PC boots to 2 slightly different looking desktops.

My PC randomly boots to 2 different desktops - see attached . Also attached users>trevo

I would dearly like to change trevo to Trevor in C>users>but followed instructions from here and probably didn't do it right as my PC booted up to a blank desktop. Fortunately a system restore got me my files back.

In user accounts there is only Trevor and admin.

I've seen similar and what happened on those was they ended up with 2 Users. By default Win11, and Win10, use the first 5 characters of the Microsoft Account name, my last one uses the 5 letters of the E-Mail for the account [most of my computers are Local Accounts]. Looking in C:\Users should show folder with those names or in Search type control and open the Control Panel then Users, can manage there. Might check the Tutorials for one about changing the name. Any second and additional Users need a slightly different name, by at least one character, as files may end up in only one place, could be hard to separate.

I need to try this, but pretty sure I know what is happening:

Take a look at this setting - Settings > Accounts > Sign-in options > Use my sign-in info to automatically finish setting up after an update

If that setting is enabled, it logs you account on then immediately locks it. As a result, the screen looks just like it does AFTER you logon but you lock the system rather than the initial logon screen.

I'll spare you the details, unless you are interested in knowing more, but that option can allow you to do some really cool things

Follow-up: If you ever had to do a shutdown or a restart from the logon screen, and you got a message saying something like "users who are logged on will lose unsaved data" and you wondered why you would get this message when you have not logged on yet, this setting is the reading why. It is because YOU ARE actually logged on already.

Once you change your user account name, you have to symlink the old to the new as well.

hsehestedt said:

Follow-up: If you ever had to do a shutdown or a restart from the logon screen, and you got a message saying something like "users who are logged on will lose unsaved data" and you wondered why you would get this message when you have not logged on yet, this setting is the reading why. It is because YOU ARE actually logged on already.

Click to expand...

Ah my wifes PC comes up with that message!!

dacrone said:

Once you change your user account name, you have to symlink the old to the new as well.

Click to expand...

You've lost me there.

hsehestedt said:

I need to try this, but pretty sure I know what is happening:

Take a look at this setting - Settings > Accounts > Sign-in options > Use my sign-in info to automatically finish setting up after an update

If that setting is enabled, it logs you account on then immediately locks it. As a result, the screen looks just like it does AFTER you logon but you lock the system rather than the initial logon screen.

I'll spare you the details, unless you are interested in knowing more, but that option can allow you to do some really cool things
View attachment 83523

Click to expand...

That is ON should it be off?

woldsweather said:

You've lost me there.

Click to expand...

Step 14

woldsweather said:

That is ON should it be off?

Click to expand...

Totally up to you. My preference is to leave it on. That is the default.

In fact, I have one machine where I consider it necessary because of something I am doing on that system.

Feel free to experiment.

So how do I stop it booting incorrectly and rename the user profile folder?

woldsweather said:

My PC randomly boots to 2 different desktops - see attached . Also attached users>trevo

I would dearly like to change trevo to Trevor in C>users>but followed instructions from here and probably didn't do it right as my PC booted up to a blank desktop. Fortunately a system restore got me my files back.

In user accounts there is only Trevor and admin.

Click to expand...

Is there a way to stop my PC booting to this (non existent ) user account?

rename it properly to include symlink via the tutorial i linked above.

if you have netplwiz set to not require password, enable password for users, reboot, then you can disable password required again and reboot.

dacrone said:

rename it properly to include symlink via the tutorial i linked above.

if you have netplwiz set to not require password, enable password for users, reboot, then you can disable password required again and reboot.

Click to expand...

Do you mean post #9? I don't see a tutorial there. What is symlink?