How to rebuild my user profile


streetwolf

Well-known member
Local time
8:13 AM
Posts
52
OS
Windows 11
So here's the deal. I've been having some issues with Windows 10 previously and now on Windows 11 that's been going on for literally a few years. I've gotten to the point that I think a new user profile might fix my issues. My thought is that some User Registry entries might be the cause and a new profile will start with 'clean' Reg entries. But as you know a new profile will leave me with basically a bare bones system. All the 'stuff' I have in my current user profile will be gone. Probably the most important thing to be missing is the many programs I installed under my current profile. I do not want to reinstall them all over again.

Is there a way I can create a new profile along with it's new Reg entries and then copy my now 'old' profile over to it so I have a fully functional system but with new Registry entries? If this is possible I would probably need to rename my new profile the name of my 'old' profile as many things might be dependent on it?

Thanks.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Home Built
    CPU
    13th Gen Intel(R) Core(TM) i9-13900K
    Motherboard
    ASUS Maximus Hero Z790
    Memory
    Corsair 2x16GB @ 6400
    Graphics Card(s)
    PNY RTX3080 TI
    Sound Card
    Realtek on motherboard.
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Corsair 4k, BenQ 4k.
    Screen Resolution
    3840x2160
Have you tried repair upgrade? That way you will loose nothing and it might fix your profile.
Otherwise it is all or nothing. Even the new profile will not guarantee a working Windows.
Copying stuff from the old one can corrupt the new one. It is better to start from the scratch.
If you sync your Windows settings, it might help to transfer some of them to the new account.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11 Home
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen 5 3600 & No fTPM (07/19)
    Motherboard
    MSI B450 TOMAHAWK 7C02v1E & IFX TPM (07/19)
    Memory
    4x 8GB ADATA XPG GAMMIX D10 DDR4 3200MHz CL16
    Graphics Card(s)
    MSI Radeon RX 580 ARMOR 8G OC @48FPS (08/19)
    Sound Card
    Creative Sound Blaster Z (11/16)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    24" AOC G2460VQ6 (01/19)
    Screen Resolution
    1920×1080@75Hz & FreeSync (DisplayPort)
    Hard Drives
    ADATA XPG GAMMIX S11 Pro SSD 512GB (07/19)
    PSU
    Seasonic M12II-520 80 Plus Bronze (11/16)
    Case
    Lian Li PC-7NB & 3x Noctua NF-S12A FLX@700rpm (11/16)
    Cooling
    CPU Cooler Noctua NH-U12S@700rpm (07/19)
    Keyboard
    HP Wired Desktop 320K + Rabalux 76017 Parker (01/24)
    Mouse
    Logitech M330 Silent Plus (04/23)
    Internet Speed
    400/40 Mbps via RouterOS (05/21) & TCP Optimizer
    Browser
    Edge (No FB/Google) & Brave for YouTube & LibreWolf for FB
    Antivirus
    NoAV & Binisoft WFC & NextDNS
    Other Info
    Headphones: Sennheiser RS170 (09/10)
    Phone: Samsung Galaxy Xcover 7 (02/24)
I tried repair upgrade multiple times under Windows 10 and Windows 11. It didn't fix my problem. I was hoping going to Windows 11 would fix it but alas no. I used Windows Update to go to 11. I am guessing that going to Windows 11 through Windows Update kept my profile intact which means the problem was carried over. I do not want to do a clean install. There is too much work involved to get back to where I would want it.

BTW. My problem is that the text size in just about everything will randomly change between what I call small text and large text. It has nothing to do with fonts, DPI, etc. The exception are Windows apps. The font, dpi values always remain the same no matter what size the text is. The difference between sizes is not even 1 point, but I can see the difference.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Home Built
    CPU
    13th Gen Intel(R) Core(TM) i9-13900K
    Motherboard
    ASUS Maximus Hero Z790
    Memory
    Corsair 2x16GB @ 6400
    Graphics Card(s)
    PNY RTX3080 TI
    Sound Card
    Realtek on motherboard.
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Corsair 4k, BenQ 4k.
    Screen Resolution
    3840x2160
To make a new user account:
Go to settings-accounts-family & other users. Make a new user account. (Be sure to make it an administrative account, NOT a standard account)

NOTE: You cannot copy or move files directly from one user profile to another without running into permission problems. You can get all your personal files into the new account in 2 different ways.

