Windows Smart Display
Win 95/98/Me/XP Tweaks and Fixes
http://www.dougknox.com
--------------------------------
Associate Expert
ExpertZone - http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/expertzone
--------------------------------
Please reply only to the newsgroup so all may benefit.
Unsolicited e-mail is not answered.

"Bob Brannon" wrote in message
...
I installed the recovery console but when I try to startup in it it
asks
me
for a password. I have never assigned a password to an administrator
account, so what do I do?


"Doug Knox MS-MVP" wrote in message
...
Not that I'm aware of. Changing the computer name doesn't change the
information about who XP is licensed to. That's just a simple
registry
setting that's easily changed.

www.dougknox.com, Win XP Utilities, Change Registered Owner and
Organization.

--
Doug Knox, MS-MVP Windows XP/ Windows Smart Display
Win 95/98/Me/XP Tweaks and Fixes
http://www.dougknox.com
--------------------------------
Associate Expert
ExpertZone - http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/expertzone
--------------------------------
Please reply only to the newsgroup so all may benefit.
Unsolicited e-mail is not answered.

"Bob Brannon" wrote in message
...
Doug,

Before I try this I thought I would pass along some more info. I
clicked
on
Help about in this console and noticed that the EULA is registered
to
the
user I am trying to delete in Documents and settings. I thought
this
would
have been fixed when I went into system properties and changed the
name
of
the computer. This is a stand-alone PC. Would this be having some
influence we have not considered?

Bob

"Doug Knox MS-MVP" wrote in message
...
The only other suggestion is Recovery Console. You'll need to make
a
change
in the Group Policy Editor (GPEDIT.MSC) to allow access to the
Documents
and
Settings folder.

Click Start, Run and enter GPEDIT.MSC Go to:

Computer Configuration, Windows Settings, Security Settings, Local
Policies,
Security Options

Look in the right pane for Recovery Console: Allow floppy copy and
access
to all drives and folders. Double click this setting and set it to
Enabled.
This will give you access to the Documents and Settings folder and
its
contents. You should be able to delete the files from the Recovery
Console
command prompt. Help and Support has a full list of the Recovery
Console
commands that are available.

--
Doug Knox, MS-MVP Windows XP/ Windows Smart Display
Win 95/98/Me/XP Tweaks and Fixes
http://www.dougknox.com
--------------------------------
Associate Expert
ExpertZone - http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/expertzone
--------------------------------
Please reply only to the newsgroup so all may benefit.
Unsolicited e-mail is not answered.

"Bob Brannon" wrote in message
...
Doug,

I tried all of what you suggested, while in safe mode, and I still
get
a
response that the files are in use. So, I don't know what the
problem
may
be or what to do about it. Any other suggestions?

Bob

"Doug Knox MS-MVP" wrote in message
...
Bob,

Boot the computer into Safe Mode and delete the files from there.
That
should prevent them from being 'in use'.

Additionally, if you still get the same error, open a Command
Prompt
window,
and leave it open. Then open Task Manager and locate the
Explorer.exe
process. Highlight it and end the process. Delete the files from
the
Command Prompt window. Then, in Task Manager, go to New, Task and
enter
EXPLORER.EXE to restart the shell.

--
Doug Knox, MS-MVP Windows XP/ Windows Smart Display
Win 95/98/Me/XP Tweaks and Fixes
http://www.dougknox.com
--------------------------------
Associate Expert
ExpertZone - http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/expertzone
--------------------------------
Please reply only to the newsgroup so all may benefit.
Unsolicited e-mail is not answered.

"Bob Brannon" wrote in message
...
Well I thought that would work but it didn't. There are
apparently
files
being used in that directory that keep me from deleting it using
the
"rmdir"
command. These are an "index.dat" and "user.dat" file in the
"local
settings" and "temp internet file" subfolders. I don't
understand
this
because that user is gone so why would those files still be
getting
used?


"Doug Knox MS-MVP" wrote in message
...
Yep, the command line is often over looked, but it isn't dead
yet!
G

--
Doug Knox, MS-MVP Windows XP/ Windows Smart Display
Win 95/98/Me/XP Tweaks and Fixes
http://www.dougknox.com
--------------------------------
Associate Expert
ExpertZone - http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/expertzone
--------------------------------
Please reply only to the newsgroup so all may benefit.
Unsolicited e-mail is not answered.

"Bob Brannon" wrote in message
...
I should have thought of the attributes thing as I have done
that
before
but
it has been so long I forgot about it.

