Windows 10: Microsoft Account "You may already have an account" - Impact of "Create the account anyway"

Hi, I'm not sure if this is the right place to ask this question. There is no category for "Microsoft Accounts" that I could see.


I set up an account years ago using my own domain name:


*** Email address is removed for privacy *** [real domain name obfuscated]


My son started using this account for xbox games years ago and has amassed significant XP in games and spend a bit as well! I also used the same account for my OneDrive Personal.


We got to the stage where I needed to separate out xbox from OneDrive. Because Xbox accounts can't be moved, I hatched a plan. This is what I did:


- I created a new email on the same MS account called *** Email address is removed for privacy ***.

- I made *** Email address is removed for privacy *** the primary email.

- I backed up all the OneDrive to local disk and deleted them from one drive.

- I removed all my payment methods from the MS account.

- I deleted the *** Email address is removed for privacy *** email from the MS account.

- Son set up his own gamertag, set a new password and the account is now his.

All because xbox accounts can't be moved. Daft, isn't it?!

Hurrah! He can now play xbox with the MS Account and I have all my files and he can't use my credit cards!


Now I need to set up a new MS account for me again.


When I go to create an account called *** Email address is removed for privacy *** I get a warning "You may already have an account. dad@contoso.com is already being used with another Microsoft account. You should sign in with that account."


That was true and I am not surprised that there is some "behind the scenes" link that still retains my old email address. However... there is an option "Create the account anyway". I click that and it invites me to enter a new password. I stopped at this point because MS accounts have traditionally been problematic when doing anything out of the ordinary. I am fearful that one of these might happen if I proceed:


- My son loses his xbox data

- When I try to set up OneDrive again, it tries to re-point me back to the old account because of this hidden reference it retains.

- It all goes wrong and someone from Microsoft recommends deleting everything and starting again


Does anyone have first hand experience of doing this and if so, what happened?


I'll head off the question "why not create *** Email address is removed for privacy *** to be safe?" Because a I don't want to and b IMHO I shouldn't have to.


Many thanks

Mark

:)

 

Windows 8 with 2 Microsoft accounts?

Yea, I would create a local account and just use your school account to login to Outlook and Onedrive.

Edit:
Here switch between local and microsoft account.

 

Strange Windows 10 User Account issue.

Unfortunately I had done those steps numerous reboots, it just, reappears for no good reason. The base account isn't even a Microsoft account, it's a local account.

I haven't quite tried the built in administrator account on W10, but so far in my experience on my own computer, the built in account seemed to have absolutely no more control than I did on my own.

It's just strange, I go in, it warns me twice about deleting the account, then it's gone. Reboot, and it's back?

EDIT: Just to specify, both command line and Netplwiz both say only HIS account exists on the computer, it doesn't list this rogue account. This is what I meant in my first post about the fact that even Windows doesn't seem to believe it exists, HALF the time. *Frown

 

Windows 8 with 2 Microsoft accounts?

I was thinking of doing that, but it will be a PITA setting everything up on the 2nd account again. I might go that way and just spend the time getting the account in order.

The problem is, I would need to switch at the start of every day. Extra reset and waiting for the settings to be applied etc. Also, I'm not sure whether one drive would be maintained after switching back to a local account. I wouldn't want to have to re-sync every time I logged in. I may have to do some testing to see if onedrive is maintained after switching back to a local account.