Option 1 - COPY the personal files in your current user profile to another location (ie: usb drive), and then copy them again into your new user account.
Option 2 - copy the files from your current account to the Public user account. Then sign in to the new account your created and copy the files from the Public user to the new account. Then delete the files from the Public account profile.

It's a pain in the rear, but it is what it is. When you get the new user account like you want it, delete your old user account. If you currently use a Microsoft account, you can change the new user account to a Microsoft account after the old account is deleted.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro 23H2 22631.3296
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Optiplex 7080
    CPU
    i9-10900 10 core 20 threads
    Motherboard
    DELL 0J37VM
    Memory
    32 gb
    Graphics Card(s)
    none-Intel UHD Graphics 630
    Sound Card
    Integrated Realtek
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Benq 27
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1tb Solidigm m.2 +256gb ssd+512 gb usb m.2 sata
    PSU
    500w
    Case
    MT
    Cooling
    Dell Premium
    Keyboard
    Logitech wired
    Mouse
    Logitech wireless
    Internet Speed
    so slow I'm too embarrassed to tell
    Browser
    Firefox
    Antivirus
    Defender+MWB Premium
  • Operating System
    Windows 10 Pro 22H2 19045.3930
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Optiplex 9020
    CPU
    i7-4770
    Memory
    24 gb
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Benq 27
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    256 gb Toshiba BG4 M.2 NVE SSB and 1 tb hdd
    PSU
    500w
    Case
    MT
    Cooling
    Dell factory
    Mouse
    Logitech wireless
    Keyboard
    Logitech wired
    Internet Speed
    still not telling
    Browser
    Firefox
    Antivirus
    Defender+MWB Premium
For Windows 10 this tutorial was created for those with a corrupted user profile.

If you make a backup image and / or backup the registry you may be able to test drive for Windows 11.

 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 10
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    HP
    CPU
    Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-4800MQ CPU @ 2.70GHz
    Motherboard
    Product : 190A Version : KBC Version 94.56
    Memory
    16 GB Total: Manufacturer : Samsung MemoryType : DDR3 FormFactor : SODIMM Capacity : 8GB Speed : 1600
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVIDIA Quadro K3100M; Intel(R) HD Graphics 4600
    Sound Card
    IDT High Definition Audio CODEC; PNP Device ID HDAUDIO\FUNC_01&VEN_111D&DEV_76E0
    Hard Drives
    Model Hitachi HTS727575A9E364
    Antivirus
    Microsoft Defender
    Other Info
    Mobile Workstation
I'm working on a Win10 now for a client where a second user was established but with the exact same name as the original user. The new user doesn't show in Accounts nor does it show in C:\Users, appears to all be merged into the first, might lose too much if removing one so will haves to advise the client best to start over 'just in case'. Or in other words, any adding of a user should have a distinctly different name even if only by one character.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Win11 Pro RTM
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Vostro 3400
    CPU
    Intel Core i5 11th Gen. 2.40GHz
    Memory
    12GB
    Hard Drives
    256GB SSD NVMe
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro RTM x64
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Vostro 5890
    CPU
    Intel Core i5 10th Gen. 2.90GHz
    Memory
    16GB
    Graphics card(s)
    Onboard, no VGA, using a DisplayPort-to-VGA adapter
    Monitor(s) Displays
    24" Dell
    Hard Drives
    512GB SSD NVMe, 2TB WDC HDD
    Browser
    Firefox, Edge
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender/Microsoft Security
I'm working on a Win10 now for a client where a second user was established but with the exact same name as the original user. The new user doesn't show in Accounts nor does it show in C:\Users, appears to all be merged into the first, might lose too much if removing one so will haves to advise the client best to start over 'just in case'. Or in other words, any adding of a user should have a distinctly different name even if only by one character.
Could you create a new user with a different name? Then after making any changes need delete the old users account and then recreate it.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Canary Channel
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    PowerSpec B746
    CPU
    Intel Core i7-10700K
    Motherboard
    ASRock Z490 Phantom Gaming 4/ax
    Memory
    16GB (8GB PC4-19200 DDR4 SDRAM x2)
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 TI
    Sound Card
    Realtek Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Samsung SAM0A87 Samsung SAM0D32
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1080
    Hard Drives
    NVMe WDC WDS100T2B0C-00PXH0 1TB
    Samsung SSD 860 EVO 1TB
    PSU
    750 Watts (62.5A)
    Case
    PowerSpec/Lian Li ATX 205
    Keyboard
    Logitech K270
    Mouse
    Logitech M185
    Browser
    Microsoft Edge and Firefox
    Antivirus
    ESET Internet Security
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Canary Channel
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    PowerSpec G156
    CPU
    Intel Core i5-8400 CPU @ 2.80GHz
    Motherboard
    AsusTeK Prime B360M-S
    Memory
    16 MB DDR 4-2666
    Monitor(s) Displays
    23" Speptre HDMI 75Hz
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    Samsung 970 EVO 500GB NVMe
    Mouse
    Logitek M185
    Keyboard
    Logitek K270
    Browser
    Firefox, Edge and Edge Canary
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
I'm giving that serious consideration but due to his COVID haven't had a chance to meet up with the client.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Win11 Pro RTM
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Vostro 3400
    CPU
    Intel Core i5 11th Gen. 2.40GHz
    Memory
    12GB
    Hard Drives
    256GB SSD NVMe
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro RTM x64
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Vostro 5890
    CPU
    Intel Core i5 10th Gen. 2.90GHz
    Memory
    16GB
    Graphics card(s)
    Onboard, no VGA, using a DisplayPort-to-VGA adapter
    Monitor(s) Displays
    24" Dell
    Hard Drives
    512GB SSD NVMe, 2TB WDC HDD
    Browser
    Firefox, Edge
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender/Microsoft Security
So here's the deal. I've been having some issues with Windows 10 previously and now on Windows 11 that's been going on for literally a few years. I've gotten to the point that I think a new user profile might fix my issues. My thought is that some User Registry entries might be the cause and a new profile will start with 'clean' Reg entries. But as you know a new profile will leave me with basically a bare bones system. All the 'stuff' I have in my current user profile will be gone. Probably the most important thing to be missing is the many programs I installed under my current profile. I do not want to reinstall them all over again.