Thanks,
Bob


"Doug Knox MS-MVP" wrote in message
...
As long as it is the folder for the account that you removed,
then
you're
safe in deleting it. Use the ATTRIB command to remove the
System
property.

--
Doug Knox, MS-MVP Windows XP/ Windows Smart Display
Win 95/98/Me/XP Tweaks and Fixes
http://www.dougknox.com
--------------------------------
Associate Expert
ExpertZone - http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/expertzone
--------------------------------
Please reply only to the newsgroup so all may benefit.
Unsolicited e-mail is not answered.

"Bob Brannon" wrote in message
...
Doug,

I think it may be, because I did remove an account several
weeks
ago.
Does
that change what I should do?

Thanks,
Bob

"Doug Knox MS-MVP" wrote in message
...
Bob, first is this folder related to an account that you
removed
from
the
system? If not, what is the name of the folder. There are
"system"
accounts, that exist for various purposes.

If you're absolutely sure that this is a folder you don't
need,
open
a
Command Prompt window, and enter:

CD \Documents and Settings

Then type in ATTRIB -S foldername

Where folder name is the actual name of the folder. If it
has
spaces
in
it,
put the folder name in quotes.

Again, only do this if you're absolutely sure of what you're
removing.

--
Doug Knox, MS-MVP Windows XP/ Windows Smart Display
Win 95/98/Me/XP Tweaks and Fixes
http://www.dougknox.com
--------------------------------
Associate Expert
ExpertZone - http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/expertzone
--------------------------------
Please reply only to the newsgroup so all may benefit.
Unsolicited e-mail is not answered.

"Bob Brannon" wrote in message
...
I have all permissions set to "full control" and cannot
delete
the
folder.
I get a message saying it is a system folder and cannot be
deleted.


"Doug Knox MS-MVP" wrote in message
...
Its still a System folder, and you don't have access to
it.
See
Help
and
Support and search for "take ownership"

HOW TO: Take Ownership of a File or Folder in Windows XP
http://support.microsoft.com/?id=308421

Additionally, you'll need to adjust the permissions on the
folder
so
that
you can delete it.

XP PRO: In Windows Explorer, go to Tools, Folder Options,
View
and
uncheck
Use Simple File Sharing. Now, when you right click on a
drive,
folder
or
file (on an NTFS partition) and select Properties, you'll
see
a
Security
tab. Here you can assign or deny permissions based on
user
name
or
user
group membership.

XP Home: By default, you can only make files and folders
under
My
Documents
"private". This is done by right clicking a folder or file
and
selecting
Properties, Sharing. To change the permissions on other
folders,
you
need
to boot the computer to Safe Mode and log in on the built
in
Administrator
account. In this mode, you'll see the Security tab in
Properties,
and
you
can assign permissions based on user name or group
membership.

How Do I Get the Security Tab in Properties - XP Home
(makes
the
Security
tab appear outside of Safe Mode)
http://www.dougknox.com, Win XP Tips section

HOW TO: Set, View, Change, or Remove File and Folder
Permissions
in
Windows
XP

http://support.microsoft.com/default...b;en-us;308418

HOW TO: Set, View, Change, or Remove Special Permissions
for
Files
and
Folders

http://support.microsoft.com/default...b;EN-US;308419

HOW TO: Disable Simplified Sharing and Password-Protect a
Shared
Folder
in
Windows XP

http://support.microsoft.com/default...b;EN-US;307874


--
Doug Knox, MS-MVP Windows XP/ Windows Smart Display
Win 95/98/Me/XP Tweaks and Fixes
http://www.dougknox.com
--------------------------------
Associate Expert
ExpertZone - http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/expertzone
--------------------------------
Please reply only to the newsgroup so all may benefit.
Unsolicited e-mail is not answered.

"Bob Brannon" wrote in message
...
Here's the thing, this folder does not have a user
profile
associated
with
it. So there is nothing to copy. That is why I just
want
to
rename
it.
Alternatively I would like to delete it but can't find a
way
to
do
that
either. Any other ideas?

"Doug Knox MS-MVP" wrote in message
...
You cannot rename the folder that contains the user's
name.
You
can
create
a new profile, with the user name the way you want it to
appear
in
the
user's folder. Then copy the old user account
information
to
the
new
one.

Copy a User Profile:

Open System in Control Panel. On the User Profiles tab,
and
under
Profiles
stored on this computer, click the user profile you want
to
copy,
and
then
click Copy To.

In the Copy To dialog box, under Copy profile to, type
the
location
for
the
new profile, or click Browse to select the path.
Click Change to open the Choose User dialog box, click a
new
user
from
the
Names list, and then click Add. The new user name will
appear
in
Add
Name.
Click OK to add the user as a new user profile on your
computer.

