What is a local account??? and what is it good for????

You don’t move any files anywhere, you leave your files on an external or extra drive and tell windows the user folders have moved. You certainly don’t copy the files back to the c drive. You tell windows that the user folders are to be elsewhere. I don’t know that I could of explained it any simpler. Also, I pointed you to a tutorial, it is so simple, unless of course you want to complicate it..
Read one of the tutorials, it’s basically the same for each user folder. try and get a handle on the concepts you have been given. God knows people have tried, but you come back with more questions and I don’t think members know where these questions are coming from, since they explained themselves very clearly.

I am advising you to practice this process for the simple reasons that A. You are concerned of losing your stuff. B. Because it makes life so much simpler and leaves C: as nothing but the operating system

jro11 said:

Minor detail. If I do a full backup of a basic Win11 clean install:
1) I'm backing up nothing.
2) I've already lost everything.
In other words, I've simply driven myself crazy.

So everyone admits
- this is not a situation in which an Image is worth anything?
- my current situation might be one in which a backup is questionable because there's no telling what the backup will relate to--the Microsoft profile or the local profile?
- The backup will take days and will probably not put anything back where it was before (because of the 2-profile situation)

Click to expand...

There is a way to keep it really simple.

1). Use one of the large external drives to “back up” (ie copy and paste) all your files - documents, pictures etc. Those are the files you need whatever you do to the computers. To do that, make identical folders named documents, pictures etc and copy the contents of the folder on the computer to the folder with the same name on the external drive.
2) Take screen shots of all the programmes installed under control panel and save those screenshots to the external hard drive as well.
3) Export your bookmarks and save that to the external drive too.
4) Make a note of any product keys for programmes you have installed, that aren’t already in an email eg.

5) Then do a clean install - wiping everything. Except you’re not losing anything as you have all your files saved on the external drive and programmes can be redownloaded.

Then you start with just Windows. At set up I would sign in with your Microsoft account. I don’t think it matters whether you have a local account or sign in with a Microsoft account but just do one - the easiest way is just sign in with your Microsoft account at set up. I do that and have never had any issues.

6). Uninstall one drive (in control panel - you can always add it again if needed but it keeps things simple - nothing is trying to sync or slowing up the computer.

7) Uninstall the free Microsoft office trials in control panel and in the menu.

8) Let Windows update do all the updates.

9) Do a system image (optional but it means you can do a “factory reset” at any time without having to do a clean install again).

9) Install the antivirus of your choice - if you want to - or just use inbuilt defender.

9) Reinstall/redownload any programmes you had before - but not Microsoft office 365. The list is on your external hard drive to refer to.

10) Do a system image (optional but gives you a “factory reset that includes all programs if needed so you don’t need to do a clean install again or download all your programmes again).

11) Copy all your personal files back from your external hard drive onto the computer into their respective folders. And copy the bookmarks file to desktop ready to reinstall bookmarks to your browser when you feel like it.

12). You’re up and running and can decide how you want to proceed with office.

Option 1). Download Libre Office. It’s free - you can have a full office suite free installed on each computer with no syncing or complications.

Option 2). Cancel office 365 (if you can) and buy a copy of office home to install to each computer separately (expensive option).

If you want to share files with family just use Google drive.

All should be fine and straightforward then. Do this on each computer.

Before you start all this though - if Office 365 is “attached” to your Microsoft account - disable it.

@jro11, when it comes to your user folders you can create new folders on another drive and use the move option in File Explorer to move your user folders to the new folders. The way I have my user folders setup is that my Downloads, My Music, and My Videos are saved to the folders I created on my D: drive. Pictures and Documents get saved to OneDrive and my Desktop is at the default location on drive C:.

jro11 said:

I no longer understand what Microsoft defaults are

Click to expand...

MS defaults = out-of-the-box-experience or do a factory reset

Hazel123 said:

There is a way to keep it really simple.

1). Use one of the large external drives to “back up” (ie copy and paste) all your files - documents, pictures etc. Those are the files you need whatever you do to the computers. To do that, make identical folders named documents, pictures etc and copy the contents of the folder on the computer to the folder with the same name on the external drive.
2) Take screen shots of all the programmes installed under control panel and save those screenshots to the external hard drive as well.
3) Export your bookmarks and save that to the external drive too.
4) Make a note of any product keys for programmes you have installed, that aren’t already in an email eg.

