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Geek Culture / Can anyone help solve a simple home network problem

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Green Gandalf
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Posted: 6th Dec 2014 00:28
We've recently had two of our machines repaired - a laptop and a desktop. Each repair involved a Windows reinstall among other things. The chap who did the repair named the two machines MyPC and MyLaptop and their respective users the same. We've changed the names to be more informative, i.e. JimsPC with user Jim, and JennysLaptop with user Jenny. that works fine till we view the other's computer over the network. My desktop shows up as JimsPC (as it should) but the user still shows up as MyPC, and my wife's laptop correctly shows up as JennysLaptop but still with user MyLaptop. Everything else works as it should.

What do we need to change to ensure that all the changes are carried through correctly on each machine? A reboot was needed for the above changes to take effect so I guess that won't solve the issue.



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TheComet
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Posted: 6th Dec 2014 01:22
You can name the computer and you can name the user using the computer. For instance, I'm thecomet@twilight, where thecomet is the username and twilight the name of the computer.

To me it seems like you changed the computer name but not your username.

I like offending people. People who get offended should be offended. -- Linus Torvalds
Green Gandalf
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Posted: 6th Dec 2014 01:32
Quote: "To me it seems like you changed the computer name but not your username."


No, that's the problem. We've both changed our user name as well but the old user name still shows up in each case - on the other machines. Each show up correctly on the machine belonging to the respective user.

Perhaps another reboot is required on each machine and the first reboot only changed the new name for the computer. All a bit confusing.



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Phaelax
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Posted: 6th Dec 2014 01:46
Did you change the existing username or create a new user?


"I like offending people, because I think people who get offended should be offended." - Linus Torvalds
Indicium
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Posted: 6th Dec 2014 02:16
in my experience changing the username doesn't fully work and you have to create a new user.
Van B
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Posted: 6th Dec 2014 11:33
Might be that the DNS is registered to each computer already.

You could try running a command prompt, and entering:

ipconfig /flushdns
ipconfig /renew

This should reset the DNS info and the next time the PC's access the network, they should update to the new user names etc.

I am the one who knocks...
Green Gandalf
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Posted: 6th Dec 2014 12:47 Edited at: 6th Dec 2014 13:07
Quote: "Did you change the existing username or create a new user?"


I changed the existing username on each machine.

Interestingly, we booted up from cold on each machine this morning and we are one step closer but still not quite right.

There are two issues outstanding (see image below taken from JIMSDESKTOP):

1. Certain parts of the Network and HomeGroup views display the old User names.

2. One machine is not listed under the Homegroup heading but, according to Control Panel is a member of the Homegroup.

Interestingly all three machines can view files as intended. It's just the above petty details that are wrong.



I'll try VanB's suggestion and report back. Does that need to be done on each machine, and if not, on which?

[Edit Nope. That didn't work. I tried that on my two machines and the view from the desktop is identical to that shown here. Interestingly, Command Prompt showed the wrong user name in the path prompt so that looks like a machine rather than a network problem doesn't it? I tried changing the name manually but was told I needed permission from SYSTEM whatever that means. ]



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Green Gandalf
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Posted: 6th Dec 2014 13:26
Quote: "in my experience changing the username doesn't fully work and you have to create a new user."


It's beginning to look that way.

Just done some searching on the issue and this link suggests one way of effecting the change:

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/147545-user-profile-folder-change-user-account-folder-name.html

Looks like it might be more trouble than it's worth. Still doesn't explain other inconsistencies though. For example, from my laptop the Homegroup heading shows two other users: Jenny on JJBLAPTOP and My PC on JIMSDESKTOP. The first is correct, the second is wrong.



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Phaelax
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Posted: 6th Dec 2014 20:21
I've never bothered with that windows homegroup junk. MS attempt at simple file sharing fails in my opinion.


"I like offending people, because I think people who get offended should be offended." - Linus Torvalds
Green Gandalf
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Posted: 6th Dec 2014 23:27
The file sharing is fine. The problem seems to be that the user's main folder can't be changed easily, i.e. the C:Users/UserName folder. The UserName part doesn't match changes in the actual UserName.

Just makes the whole thing look amateurish to me.



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TheComet
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Posted: 7th Dec 2014 00:54
Green Gandalf
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Posted: 7th Dec 2014 01:21
Thanks. Still looks unnecessarily cumbersome to me - and hence error prone. And of course it doesn't explicitly tell you what to do if you have Home Premium - you have to write out the steps carefully yourself using the information provided. Hardly ideal.

I might try that method though, one day when I'm both wide awake and with nothing else to do.



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Indicium
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Posted: 7th Dec 2014 01:25
Is it not easier to simply make a new user?
TheComet
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Posted: 7th Dec 2014 01:45
Quote: "Is it not easier to simply make a new user?"


This^

If it were linux you'd just


I like offending people. People who get offended should be offended. -- Linus Torvalds
Green Gandalf
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Posted: 7th Dec 2014 12:54
Quote: "Is it not easier to simply make a new user"


Possibly. But since I've never done that I've no idea whether there are unexpected side effects - such as the need to transfer files, set up new installations, etc, etc. Would deleting the old user also delete the old user's files??

Surely, it's not beyond the wit of MS to have a simple change carried through consistently? I guess it must be.



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The Zoq2
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Posted: 7th Dec 2014 13:00
Quote: "
Possibly. But since I've never done that I've no idea whether there are unexpected side effects - such as the need to transfer files, set up new installations, etc, etc. Would deleting the old user also delete the old user's files??"