Note: You must be logged on as an administrator to the
local
computer
to
copy user profiles. To open a Control Panel item, click
Start,
point
to
Settings, click Control Panel, and then double-click the
appropriate
icon.


http://support.microsoft.com/default...b;en-us;811151
How to Copy User Data to a New User Profile

Note: You cannot copy to or from the account you are
logged
into.

--
Doug Knox, MS-MVP Windows XP/ Windows Smart Display
Win 95/98/Me/XP Tweaks and Fixes
http://www.dougknox.com
--------------------------------
Associate Expert
ExpertZone -
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/expertzone
--------------------------------
Please reply only to the newsgroup so all may benefit.
Unsolicited e-mail is not answered.

"Bob Brannon" wrote in message
...
I am using XP Professional. Can anyone tell me how to
rename
a
system
folder in "C:\Documents and Settings\"? Some of them
can
be
by
simply
renaming. Others can't and give an error message if
one
tries.
One
I
can't
do by the simple method is the one I need to change.
There
must
be
some
way, in the registry or something? I have tried what
I
could
find
in
the
registry but it didn't work, so I changed it back. I
don't
want
to
have
to
reinstall to create a new one or override an existing.

--
Bob Brannon

I am really at a loss here. I will try the link you suggested but what
doesn't make sense is what I said earlier. That is that there was never a
password established. I am the only one who has ever used the computer and
I never created a password, so why is it asking for one now only after
installing the recovery console?


"Doug Knox MS-MVP" wrote in message
...
If you don't know the passwords for any accounts on the computer, there
isn't much you can do, other than try to reset it, or reinstall XP.

I can't vouch for this process, some say it works, others say it doesn't.

http://home.eunet.no/~pnordahl/ntpasswd/editor.html

If you have to reinstall XP, you'll need to "take ownership" of your old
files and folders, after the installation.

See Help and Support and search for "take ownership"

HOW TO: Take Ownership of a File or Folder in Windows XP
http://support.microsoft.com/?id=308421
--
Doug Knox, MS-MVP Windows XP/ Windows Smart Display
Win 95/98/Me/XP Tweaks and Fixes
http://www.dougknox.com
--------------------------------
Associate Expert
ExpertZone - http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/expertzone
--------------------------------
Please reply only to the newsgroup so all may benefit.
Unsolicited e-mail is not answered.

"Bob Brannon" wrote in message
...
Well, I have never has a password on this system but now since installing
the recovery console it asks me for one in the console and when XP starts.
Because I never assigned one and I am the only one who ever has used the
computer I don't know what password it is looking for. As a result I
can't
use the computer at all. Any ideas? I am corresponding from a different
computer, have been all along.

Bob

"Doug Knox MS-MVP" wrote in message
...
Then someone set a password on the account at setup, sometime since, or
the
password may have expired. If you don't know the Administrator password,
or
another Administrator level account password, there isn't much you can do,
other than reset the password (risky in my opinion).

http://home.eunet.no/~pnordahl/ntpasswd/bootdisk.html

--
Doug Knox, MS-MVP Windows XP/ Windows Smart Display
Win 95/98/Me/XP Tweaks and Fixes
http://www.dougknox.com
--------------------------------
Associate Expert
ExpertZone - http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/expertzone
--------------------------------
Please reply only to the newsgroup so all may benefit.
Unsolicited e-mail is not answered.

"Bob Brannon" wrote in message
...
If I do that I get a response that the password is invalid????


"Doug Knox MS-MVP" wrote in message
...
Leave it blank

--
Doug Knox, MS-MVP Windows XP/ Windows Smart Display
Win 95/98/Me/XP Tweaks and Fixes
http://www.dougknox.com
--------------------------------
Associate Expert
ExpertZone - http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/expertzone
--------------------------------
Please reply only to the newsgroup so all may benefit.
Unsolicited e-mail is not answered.

"Bob Brannon" wrote in message
...
I installed the recovery console but when I try to startup in it it
asks
me
for a password. I have never assigned a password to an administrator
account, so what do I do?


"Doug Knox MS-MVP" wrote in message
...
Not that I'm aware of. Changing the computer name doesn't change the
information about who XP is licensed to. That's just a simple
registry
setting that's easily changed.

www.dougknox.com, Win XP Utilities, Change Registered Owner and
Organization.

--
Doug Knox, MS-MVP Windows XP/ Windows Smart Display
Win 95/98/Me/XP Tweaks and Fixes
http://www.dougknox.com
--------------------------------
Associate Expert
ExpertZone - http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/expertzone
--------------------------------
Please reply only to the newsgroup so all may benefit.
Unsolicited e-mail is not answered.