5) Then do a clean install - wiping everything. Except you’re not losing anything as you have all your files saved on the external drive and programmes can be redownloaded.

Then you start with just Windows. At set up I would sign in with your Microsoft account. I don’t think it matters whether you have a local account or sign in with a Microsoft account but just do one - the easiest way is just sign in with your Microsoft account at set up. I do that and have never had any issues.

6). Uninstall one drive (in control panel - you can always add it again if needed but it keeps things simple - nothing is trying to sync or slowing up the computer.

7) Uninstall the free Microsoft office trials in control panel and in the menu.

8) Let Windows update do all the updates.

9) Do a system image (optional but it means you can do a “factory reset” at any time without having to do a clean install again).

9) Install the antivirus of your choice - if you want to - or just use inbuilt defender.

9) Reinstall/redownload any programmes you had before - but not Microsoft office 365. The list is on your external hard drive to refer to.

10) Do a system image (optional but gives you a “factory reset that includes all programs if needed so you don’t need to do a clean install again or download all your programmes again).

11) Copy all your personal files back from your external hard drive onto the computer into their respective folders. And copy the bookmarks file to desktop ready to reinstall bookmarks to your browser when you feel like it.

12). You’re up and running and can decide how you want to proceed with office.

Option 1). Download Libre Office. It’s free - you can have a full office suite free installed on each computer with no syncing or complications.

Option 2). Cancel office 365 (if you can) and buy a copy of office home to install to each computer separately (expensive option).

If you want to share files with family just use Google drive.

All should be fine and straightforward then. Do this on each computer.

Before you start all this though - if Office 365 is “attached” to your Microsoft account - disable it.

Click to expand...

Edit

I’ve just clean installed the latest Windows 11 and signed in with my Microsoft account. (Only took about 10 minutes). After signing in with your Microsoft account there is now an option I had t seen before - it brings up the other computers linked in your Microsoft account and says do you want to transfer your files from one of these computers. To keep things simple and avoid more syncing issues - I’d suggest you don’t do that. If you scroll down it says “more options”. Click on that and select “set up as a new computer “.

Then you get a straight clean install. Also be careful with the next screens that come up where it asks is you want a free trial of Microsoft 365. There are two options to click underneath this. One is “Next” in blue. Don’t click that - click the other one that isn’t highlighted (I think it was something like skip this or not at this time). If you click next you’ve accepted a free trial of 365 and that could cause syncing issues again if you already have 365 on your Microsoft account.

They are only doing the same as Apple do with iPhones - seeking to make a new set up identical to an old one. But you want a clean install and manual choice after that.

pparks1 said:

Regarding image backups, those are point in time copies of your machine exactly the way it was. It's not intended to be a menu you can pick from when you restore it. You cannot say, give me the OS, these 3 apps, this one game and my data. That's not the way an image works. You go back to the way your computer was at a specific moment in time.

Click to expand...

Now I am totally confused. It seems my original conception of Images was correct.

Oblias said:

Is there a very basic, very simple answer to that question that I could understand???

Click to expand...

Yes, I used Backup Maker faithfully and although it would have been more responsible to do it more often, or do differentials or incrementals, when I started dealing with OneDrive the situation became so chaotic that all bets were off, and I stopped executing backups--and backups took H O U R S...

Haydon said:

Microsoft defaults aren't that bad, they work for the vast majority of users.

Click to expand...

I no longer understand what Microsoft defaults are since I never knew that I was installing anything other than what you describe as a "local user" OS install. I just assumed that when I accepted (the inevitable) MS365/OneDrive OS install what I was getting was the OS install I was used to, with the inclusion of a program suite called MSOffice365 and a virus called OneDrive.

Winuser said:

I make an image of the OS drive before I add anything.

Click to expand...

This is very smart. Unfortunately I got into the game of wiping a disk clean and installing a CleanOS too late to do this. (Actually I have done this with an old laptop, installing Win10 onto it--It keeps on complaining about needing me to enter a serial number...(I originally ordered nothing but WinPro Os's) but since the only thing this computer does is run the Internet v e r r y s l o w l y I haven't bothered with wasting a Macrium Image license on it.