Is there a way I can create a new profile along with it's new Reg entries and then copy my now 'old' profile over to it so I have a fully functional system but with new Registry entries? If this is possible I would probably need to rename my new profile the name of my 'old' profile as many things might be dependent on it?

Thanks.
You do not lose your programs or need to reinstall them
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Self Built
    CPU
    Ryzen 5 3600
    Motherboard
    ASUS Prime X570-P
    Memory
    32gb DDR4 - 3200Mhz
    Graphics Card(s)
    EVGA 2060 Super KO 6GB PCIE 3.0
    Sound Card
    Realtek S1200A
    Monitor(s) Displays
    1. LG 34UM68-P 34-Inch 21:9 UltraWide IPS 2. ONN 24-Inch LCD
    Screen Resolution
    1. 2560 x 1080 2. 1920 x 1080 (side by side 4480 x 1080)
    Hard Drives
    Samsung 860 EVO 1TB SATA III SSD (OS)
    WD BLUE 2TB SATA III (DATA)
    WD BLUE 2TB SATA III (DATA)
    WD BLUE 1TB SATA III (DATA)
    PSU
    Thermaltake Toughpower PF1 750W
    Case
    Coolermaster HAF XB EVO
    Cooling
    Corsair 240mm AIO + 4x 120mm case fans
    Keyboard
    Standard Logitech
    Mouse
    Logitech M535
    Internet Speed
    Gigabit (Cable)
    Browser
    Firefox, Chrome, Edge
    Antivirus
    Defender
I've been having some issues with Windows 10 previously and now on Windows 11 that's been going on for literally a few years.
I would have gone for a fresh start long back. Having to live with a problem for such a long time is far more painful that spending a few hours setting up the system fresh.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    HP Envy dv7
    CPU
    Intel Core i7 3630QM
    Motherboard
    HP
    Memory
    16 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel HD Graphics 4000 & Nvidia GeForce GT 635M
    Sound Card
    IDT High Definition
    Screen Resolution
    1080p
    Hard Drives
    1 TB Crucial MX500 on bay 1.
    1 TB Seagate HDD on bay 2.
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender

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