"Bob Brannon" wrote in message
...
Doug,

Before I try this I thought I would pass along some more info. I
clicked
on
Help about in this console and noticed that the EULA is registered
to
the
user I am trying to delete in Documents and settings. I thought
this
would
have been fixed when I went into system properties and changed the
name
of
the computer. This is a stand-alone PC. Would this be having some
influence we have not considered?

Bob

"Doug Knox MS-MVP" wrote in message
...
The only other suggestion is Recovery Console. You'll need to make
a
change
in the Group Policy Editor (GPEDIT.MSC) to allow access to the
Documents
and
Settings folder.

Click Start, Run and enter GPEDIT.MSC Go to:

Computer Configuration, Windows Settings, Security Settings, Local
Policies,
Security Options

Look in the right pane for Recovery Console: Allow floppy copy and
access
to all drives and folders. Double click this setting and set it to
Enabled.
This will give you access to the Documents and Settings folder and
its
contents. You should be able to delete the files from the Recovery
Console
command prompt. Help and Support has a full list of the Recovery
Console
commands that are available.

--
Doug Knox, MS-MVP Windows XP/ Windows Smart Display
Win 95/98/Me/XP Tweaks and Fixes
http://www.dougknox.com
--------------------------------
Associate Expert
ExpertZone - http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/expertzone
--------------------------------
Please reply only to the newsgroup so all may benefit.
Unsolicited e-mail is not answered.

"Bob Brannon" wrote in message
...
Doug,

I tried all of what you suggested, while in safe mode, and I still
get
a
response that the files are in use. So, I don't know what the
problem
may
be or what to do about it. Any other suggestions?

Bob

"Doug Knox MS-MVP" wrote in message
...
Bob,

Boot the computer into Safe Mode and delete the files from there.
That
should prevent them from being 'in use'.

Additionally, if you still get the same error, open a Command
Prompt
window,
and leave it open. Then open Task Manager and locate the
Explorer.exe
process. Highlight it and end the process. Delete the files from
the
Command Prompt window. Then, in Task Manager, go to New, Task and
enter
EXPLORER.EXE to restart the shell.

--
Doug Knox, MS-MVP Windows XP/ Windows Smart Display
Win 95/98/Me/XP Tweaks and Fixes
http://www.dougknox.com
--------------------------------
Associate Expert
ExpertZone - http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/expertzone
--------------------------------
Please reply only to the newsgroup so all may benefit.
Unsolicited e-mail is not answered.

"Bob Brannon" wrote in message
...
Well I thought that would work but it didn't. There are
apparently
files
being used in that directory that keep me from deleting it using
the
"rmdir"
command. These are an "index.dat" and "user.dat" file in the
"local
settings" and "temp internet file" subfolders. I don't
understand
this
because that user is gone so why would those files still be
getting
used?


"Doug Knox MS-MVP" wrote in message
...
Yep, the command line is often over looked, but it isn't dead
yet!
G

--
Doug Knox, MS-MVP Windows XP/ Windows Smart Display
Win 95/98/Me/XP Tweaks and Fixes
http://www.dougknox.com
--------------------------------
Associate Expert
ExpertZone - http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/expertzone
--------------------------------
Please reply only to the newsgroup so all may benefit.
Unsolicited e-mail is not answered.

"Bob Brannon" wrote in message
...
I should have thought of the attributes thing as I have done
that
before
but
it has been so long I forgot about it.

Thanks,
Bob


"Doug Knox MS-MVP" wrote in message
...
As long as it is the folder for the account that you removed,
then
you're
safe in deleting it. Use the ATTRIB command to remove the
System
property.

--
Doug Knox, MS-MVP Windows XP/ Windows Smart Display
Win 95/98/Me/XP Tweaks and Fixes
http://www.dougknox.com
--------------------------------
Associate Expert
ExpertZone - http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/expertzone
--------------------------------
Please reply only to the newsgroup so all may benefit.
Unsolicited e-mail is not answered.

"Bob Brannon" wrote in message
...
Doug,

I think it may be, because I did remove an account several
weeks
ago.
Does
that change what I should do?

Thanks,
Bob

"Doug Knox MS-MVP" wrote in message
...
Bob, first is this folder related to an account that you
removed
from
the
system? If not, what is the name of the folder. There are
"system"
accounts, that exist for various purposes.

