FLORIDA —
QUESTION: I recently changed the name of my computer from Dell 3050 to Dell 3020. Before renaming the computer I set it to boot without password or pin. I can fix that if I can remove the second login issue (removing the Dell 3020 user name) using netplwiz but I can’t do that without signing in to an account. When I boot up, I am given the Dell 3020 login screen and it asks for the password, which I did not assign and have no idea of what it is. When I click on the button to login it then shows that I have two options: Dell 3050 and Dell 3020. I click on the original Dell 3050 and enter the pin and all is well. But I don’t want two login accounts. When signed in as Dell 3050 it shows that I have only one user account. How can I delete the second (Dell 3020) account so that I have only one account sign on?
– Fred W.
Shalimar, Florida
ANSWER: This is a rather unusual problem, Fred. I had to read your question multiple times before I finally realized you were talking about user accounts that were named the same as the model of your computer. Just my opinion, but that’s probably not the best idea, for a couple of reasons. First, it makes it very difficult to tell whether you’re dealing with an account name, or the PC itself when you see that name in system-level stuff, such as Registry keys, and even the User Accounts snap-in.
Second, the next time you get a new PC, you’re going to end up with the exact same problem of having an account name that doesn’t match the computer. Finally, Microsoft accounts are designed to be portable, and usable on multiple devices. In that context it makes little sense to name it after the model of your computer. It would make more sense to me to name your account something more personal to yourself like “FredW,” but that’s just me – you do you. But remember – I tried to warn you.
Anyway, I think I now understand what you’re trying to accomplish, and I believe I can provide you with some instructions that should help.
Before I get there, I want to mention that nothing that you mentioned in your description should have resulted in the creation of a new user account. Windows doesn’t really care what the name of the computer is vs. user account names. Now, having said that, it’s possible that your scheme of naming the account the same as the computer is having some side effects of which I’m unaware. Your case is the first time I’ve heard of someone naming their user account like that.
So, regardless of the origin of the account or accounts, to avoid seeing two of them, you must, of course, remove one of them. Since you changed the name of the computer from Del 3050 to Dell 3020, the logical choice for what you want to do is to remove the DEL 3050 account, right? But you need to use that account to sign-in, since you don’t know the password of the Dell 3020 account. So, go ahead and do that so you can get into the machine.
I can’t help but wonder whether you tried all the options in the User Account snap-in. For my other readers, that’s the “netplwiz” that Fred mentioned in his question. You can enter that into the Start menu’s Search box to run it if you want.
Fred, from inside the User Account applet, select the tab that says “Advanced.” Then click the “Manage Passwords” button. Finally, click “Windows Credentials”. If everything is working like it should, you’ll see both of the aforementioned user accounts here, under the heading “Windows Credentials”. You can change the password of the Dell 3020 account, so you know what it is, or you can go ahead and remove the account altogether so you can try again.
If you change the password, log out of the Dell 3050 account, then log in to the Dell 3020 account, and use the above procedures to get back into the User Account applet and remove the account you don’t want.
It occurs to me that you might need to run the User Account applet in full Administrator mode for it to be able to do system-level work like removing accounts and/or changing the password of accounts other than the one you’re logged in with. If you need assistance with that, feel free to hit me up again. The quickest and most direct way to get a response is to comment on this article on my website.
Jeff Werner, a software engineer based in Niceville, Florida, has been writing his popular “It’s Geek to Me” tech column since 2007. He shares his expertise to help readers solve everyday tech challenges. To view additional content, comment on articles, or submit a question, visit ItsGeekToMe.co (not .com!)