Winuser said:

Are you having problems with syncing because all of the computers are on the same MS account? If so, It is possible to share your MS 365 Subscription with others and they can use their own MS account. You just need to choose the person or persons you want to share with, then send them the link. Then they can install MS 365 and use their own MS account when setting it up.

Click to expand...

My understanding is that all the computers are using their own MS account (I remember this because this computer was associated with Diane's [email protected] account in some way.)
That having been said, I think Syncing is irrelevant to the conversation (unless you mean syncing in the lower case way--i.e., I have no interest in what Microsoft/Google want everyone to do--have everything synced so that everyone gets every one of their emails in every location/computer and has every bookmark on every one of their browsers.
(I'm available to explain why, but I've done that and it seems irrelevant to this conversation.

TairikuOkami said:

MS no longer allows to create a local account for many reasons, but there are people, who want it despite of it. Is it possible to use a local account, yes, but it is not recommended. In that case you either use a local account or MSA, but not both or problems will arise.

Currently you have only 2 choices, switch back to MSA and get used to it or reinstall with local accounts only.

Click to expand...

So I'm totally screwed, everything I've done in Macrium is irrelevant and I should just accept losing all the data/programs I've spent years accumulating?

And I assume that if I buy, rather than build, a computer that the first thing I would have to do is wipe it clean and install from user...scratch??

cereberus said:

However, if you make an image backup after you have installed everything, that is where the big time saving occurs.

The point about image backups is they enable you to snapshot the pc at different points in time.

Click to expand...

Understood (You have a way of very forcefully (appropriate to your name) making your point Cerebus). and exactly what I assumed until I was convinced differently, repeatedly, on this forum.

So, right now,
1_) I don't understand why people told me to Image my computer! What good would it have done?? I could spend weeks trying to clean everything up and then (celebrate by) restore the index (what other reason does one have an Index, or Clone, for that matter except to restore it). I'm serious, is this all a big joke?
2) Now I'm being told that the other major move people were encouraging me to make, to establish a UserProfile (thus turning the computer into a dual boot)

pparks1 said:

At some point, when people started using multiple devices and the cloud was taking off, Microsoft like other companies allowed people to create a Microsoft account.

Click to expand...

By the way, content notwithstanding, this is one of the best and clearest explanations--I've read on this forum.

Well, at least now we have a backup of post 36.

pseymour said:

Well, at least now we have a backup of post 36.

Click to expand...

LOL, I think the poor guy is just trying to bump up the thread because he doesn't know what else to do, he is even confused about who says what, let alone having a grasp of the underpinning reasonings of the various responders

Hey @jro11 wake up, wake up to simplicity! 99.999% of users know next to nothing about Windows and yet, they play their video games, correspond by email, etc.

Run your all important DAW on plain jane Windows defaults first, stop tying yourself in knots before you can even do that!

Hazel123 said:

Before you start all this though - if Office 365 is “attached” to your Microsoft account - disable it.

Click to expand...

THANK YOU!!
Is Add/Remove all I need to do to dispatch MS365?

Hazel123 said:

2) Take screen shots of all the programmes installed under control panel and save those screenshots to the external hard drive as well.

Click to expand...

I'm assuming this just to retain the names of those programs. I've used a program called Executed Programs List ExecutedProgramsList - Shows programs previously executed on your system to give me a lot more info in a csv file (not product key)

Hazel123 said:

3) Export your bookmarks and save that to the external drive too.

Click to expand...

Bookmarks and
passwords that have been saved to the various browsers
Recover lost passwords stored in your Web browser

Hazel123 said:

4) Make a note of any product keys for programmes you have installed, that aren’t already in an email eg.

Click to expand...

How to Find Product Keys for Installed Programs on Windows? 3 Ways
Belarc Advisor

Hazel123 said:

6). Uninstall one drive (in control panel - you can always add it again if needed but it keeps things simple - nothing is trying to sync or slowing up the computer.

Click to expand...

is control panel/Programs and Features the same as Add/Remove Programs?

Hazel123 said:

7) Uninstall the free Microsoft office trials in control panel and in the menu.

Click to expand...

???