If you're absolutely sure that this is a folder you don't
need,
open
a
Command Prompt window, and enter:

CD \Documents and Settings

Then type in ATTRIB -S foldername

Where folder name is the actual name of the folder. If it
has
spaces
in
it,
put the folder name in quotes.

Again, only do this if you're absolutely sure of what you're
removing.

--
Doug Knox, MS-MVP Windows XP/ Windows Smart Display
Win 95/98/Me/XP Tweaks and Fixes
http://www.dougknox.com
--------------------------------
Associate Expert
ExpertZone - http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/expertzone
--------------------------------
Please reply only to the newsgroup so all may benefit.
Unsolicited e-mail is not answered.

"Bob Brannon" wrote in message
...
I have all permissions set to "full control" and cannot
delete
the
folder.
I get a message saying it is a system folder and cannot be
deleted.


"Doug Knox MS-MVP" wrote in message
...
Its still a System folder, and you don't have access to
it.
See
Help
and
Support and search for "take ownership"

HOW TO: Take Ownership of a File or Folder in Windows XP
http://support.microsoft.com/?id=308421

Additionally, you'll need to adjust the permissions on the
folder
so
that
you can delete it.

XP PRO: In Windows Explorer, go to Tools, Folder Options,
View
and
uncheck
Use Simple File Sharing. Now, when you right click on a
drive,
folder
or
file (on an NTFS partition) and select Properties, you'll
see
a
Security
tab. Here you can assign or deny permissions based on
user
name
or
user
group membership.

XP Home: By default, you can only make files and folders
under
My
Documents
"private". This is done by right clicking a folder or file
and
selecting
Properties, Sharing. To change the permissions on other
folders,
you
need
to boot the computer to Safe Mode and log in on the built
in
Administrator
account. In this mode, you'll see the Security tab in
Properties,
and
you
can assign permissions based on user name or group
membership.

How Do I Get the Security Tab in Properties - XP Home
(makes
the
Security
tab appear outside of Safe Mode)
http://www.dougknox.com, Win XP Tips section

HOW TO: Set, View, Change, or Remove File and Folder
Permissions
in
Windows
XP

http://support.microsoft.com/default...b;en-us;308418

HOW TO: Set, View, Change, or Remove Special Permissions
for
Files
and
Folders

http://support.microsoft.com/default...b;EN-US;308419

HOW TO: Disable Simplified Sharing and Password-Protect a
Shared
Folder
in
Windows XP

http://support.microsoft.com/default...b;EN-US;307874


--
Doug Knox, MS-MVP Windows XP/ Windows Smart Display
Win 95/98/Me/XP Tweaks and Fixes
http://www.dougknox.com
--------------------------------
Associate Expert
ExpertZone - http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/expertzone
--------------------------------
Please reply only to the newsgroup so all may benefit.
Unsolicited e-mail is not answered.

"Bob Brannon" wrote in message
...
Here's the thing, this folder does not have a user
profile
associated
with
it. So there is nothing to copy. That is why I just
want
to
rename
it.
Alternatively I would like to delete it but can't find a
way
to
do
that
either. Any other ideas?

"Doug Knox MS-MVP" wrote in message
...
You cannot rename the folder that contains the user's
name.
You
can
create
a new profile, with the user name the way you want it to
appear
in
the
user's folder. Then copy the old user account
information
to
the
new
one.

Copy a User Profile:

Open System in Control Panel. On the User Profiles tab,
and
under
Profiles
stored on this computer, click the user profile you want
to
copy,
and
then
click Copy To.

In the Copy To dialog box, under Copy profile to, type
the
location
for
the
new profile, or click Browse to select the path.
Click Change to open the Choose User dialog box, click a
new
user
from
the
Names list, and then click Add. The new user name will
appear
in
Add
Name.
Click OK to add the user as a new user profile on your
computer.

Note: You must be logged on as an administrator to the
local
computer
to
copy user profiles. To open a Control Panel item, click
Start,
point
to
Settings, click Control Panel, and then double-click the
appropriate
icon.


http://support.microsoft.com/default...b;en-us;811151
How to Copy User Data to a New User Profile

Note: You cannot copy to or from the account you are
logged
into.

--
Doug Knox, MS-MVP Windows XP/ Windows Smart Display
Win 95/98/Me/XP Tweaks and Fixes
http://www.dougknox.com
--------------------------------
Associate Expert
ExpertZone -
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/expertzone
--------------------------------
Please reply only to the newsgroup so all may benefit.
Unsolicited e-mail is not answered.

