Windows 10: Forced to re-install Windows 10. Windows is on C:, Users folder is on D. Will Win10 Install...

Ok, please forgive this LONG explanation, but you need the background...


I have two hard drives, a 128GB SSD and a 2TB HDD. When I installed Windows 10 3 years ago, I did a little "trick" wherein I stopped the install and entered "audit mode" so I could manually relocate the \Users folder from the C drive to my D drive by using an automated "unattend.xml" file...


So since then, I've had zero issues with my \Users folder being on a drive that's separate from my boot drive.


But my 2TB drive is no longer big enough, so I cloned it onto a 4TB drive. I rebooted, and I cannot log into Windows any longer. I get "User Profile Service failed the sign-in" when I try to log in.


Judging by my MANY hours of research, it appears that the new drive has been assigned a new drive-letter, thus Windows cannot find the user-profile stuff any longer. It expects it to be on the D drive, and that drive is no longer the D drive.


I tried re-installing my old drive -- no dice. Same issue.


I have tried the "safe mode" trick where you shift-click the "power" icon and select restart to get to a command-prompt, where I have tried multiple times to re-enable the Administrator account: "net user Administrator /active=yes" that I've seen on half-a-dozen different posts. It always says "command completed successfully" but then never gives me the option to log in as an Administrator when I reboot.


While in the "safe mode," I have tried running compmgmt.msc to get to the Storage thingy that will let me re-name my drives -- it refuses to run. Says something about "registry not found" or something like that. I try running MMC.exe so that I can then manually find and run the compmgmt.msc file and I get the same error -- so clearly the problem is with MMC, it would seem.


Anyway -- I have exhausted everything I can think of...


So, if I did a complete re-install of Windows 10, and did the same trick where I moved the \Users folder from the C drive to the D drive, will it completely overwrite my Users folder, or will it leave the stuff in there? That's really what I need to know before I go doing all this...

:)

 

C windows installer folder - Delete?

He can do symbolic link redirection and move the files in it to a different location. *Wink
Better try it out in a virtual of first. Just a suggestion.

Like:
First move everything in c:\windows\installer to d:\installercache
Then delete c:\windows\installer folder
Then type this in command mode as admin
mklink /d c:\windows\installer d:\installercache

Removing those installer files is a bad idea. it might prevent you from updating or uninstalling apps.

 

Windows 10 and GFE forcing 353.62 install

Welcome to the Windows 10 driver hell I've talked about before Win10 got released. Forcing drivers down users throats is a VERY BAD idea. But I guess Microsoft just never learns freaking anything.

Only install driver the first time when WIndows is installed if they absolutely have to but then stop harassing the user with it. Damn MS.

 

Windows 10 and GFE forcing 353.62 install

$
Windows 10 Tweaks
why complain about what you can tweak.

specially that post
Windows 10 Tweaks