Windows 10: From a Microsoft account with administrator righs list "local users" names and status?...

I'm often called to help residents of a "Continuing Care Retirement Community" with computer problems. Quite often residents have Windows installed and updated by their children or by themselves in ways that they no longer fully understand or remember. I admit to being close to that stage myself some times.


If I am asked to help them, sometimes I need to know the names of local accounts which administrators could list under Windows until Windows 10. Now I'm not sure how a Microsoft Account user can query the local account structure for "old local accounts" which may have provided directory and pathing information that the current user has underneath their active profile. I suspect that in most situations, administrative rights will let things be changed, but if there is an "orphan" local user that may need to be revived, can the password be changed or file locks removed from a Windows 10 Microsoft user account added to the computer after it was upgraded?


This information is of interest to me as a "student" of the evolution windows as much as for practical reasons. My wife is being asked to use some "older shareware" that is having pathing problems on computers she is not familiar with. I suspect that the issue has to do with they way the software was installed or the way her user was set up on an updated to Windows 10 computer.


I'm not sure how to search the help archives, or the best way to resolve my questions since two of our own three computers stated out with Windows 7 local accounts only and have been updated to a consistent Windows 10, user name and password security scheme using Microsoft Accounts rather than local accounts. Some of my own computers have old user/directory names that show up in file manager dialogs when the full path information is displayed. File permissions in some cases were apparently set by local users that have been removed or changed before the current Microsoft Only rules were imposed and some of the installed software "remembers" path information that no longer exists.

:)

 

User Account folder name

Only like this you can change it. Isolved problem like this.Works 100% without deleting files

• Create a local account with the user name you wish.
• Change account type to administrator (can skip if there is other administrator).
• Remove original Microsoft linked account
• Link local account to Microsoft account if you wish

Local account creation is well hidden, here are step through Settings App :

Settings > Accounts > Family & Other users > Other users > Add someone else to this PC > The person I want to add doesn't have an email address > Add a user without Microsoft account

 

Linking Microsoft Account to my Local Account Caused me to Lose Administrator Access

Hi,



Welcome and thank you for posting in Microsoft Community. We appreciate your interest in Windows 10.

I suggest you to refer to the below steps and check if it helps.

Step 1: Try to login to your temporary user account, enable built in administrator account and try to change the account settings.

• 
  Press Windows + X key together on your desktop screen.
  
• 
  Click on Command Prompt (admin) to open
  Command Prompt.
  
• 
  Type the following command and hit Enter:
  

• 
  net user administrator /active: yes
  (Check for the spaces)
  

4. Now log off from the current user and try to login to the administrator account that is enabled.

Note: Please follow the same steps and type net user administrator /active: no to disable admin account after the troubleshooting is done.



Step 2: Follow the below steps,

• 
  Type User Accounts in the Search box from the desktop and select
  Change the User Accounts.
  
• 
  Here you will be able to see all the user accounts on your computer.
  
• 
  Select the User account and see if it is a Standard user account or Administrator.
  
• 
  If it is standard user then, change it to Administrator.
  
• 
  Now, log out from the Built-in Administrator account and try to log-in with your Administrator account.
  

Hope it helps. Kindly update the status of this issue, we will be happy to help you.

 

Weird account name and lost Administrator rights.


Well, I know what I would do.

Under Settings, Accounts, Family & other users, then under Other users, add someone else to this PC. Then click the link for "the person I want to add doesn't have an email address". Then click the link for "Add a user without a Microsoft account". Then enter a temporary user name like TempAdmin. When the account appears in the Other Users list, click on it. Click change account type. Make the temporary account an Administrator.

Log in as the temporary administrator account, and copy all the files you want to keep from both the Andrius folders under Users to the temporary account's folder. Then delete whatever Andrius users are listed under settings, accounts. Go back to the Users folders and delete any remaining Andrius folders in there. Reboot the computer, log in as the temporary administrator and recreate an Andrius account using the exact same steps you made the temporary account - you can convert it to a Microsoft account if you want later.

Then do the rest of the steps to copy all your files back and delete the temporary administrator account.