"Bob Brannon" wrote in message
...
I am using XP Professional. Can anyone tell me how to
rename
a
system
folder in "C:\Documents and Settings\"? Some of them
can
be
by
simply
renaming. Others can't and give an error message if
one
tries.
One
I
can't
do by the simple method is the one I need to change.
There
must
be
some
way, in the registry or something? I have tried what
I
could
find
in
the
registry but it didn't work, so I changed it back. I
don't
want
to
have
to
reinstall to create a new one or override an existing.

--
Bob Brannon

There's no reason that I know of why installing the Recovery Console would
make it ask for a password at logon, Bob.

--
Doug Knox, MS-MVP Windows XP/ Windows Smart Display
Win 95/98/Me/XP Tweaks and Fixes
http://www.dougknox.com
--------------------------------
Associate Expert
ExpertZone - http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/expertzone
--------------------------------
Please reply only to the newsgroup so all may benefit.
Unsolicited e-mail is not answered.

"Bob Brannon" wrote in message
...
I am really at a loss here. I will try the link you suggested but what
doesn't make sense is what I said earlier. That is that there was never a
password established. I am the only one who has ever used the computer
and
I never created a password, so why is it asking for one now only after
installing the recovery console?


"Doug Knox MS-MVP" wrote in message
...
If you don't know the passwords for any accounts on the computer, there
isn't much you can do, other than try to reset it, or reinstall XP.

I can't vouch for this process, some say it works, others say it doesn't.

http://home.eunet.no/~pnordahl/ntpasswd/editor.html

If you have to reinstall XP, you'll need to "take ownership" of your old
files and folders, after the installation.

See Help and Support and search for "take ownership"

HOW TO: Take Ownership of a File or Folder in Windows XP
http://support.microsoft.com/?id=308421
--
Doug Knox, MS-MVP Windows XP/ Windows Smart Display
Win 95/98/Me/XP Tweaks and Fixes
http://www.dougknox.com
--------------------------------
Associate Expert
ExpertZone - http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/expertzone
--------------------------------
Please reply only to the newsgroup so all may benefit.
Unsolicited e-mail is not answered.

"Bob Brannon" wrote in message
...
Well, I have never has a password on this system but now since
installing
the recovery console it asks me for one in the console and when XP
starts.
Because I never assigned one and I am the only one who ever has used the
computer I don't know what password it is looking for. As a result I
can't
use the computer at all. Any ideas? I am corresponding from a
different
computer, have been all along.

Bob

"Doug Knox MS-MVP" wrote in message
...
Then someone set a password on the account at setup, sometime since, or
the
password may have expired. If you don't know the Administrator
password,
or
another Administrator level account password, there isn't much you can
do,
other than reset the password (risky in my opinion).

http://home.eunet.no/~pnordahl/ntpasswd/bootdisk.html

--
Doug Knox, MS-MVP Windows XP/ Windows Smart Display
Win 95/98/Me/XP Tweaks and Fixes
http://www.dougknox.com
--------------------------------
Associate Expert
ExpertZone - http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/expertzone
--------------------------------
Please reply only to the newsgroup so all may benefit.
Unsolicited e-mail is not answered.

"Bob Brannon" wrote in message
...
If I do that I get a response that the password is invalid????


"Doug Knox MS-MVP" wrote in message
...
Leave it blank

--
Doug Knox, MS-MVP Windows XP/ Windows Smart Display
Win 95/98/Me/XP Tweaks and Fixes
http://www.dougknox.com
--------------------------------
Associate Expert
ExpertZone - http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/expertzone
--------------------------------
Please reply only to the newsgroup so all may benefit.
Unsolicited e-mail is not answered.

"Bob Brannon" wrote in message
...
I installed the recovery console but when I try to startup in it it
asks
me
for a password. I have never assigned a password to an
administrator
account, so what do I do?


"Doug Knox MS-MVP" wrote in message
...
Not that I'm aware of. Changing the computer name doesn't change the
information about who XP is licensed to. That's just a simple
registry
setting that's easily changed.

www.dougknox.com, Win XP Utilities, Change Registered Owner and
Organization.

--
Doug Knox, MS-MVP Windows XP/ Windows Smart Display
Win 95/98/Me/XP Tweaks and Fixes
http://www.dougknox.com
--------------------------------
Associate Expert
ExpertZone - http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/expertzone
--------------------------------
Please reply only to the newsgroup so all may benefit.
Unsolicited e-mail is not answered.

"Bob Brannon" wrote in message
...
Doug,

Before I try this I thought I would pass along some more info. I
clicked
on
Help about in this console and noticed that the EULA is registered
to
the
user I am trying to delete in Documents and settings. I thought
this
would
have been fixed when I went into system properties and changed the
name
of
the computer. This is a stand-alone PC. Would this be having
some
influence we have not considered?

