Windows 10: Strange User Not in NETPLWIZ

So this is strange and I am looking for any answers. I have Windows 10 64-bit Pro and I have two of them; wife and mine

Now I am chasing another issue, but that's how I came across this. In netplwiz on my wife's system she only has one entry and it is her user. On mine however I have two; my user and guest. So I went to all my other systems (which are Windows 8.1 and 7) and they are like mine with two. But her old Windows 7 had just the one entry.

I know this is the Ten Forums, but I find it strange that I am the only guy who builds and installs all the versions of Windows on our systems. Why her Win10 and Win7 only ever has just the one user is beyond me.

Her system is running fine and so are all the others including mine. Could there have been something that occurred on most of my systems including Win10 and somehow that event did not happen on both herEin10 and Win7? She is not computer savvy so this is something I truly believe she would not have known.

I checked all systems and in the control panel under users, guest is turned off on all computers.

Is there any reason then to even have guest listed in the netplwiz?

Just strange to me.

:)

 

Netplwiz does not show the user accounts and none of the programs except for File Explorer is working on Windows 10.

Hi Terrence,



Thanks for the quickest update on the above issue.



We are glad to know your issue is resolved and appreciate your effort in sorting the issue out by yourself. Write to us for further assistance on any Windows related query, we will be happy to help you.



Thank you.

 

Netplwiz does not show the user accounts and none of the programs except for File Explorer is working on Windows 10.

Hi Terrence,



Thank you for posting on Microsoft Community. We regret the inconvenience caused and will assist you in resolving the issue.



Before assisting further, I would like to ask you a few questions:

• When you say “this seems to work but the laptop will nor so anything except run File Explorer”, what are you referring to?
• Do you get any error message/error code on launching the programs on the PC?
• Did you check if similar issue persists on booting the PC in
  Safe mode?

You may be facing the above issue due to missing or corrupted system files and folders located in the computer. The presence of missing or corrupted system files and folders will result in irregular performance of the applications and user account
on the PC.



Method 1: Check if similar issue persists on booting the PC in
Safe mode. Safe mode is a diagnostic mode that starts your computer with limited drivers necessary to run Windows. The words
Safe Mode appear at the corners of your monitor to identify which Windows mode you are using.



Expand the options to boot into Safe Mode:

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-in/windows-10/start-your-pc-in-safe-mode



Restart the PC to exit from Safe mode and start the computer in normal mode.



To know more about Safe mode, following is an article on
Windows Startup Settings (including safe mode) (Applies to Windows 10 also):

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-8/windows-startup-settings-safe-mode



Method 2: If similar issue persists in Safe mode, create another user account
by referring to Set up accounts on Windows 10 article and check if similar issue
persists.



The corrupted user profile does not function normally such as not launching
Start menu, Cortana, Search bar, Store and other
Windows applications. In such cases creating a new profile and checking for the same will help in identifying if the is specific to corrupted user profile or the OS.



Write to us with the answers to the above questions and the status of the issue on the same post for further assistance. Your reply is most important for us to ensure we assist you accordingly.



Thank you.

 

It should only be listed in netplwiz if it is active. In a command prompt, type net users to get a list of all user accounts (active or not). Type net user guest to see full details for that one account, including whether the system thinks it's active.

 

OK so on my system when I do the net users this is what I see
Administrator=under it is Me
DefaultAccount=nothing under it
Guest=nothing under it

Now when I do the net user guest I see in the "Account Active=Yes"

On my wife's win10 the first part matches mine, but the second is set to No

Now on the Win7 machines mine says similar under the net users command and her old machine matches too.

But the difference here is on the net users guest again is just like in Win10; mine is Yes while hers is No

So what is best, to have the guest account set to No? Or activate hers back on both her systems?

Thanks Bree!

 

By default, the Guest account is always set to 'disabled' in a fresh install. I'd set Guest to disabled on all machines. You can hardly do anything if you log on as Guest anyway.

For test purposes I actually set up a user account on my machine and made it a member of Guests some time back. With each new version of W10 it is allowed less and less access (can't run any modern app - so no 'Settings' or Edge). Since the Creators Update it can no longer get the Start menu - 'chocolate tea-pot' comes to mind. *Smile

 

OK, any danger in shutting off the account like if my wife locks her own account would keeping Guest active help in any way?

 

Very little help, Guest is basically 'neutered' in the latest version (Creators) and little use for anything. What is useful in a 'lockout' is Administrator (also disabled by default) but can be enabled in an emergency, even if you cannot log in to any accounts - Option Four here...
Enable or Disable Elevated Administrator account in Windows 10
Though the elevated built-in Administrator is too risky to leave enabled and use like a regular account, it bypasses all the UAC controls so malware could sneak in unnoticed.

Perhaps an easier 'emergency way in' (and the one I have in place) is to create another local account, make it an administrator and just use it for maintenance tasks like resetting passwords.