WTF?? 4 Folders, Default User, Default User.WINDOWS All Users, All Users.WINDOWS

[Harvey]

I just re-installed XP for a friend, and on drive C:, I find two expected folders, Default User and All Users. I also find two unexpected folders, Default User.WINDOWS and All Users.WINDOWS.

How did they get there? Which can I delete? Any registry edits or other actions required to make it work correctly?

TIA. 🙂

 

[ViRGE]

Someone feel free to correct me, but I think those folders are only created when you attempt to do a Repair Install or otherwise install over an existing installation. If you look at the entire User Profile list under the System control panel, it should be fairly simple to figure out which ones are the old ones and nuke them as needed.

 

[NoQuarter]

I just re-installed XP for a friend, and on drive C:, I find two expected folders, Default User and All Users. I also find two unexpected folders, Default User.WINDOWS and All Users.WINDOWS.

How did they get there? Which can I delete? Any registry edits or other actions required to make it work correctly?

TIA. 🙂

Yea ViRGE is right, when you install over the top of an old install it avoids deleting data by using different folder names. In Vista and Win7 the behavior is to rename the old folders to.. Users.old and Windows.old. In XP I believe instead of renaming the old folders the behavior was to name the new folders Default User.WINDOWS and All Users.WINDOWS.

So the ones with the messy names should be the current ones if I remember it right, you can check which is current by going Start->Run and type in %allusersprofile% and see what folder it takes you to.

 

[Harvey]

Thanks for the help. I'm going back, today, to give it another look. Back if I need more info.

 

[JackMDS]

Someone feel free to correct me, but I think those folders are only created when you attempt to do a Repair Install or otherwise install over an existing installation. If you look at the entire User Profile list under the System control panel, it should be fairly simple to figure out which ones are the old ones and nuke them as needed.

This, the .Windows probably can be deleted.

It they are locked and refuse to be deleted use this, http://ccollomb.free.fr/unlocker/#download

 

[Harvey]

This, the .Windows probably can be deleted.

It they are locked and refuse to be deleted use this, http://ccollomb.free.fr/unlocker/#download

Thanks again. Following up...

I suspect deleting the .Windows cannot be deleted without further work.

I will searched the registry to see if it specifies the folder names with or without the .WINDOWS extension. I found those entries WITH the .WINDOWS extension, but not without.

If I were to continue, I would try editing the name of the folders to delete the .WINDOWS extension and editing those registry entries to so they referred to the renamed folders... AFTER Ghosting the working drive, just in case. :hmm:

I decided not to go any further on my friend's machine because the extra folders are relatively small and unused, and I don't want to be responsible for having to do any repairs if I screw up his registry. I would probably try to clean it up on my own machine when I was fully backed up didn't have to worry about wasting the time or dealing with someone else's anxiety.