Bob

"Doug Knox MS-MVP" wrote in message
...
The only other suggestion is Recovery Console. You'll need to
make
a
change
in the Group Policy Editor (GPEDIT.MSC) to allow access to the
Documents
and
Settings folder.

Click Start, Run and enter GPEDIT.MSC Go to:

Computer Configuration, Windows Settings, Security Settings, Local
Policies,
Security Options

Look in the right pane for Recovery Console: Allow floppy copy
and
access
to all drives and folders. Double click this setting and set it to
Enabled.
This will give you access to the Documents and Settings folder and
its
contents. You should be able to delete the files from the
Recovery
Console
command prompt. Help and Support has a full list of the Recovery
Console
commands that are available.

--
Doug Knox, MS-MVP Windows XP/ Windows Smart Display
Win 95/98/Me/XP Tweaks and Fixes
http://www.dougknox.com
--------------------------------
Associate Expert
ExpertZone - http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/expertzone
--------------------------------
Please reply only to the newsgroup so all may benefit.
Unsolicited e-mail is not answered.

"Bob Brannon" wrote in message
...
Doug,

I tried all of what you suggested, while in safe mode, and I
still
get
a
response that the files are in use. So, I don't know what the
problem
may
be or what to do about it. Any other suggestions?

Bob

"Doug Knox MS-MVP" wrote in message
...
Bob,

Boot the computer into Safe Mode and delete the files from
there.
That
should prevent them from being 'in use'.

Additionally, if you still get the same error, open a Command
Prompt
window,
and leave it open. Then open Task Manager and locate the
Explorer.exe
process. Highlight it and end the process. Delete the files
from
the
Command Prompt window. Then, in Task Manager, go to New, Task
and
enter
EXPLORER.EXE to restart the shell.

--
Doug Knox, MS-MVP Windows XP/ Windows Smart Display
Win 95/98/Me/XP Tweaks and Fixes
http://www.dougknox.com
--------------------------------
Associate Expert
ExpertZone - http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/expertzone
--------------------------------
Please reply only to the newsgroup so all may benefit.
Unsolicited e-mail is not answered.

"Bob Brannon" wrote in message
...
Well I thought that would work but it didn't. There are
apparently
files
being used in that directory that keep me from deleting it
using
the
"rmdir"
command. These are an "index.dat" and "user.dat" file in the
"local
settings" and "temp internet file" subfolders. I don't
understand
this
because that user is gone so why would those files still be
getting
used?


"Doug Knox MS-MVP" wrote in message
...
Yep, the command line is often over looked, but it isn't dead
yet!
G

--
Doug Knox, MS-MVP Windows XP/ Windows Smart Display
Win 95/98/Me/XP Tweaks and Fixes
http://www.dougknox.com
--------------------------------
Associate Expert
ExpertZone - http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/expertzone
--------------------------------
Please reply only to the newsgroup so all may benefit.
Unsolicited e-mail is not answered.

"Bob Brannon" wrote in message
...
I should have thought of the attributes thing as I have done
that
before
but
it has been so long I forgot about it.

Thanks,
Bob


"Doug Knox MS-MVP" wrote in message
...
As long as it is the folder for the account that you
removed,
then
you're
safe in deleting it. Use the ATTRIB command to remove the
System
property.

--
Doug Knox, MS-MVP Windows XP/ Windows Smart Display
Win 95/98/Me/XP Tweaks and Fixes
http://www.dougknox.com
--------------------------------
Associate Expert
ExpertZone - http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/expertzone
--------------------------------
Please reply only to the newsgroup so all may benefit.
Unsolicited e-mail is not answered.

"Bob Brannon" wrote in message
...
Doug,

I think it may be, because I did remove an account several
weeks
ago.
Does
that change what I should do?

Thanks,
Bob

"Doug Knox MS-MVP" wrote in message
...
Bob, first is this folder related to an account that you
removed
from
the
system? If not, what is the name of the folder. There
are
"system"
accounts, that exist for various purposes.

If you're absolutely sure that this is a folder you don't
need,
open
a
Command Prompt window, and enter:

CD \Documents and Settings

Then type in ATTRIB -S foldername

Where folder name is the actual name of the folder. If it
has
spaces
in
it,
put the folder name in quotes.

Again, only do this if you're absolutely sure of what
you're
removing.

--
Doug Knox, MS-MVP Windows XP/ Windows Smart Display
Win 95/98/Me/XP Tweaks and Fixes
http://www.dougknox.com
--------------------------------
Associate Expert
ExpertZone - http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/expertzone
--------------------------------
Please reply only to the newsgroup so all may benefit.
Unsolicited e-mail is not answered.

