How to purify a corrupt User

KCav45 · 27 Mar 2021

On my PC Windows 10 is Fully Updated yet Voice Recorder works in one user account but not in another.
It must be one user is pure while the other is corrupt.

What if I:
1. created a temporary user
2. copied all of the data from the corrupt user into the temporary account
3. deleted the corrupt user account and recreated it
4. Copied all the data back
5. Delete the temporary user

Advice about how to proceed appreciated; some pitfalls are:

I cannot delete an account that is in use
I backup my system partition to OneDrive
Gmail, Contacts and Calendar are sync with my cellphone

dalchina · 27 Mar 2021

Hi, you can re-register a particular app for a given user:
Reinstall and Re-register Apps in Windows 10

May help.

If you wished to start with a new user profile, transferring elements from the old, there's no truly straightforward way to do that.

See discussing here from post #6 on and links posted:
How to Transfer User Profile to Another User

Callender · 27 Mar 2021

There's a free app that can repair a user account but like you say it would be better to have a backup copy of the data.

Account Profile Fixer

Personally I've used it several times but never without having a complete system image backup/ restore option in place.

It will also convert a Microsoft Account to a Local Account. There's options on what to keep so if unsure keep everything.

Note: I've only ever used it to convert from Microsoft to Local Account and once some time ago to repair a corrupt profile so I'm not exactly experet on usage. Bottom line: No backup? Don't use this.

zbook · 27 Mar 2021

See these links:

(option #2)
Fix User Profile Service Failed the Sign-in Error in Windows 10

Fix You've been signed in with a temporary profile in Windows 10
Enable or Disable Log On Users with Temporary Profiles in Windows
Fix User Profile Service Failed the Sign-in Error in Windows 10

What you described in the opening post has similarities to restoring a Windows.old:
How to Restore Files from Windows.old Folder in Windows 10

zbook · 28 Mar 2021

This is a Microsoft link to fix a corrupted user profile:
https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/...d-95896661c5c9

KCav45 · 29 Mar 2021

Thank you for replying to my post.

First let me say I prefer to use semi automation to complete automation for backing up . That way I feel less likely to discover something I thought would happen did not. happen. I use Macrium Reflect to make a compressed image file of section C my System partition and I store the file on a SSD attached through a USB cable. Before backing-up I run System Ninja to clear away obsolete files. Next I update Windows and after that I run Panda Cloud Cleaner. When that finishes I run DISM and Scannow. Once verified I start my backup. I generally set it to shut down the computer when finished. I have had absolutely no problem restoring image files. You guys put me onto using this approach and these tools, I appreciate the help you have given me. I feel comfortable with the way I am handling Backup and Restore. I would like to feel comfortable with my handling of User Accounts. .

I have decide on this notebook I would like to have an Administrative User named KCAV and a standard user named Fred. KCAV is me and I have a Microsoft account. Fred is a fictitious person. I tried to remove the Users already on the computer by going to Control Panel/Users and making the changes. Next I went to C:/Users and tried to make deletions using File Explorer. That did not work completely so I went to Registry Editor to cleanup what was still left. That made a bigger mess. Now I plan to make a system restore and then change the user accounts. Before making any changes read the directions you have provided and carefully plan what to do.

zbook · 29 Mar 2021

One additional layer for backup and recovery is manual/automatic regback.
Microsoft had removed automatic regback starting with 1803.

Enable Automatic Backup of System Registry when Restart in Windows 10

dalchina · 29 Mar 2021

Next I went to C:/Users and tried to make deletions using File Explorer. That did not work completely so I went to Registry Editor to cleanup what was still left.

Unfortunately both of these are inappropriate and dangerous... as you've discovered. Registry cleaning, as has been said in many threads here, gains nothing in speed and nothing worthwhile in space, and simply creates a risk and perhaps problems you will only discover quite a bit later.

If you were to read the tutorial on renaming a user profile folder, you would discover that is technically involved. You may then realise the danger of intervening directly there.

Disk imaging is great, but note two things.
a. You may only discover a problem quite a long time after its cause. Thus restoring the most recent disk image may not resolve it. Could have started weeks or months ago.
b. Restoring a disk/partition image means everything on that partition is restored to as was at the date it was created- including al personal data, and potentially settings and installed programs and updates.

Thus it is not a trivial act to restore an image. I forgot to back up one file related to my family tree when restoring an image recently- and lost several changes I had made that day.

I use Macrium Reflect to make a compressed image file of section C my System partition

Think: how would you then restore a functional O/S if your disk failed and you got a new disk? Ok, there is a way..but.. you should actually be imaging all partitions comprising your O/S - that's typically 4 for a UEFI installation.

And of course you're free to image any other partition or disk too.