Hazel123 said:

9) Do a system image (optional but it means you can do a “factory reset” at any time without having to do a clean install again).

Click to expand...

after the factory reset
and again after programs have been reinstalled.

Thanks again Hazel

One thing Hazel...I realized that my original Win10 computer (now, with a Microsoft Account and a Local Account)
Unlike the other computers I'd like to save the programs that are loaded on it (early Adobe suite; etc.). Can I remove all the material on this computer and, instead of reformatting the drive, Index and (after reformatting) reinstall Win10Pro and restore the Index?

Re early adobe suites - if you don't have a disk - does this help?


Or if you downloaded them - the install files should still be in your windows "downloads" folder - as with other programs. All these will be backed up to the external drive and reinstalled after the clean install - so you can just reinstall the programs from the installer in the downloads files. Which is what I do with Cyberlink. If it's on a disc you'd need an external dvd drive (assuming no disc drive in the laptop) - sorry if that's stating the obvious

7) Uninstall the free Microsoft office trials in control panel and in the menu.

Click to expand...

I maybe worded that badly. At a clean install, "Office" appears in the list of apps/programs menu, and maybe separate icons for word, excel etc. These are the online app versions (I think - I'm not sure as I uninstall them straight away). Or they may just lead to a page that offers you a free trial. Just uninstall any office based apps that come with the initial install.

Hazel123 said:

6). Uninstall one drive (in control panel - you can always add it again if needed but it keeps things simple - nothing is trying to sync or slowing up the computer.

Click to expand...

is control panel/Programs and Features the same as Add/Remove Programs?

Click to expand...

Check both! If you wait a few minutes after the clean install, go to control panel - (categories) - Programs - Uninstall a program - it opens up to show everything installed - which is not very much after a clean install. It should show one drive in there. Just uninstall it in control panel. Later - check the list of apps in - settings - apps. To make sure it's gone. If it appears there you can right click on it to uninstall it there.

If you then later install any version of office at all, one drive reappears - and needs uninstalling again (in control panel but check settings - apps again afterwards).

THANK YOU!!

Is Add/Remove all I need to do to dispatch MS365?

Click to expand...

You'd need to log into your microsoft account and click on "Services and Subscriptions" on the top bar. It should list all office products that are linked to that account. For example mine has listed "Office Professional Plus 2021" (which currently isn't installed on a laptop) and on the right is the option to "install". If I don't install it just sits there being "owned" but not used. I'm really not sure how Office 365 appears in your microsoft account and if it shows as being available to "install" or not. I can't see any option to remove. But am guessing it gives you the option whether to install/download or not once you've set up a computer from scratch. It's why I suggested removing any preinstalled office apps in case clicking on those, while you're signed in with a microsoft account, triggered them to connect/install.

Edit - I think you have to login in here to "deactivate" office 365



Another option - which might be easier overall. Is to completely delete your microsoft account and set up a new one with a different email address and no products attached.

Product keys - most recently bought software, the key is sent via email so should be in email. Older ones the key maybe within the program or on a disc box etc. Or as you say you can find the product key using software. What older programs do you have that you're concerned about reinstalling? What make and model of computer is it? I've just clean installed Windows 11 on an HP laptop and Windows installed all the drivers - no additional drivers or software needed - except the ones you choose to add.

With the adobe suite - as well as the actual software download, do you mean you have "saves" within the software? If so you'd also need to back up (ie copy and paste) the program file in Windows C. Then add that back in the new install. There maybe something online about doing that for that particular software. Similar to how people back up game saves or iphone back ups. But if the "Saves" are just in adobe files in documents then they'll just reconnect to the software when you copy back all your files.

I did a search which makes me believe @jro11 has been playing games with this forum

I'm out of his threads

Haydon said:

I did a search which makes me believe @jro11 has been playing games with this forum

Click to expand...

I'm not so sure, there may be more to it than that!
He needs to get on Teams with ONE person that knows what they're doing, and get it done, and then stop muddying these waters!

Haydon said:

MS defaults = out-of-the-box-experience or do a factory reset

View attachment 84762

Click to expand...