"Bob Brannon" wrote in message
...
I have all permissions set to "full control" and cannot
delete
the
folder.
I get a message saying it is a system folder and cannot
be
deleted.


"Doug Knox MS-MVP" wrote in message
...
Its still a System folder, and you don't have access to
it.
See
Help
and
Support and search for "take ownership"

HOW TO: Take Ownership of a File or Folder in Windows XP
http://support.microsoft.com/?id=308421

Additionally, you'll need to adjust the permissions on
the
folder
so
that
you can delete it.

XP PRO: In Windows Explorer, go to Tools, Folder
Options,
View
and
uncheck
Use Simple File Sharing. Now, when you right click on a
drive,
folder
or
file (on an NTFS partition) and select Properties,
you'll
see
a
Security
tab. Here you can assign or deny permissions based on
user
name
or
user
group membership.

XP Home: By default, you can only make files and folders
under
My
Documents
"private". This is done by right clicking a folder or
file
and
selecting
Properties, Sharing. To change the permissions on other
folders,
you
need
to boot the computer to Safe Mode and log in on the
built
in
Administrator
account. In this mode, you'll see the Security tab in
Properties,
and
you
can assign permissions based on user name or group
membership.

How Do I Get the Security Tab in Properties - XP Home
(makes
the
Security
tab appear outside of Safe Mode)
http://www.dougknox.com, Win XP Tips section

HOW TO: Set, View, Change, or Remove File and Folder
Permissions
in
Windows
XP

http://support.microsoft.com/default...b;en-us;308418

HOW TO: Set, View, Change, or Remove Special Permissions
for
Files
and
Folders

http://support.microsoft.com/default...b;EN-US;308419

HOW TO: Disable Simplified Sharing and Password-Protect
a
Shared
Folder
in
Windows XP

http://support.microsoft.com/default...b;EN-US;307874


--
Doug Knox, MS-MVP Windows XP/ Windows Smart Display
Win 95/98/Me/XP Tweaks and Fixes
http://www.dougknox.com
--------------------------------
Associate Expert
ExpertZone -
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/expertzone
--------------------------------
Please reply only to the newsgroup so all may benefit.
Unsolicited e-mail is not answered.

"Bob Brannon" wrote in message
...
Here's the thing, this folder does not have a user
profile
associated
with
it. So there is nothing to copy. That is why I just
want
to
rename
it.
Alternatively I would like to delete it but can't find
a
way
to
do
that
either. Any other ideas?

"Doug Knox MS-MVP" wrote in message
...
You cannot rename the folder that contains the user's
name.
You
can
create
a new profile, with the user name the way you want it
to
appear
in
the
user's folder. Then copy the old user account
information
to
the
new
one.

Copy a User Profile:

Open System in Control Panel. On the User Profiles
tab,
and
under
Profiles
stored on this computer, click the user profile you
want
to
copy,
and
then
click Copy To.

In the Copy To dialog box, under Copy profile to, type
the
location
for
the
new profile, or click Browse to select the path.
Click Change to open the Choose User dialog box, click
a
new
user
from
the
Names list, and then click Add. The new user name will
appear
in
Add
Name.
Click OK to add the user as a new user profile on your
computer.

Note: You must be logged on as an administrator to the
local
computer
to
copy user profiles. To open a Control Panel item,
click
Start,
point
to
Settings, click Control Panel, and then double-click
the
appropriate
icon.


http://support.microsoft.com/default...b;en-us;811151
How to Copy User Data to a New User Profile

Note: You cannot copy to or from the account you are
logged
into.

--
Doug Knox, MS-MVP Windows XP/ Windows Smart Display
Win 95/98/Me/XP Tweaks and Fixes
http://www.dougknox.com
--------------------------------
Associate Expert
ExpertZone -
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/expertzone
--------------------------------
Please reply only to the newsgroup so all may benefit.
Unsolicited e-mail is not answered.

"Bob Brannon" wrote in message
...
I am using XP Professional. Can anyone tell me how
to
rename
a
system
folder in "C:\Documents and Settings\"? Some of
them
can
be
by
simply
renaming. Others can't and give an error message if
one
tries.
One
I
can't
do by the simple method is the one I need to change.
There
must
be
some
way, in the registry or something? I have tried
what
I
could
find
in
the
registry but it didn't work, so I changed it back.
I
don't
want
to
have
to
reinstall to create a new one or override an
existing.

--
Bob Brannon