Yes, you would have to move your files and some programs might need to be reinstalled (some have the option to "install for me or install for all users" but my experience is that as long as you put things in the same place as before it will work pretty well.

Quote: "
Surely, it's not beyond the wit of MS to have a simple change carried through consistently? I guess it must be.
"


It probably isn't, but it would cost money for relativley low gain. This kind of stuff is something that makes linux a lot more user friendly than linux IMO, someone at some point has had the need to change a username and because of the open source nature, they made that change which was added to the main source. There are lots of examples of small features that don't really add that much benefit but are still really nice to have on linux.

Say ONE stupid thing and it ends up as a forum signature forever. - Neuro Fuzzy
Phaelax
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Posted: 7th Dec 2014 20:44
Create a new user, copy files from old user account to new one. Delete old user. Done.


"I like offending people, because I think people who get offended should be offended." - Linus Torvalds
Green Gandalf
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Posted: 8th Dec 2014 00:23
I generally install games and games software to My Documents. Would moving everything around simply mess up the installations?



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Dar13
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Posted: 8th Dec 2014 01:42
Depends on whether the installations depend on saved registry values. If they're Steam-based or self-contained, then the installations would probably be fine (assuming you import them into Steam after you move them).

bitJericho
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Posted: 8th Dec 2014 02:01 Edited at: 8th Dec 2014 02:01
Quote: "I generally install games and games software to My Documents. Would moving everything around simply mess up the installations?"


I think you fail to see MS's logic for the folders. Program Files are for programs that are available to everybody on the computer. The user folders is where those programs should store user files, like saves and settings.

Whenever you do an OS upgrade or reinstall or anything, you just copy paste the entire user folder for any user you wish to save, but generally you delete appdata/local and locallow as those folders are intended for OS/Machine specific settings and are not needed to be backed up.

Installing software to My Documents is not the correct way of doing things and will break software for any other user trying to use your PC. It's also a security issue since generally non-admins do not have access to modify Program files. (You have to accept the UAC prompt if you're an admin user)

Van B
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Posted: 8th Dec 2014 16:21
This is why USMT is a thing... MS know how complicated it is to change a users name, or manually transfer a user, so the USMT (User State Migration Tool) lets you setup the transfer procedure on the old and new PC.

Really, I think the only way to fix it is to create 2 new users, after transferring your files onto a network share or external drive. It's safest to assume that you won't have access to all the users files once you've logged in as a new user, so move them before hand, so you can just delete the old accounts.

I am the one who knocks...
Phaelax
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Posted: 8th Dec 2014 17:32
Quote: " assume that you won't have access to all the users files "


He should be able to take ownership, using an admin account, of those files with the new account.


"I like offending people, because I think people who get offended should be offended." - Linus Torvalds
Green Gandalf
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Posted: 9th Dec 2014 12:14
Quote: "I think you fail to see MS's logic for the folders."


I do indeed and refuse to go along with it since it causes all sorts of problems. For example, many games include their own editors so you can set up your own scenarios, maps, Mods, etc. In a number of cases they try to save to Program Files and W7 will then save them in some obscure folder called Virtual Store. Installing to My Documents stops all that nonsense. DBPro, for example causes me all kinds of problems when I try to install it to Program Files - I've had absolutely no problems since I started installing it to My Documents. Ditto several other game related software programs.

Quote: "Installing software to My Documents is not the correct way of doing things and will break software for any other user trying to use your PC."


Not an issue since I am the only user on my machine.

Thanks for all your suggestions everyone but this discussion has convinced me that by far the simplest solution is to live with this minor Windows oddity - and, in future, try to remember to set up a new user before doing anything else.



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Clonkex
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Posted: 16th Dec 2014 11:21
Quote: "My desktop shows up as JimsPC (as it should) but the user still shows up as MyPC, and my wife's laptop correctly shows up as JennysLaptop but still with user MyLaptop. Everything else works as it should."


This will be, quite simply, because the folder containing your user files (your "User" folder) is not renamed when you change your username.

Quote: "Surely, it's not beyond the wit of MS to have a simple change carried through consistently? I guess it must be."


Ha, it's most definitely not a simple change! The REASON the folder is not renamed is because it would be a nightmare to manage. Heaps of programs would stop working, and shortcuts to stuff in that folder wouldn't work, and even things like playlists of your music would be invalidated

Quote: "and, in future, try to remember to set up a new user before doing anything else."


Good idea. I always make sure I select the right username (David) first time around after installing Windows, and if for whatever reason the PC has come back from a repair shop with a generic user already created, I'll delete that user and create my own one first thing.

Sorry I didn't see this thread sooner - I've been slacking off in checking for new GC threads recently due to having seasonal work (which has now finished, thankfully - one HTC One M8 phone, a Samsung 840 Evo 250GB SSD and $800+ later ). As I'm pretty much the most knowledgeable person on these forums when it comes to Windows (yes, I said it) it's pretty poor going of me to not check for Windows-related questions more often

Green Gandalf
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Posted: 16th Dec 2014 19:31
Quote: "and if for whatever reason the PC has come back from a repair shop with a generic user already created, I'll delete that user and create my own one first thing."


Yes, that's exactly what I intend to do in future. I didn't realise it would be an issue till I posted here.

Another good reason for staying with this forum - I get answers that make sense.



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