Good point. No need to do a clean install if you just reset within windows, which does it for you.

antspants said:

You don’t move any files anywhere, you leave your files on an external or extra drive and tell windows the user folders have moved. You certainly don’t copy the files back to the c drive. You tell windows that the user folders are to be elsewhere. I don’t know that I could of explained it any simpler. Also, I pointed you to a tutorial, it is so simple, unless of course you want to complicate it..
Read one of the tutorials, it’s basically the same for each user folder. try and get a handle on the concepts you have been given. God knows people have tried, but you come back with more questions and I don’t think members know where these questions are coming from, since they explained themselves very clearly.

Move or Restore Default Location of Pictures Folder in Windows 11

This tutorial will show you how to move or restore the default location of the Pictures folder for your account in Windows 10 and Windows 11. The Pictures folder (shell:My Pictures) is a component of the user profile that is used as a unified location for storing personal data. By default, the...

www.elevenforum.com

Click to expand...

You recommend that I keep all data files off my C-Drive and onto an external drive. That makes complete sense and, as I said earlier in this thread, that was what I did before my experiences with OneDrive (which as you know I've removed from all the machines).

So I again tried the tutorial you sent

move-or-restore-default-location-of-pictures-folder-in-windows

Click to expand...

and it works quite well!! Very impressive...except it doesn't "move" the data at all. It copies the files/folders (from the C-drive) to the destination I designate (the external drive). BUT it retains a link between the two folders. And that link ensures that if a file or folder is removed or added to either the C or the External drive that that file will be removed/added to the other respective drive. In other words, its acting somewhat like OneDrive and is NOT ensuring that files that were supposedly "moved" from the C-drive are being kept off the C-drive.

jro11 said:

You recommend that I keep all data files off my C-Drive and onto an external drive. That makes complete sense and, as I said earlier in this thread, that was what I did before my experiences with OneDrive (which as you know I've removed from all the machines).

So I again tried the tutorial you sent

and it works quite well!! Very impressive...except it doesn't "move" the data at all. It copies the files/folders (from the C-drive) to the destination I designate (the external drive). BUT it retains a link between the two folders. And that link ensures that if a file or folder is removed or added to either the C or the External drive that that file will be removed/added to the other respective drive. In other words, its acting somewhat like OneDrive and is NOT ensuring that files that were supposedly "moved" from the C-drive are being kept off the C-drive.

Click to expand...

Then you’re doing it wrong.
At the end of instructing Windows where the new folder destination is to be, you are asked if you want to move the files.

At the end of the process and assuming for example you moved the user folder “Documents” to the D drive, go to D/Documents and check they are there.
Then physically go to c:\users\username\ which is where all the folders with userstuff were stored (before you moved them in the tutorials) like Documents, Videos, Music, Downloads etc before you told Windows to relocate it, and dare I instruct you to delete any files in any of those folders, because you allegedly followed the tutorial correctly and “Moved Them”

But I don’t know if you followed the tutorial properly. I’d remotely jump on your PC and fix this stuff, but I don’t believe you could afford my asking price for the what seems like would take 2 days to sort through the multitude of issues you claim to have. If the issues were basic and not as mind as bogglingly, royally complex as you are making them out to be, I’d do it for free. By the way, my asking price is normally to be paid in Diamonds (Or maidens)

Jro, in that tutorial, Option One, Step 8, is an image. You were asked if you want to move the files. Did you say yes?

Not to confuse the issue, I physically copy them over before relocating the folder. At least with “Copy” if something goes wrong, I know that they are still on C. But after the relocation process and knowing I successfully copied the files to the new folder on D, I delete the files in C:/USERS/USERNAME/ “Documents” or whatever user folder you’ve moved)

If you are clicking on the Doncuments folder in file explorer and still seing files, that’s because you are now viewing the Documents folder that is on the D drive, as you instructed windows. You can confirm this by right clicking on the Documents folder in file explorer and selecting properties to see its location.

After this, and after a reinstall of Windows, you need to immediately tell windows that the new “Documents” (or watever) folder is on D. In other words, do the tutorial again.

That’s all I have for you. The tutorial should of instructed you a lot easier than I can.

My documents, pictures, music etc have been on their own individual drives for probably 20 years. I don’t believe I have ever saved a file to the C Drive in all that time, because the first thing I do before anything else at all when reinstalling Windows, is instruct Windows to relocate all the user folders via those tutorials.