jeff d.

Perhaps someone can help me.
I am the only user on my computer using Win 98. I am
networked to two other computers here at work.
Do I need to have a Profile as a multiple user? I
currently have it set up that way. If I go to Start, there
is a choice for Log Off Jeff...
If I don't need this, can you tell me how to safely get
rid of it without losing any do***ents, favorites etc?
Thanks

gary s. terhune

OK. First, and *most* important, is to save your own files to some other
location, because when we destroy multi-user setup, the Profiles folder, or at
least that part belonging to you, will probably just disappear--like it never
was. Don't want that!

I'll lead you through what I would do, step by step, but of course, there are
many other ways to do it. Figure Ill teach you a few tricks along the way.

1. Start=>Run=>(type)EXPLORER<enter>
2. In either the View menu or the Tools menu, go to Folder Options. In the View
tab, enable "Show All Files" and disable "Hide Extensions..."
3. Click on C:\ in the left hand pane. Now go to File menu=>New=>Folder. Name it
"OldProfiles".
4. Expand and/or open folders until you have C:\Windows\Profiles open--If warned
at some point that you shouldn't be in there, click whatever it takes to show
you the contents.
5. In the Edit menu, Select All. Then Edit=>Copy.
6. Now click on the new folder you made named "OldProfiles". Make sure it opens.
Then Edit=>Paste. If asked to confirm some file or another, say yes, though I
don't think you will be.
7. Close Explorer after looking through

OK, we've saved everything from possible disaster. Now it's time to get rid of
the multi-user system. But first, I have to warn you that all passwords you have
stored are likely to be lost. You may need to re-enter them afterwards, as
needed, in order for them to be saved again. Make sure you have then all handy.
I can't say which they might be, but think about it real hard before proceeding.

Now, Log Off Jeff, then click Cancel. This will put you into Default user mode.
You can't network from here--you can't do a lot of things, so don't try.

Start=>Find=>Files & Folders. Look for files named *.pwl (<asterisk><dot>PWL).
Highlight any you find, Edit=>Copy. Then open Explorer and Paste them into your
OldProfiles folder. If there is an overwrite prompt, don't do it. Make a new
folder in OldProfiles and put them there. I don't think there will be any
duplicates. If there is, make a note of where each is, restart as Jeff, (before
going any farther) and post back here with the info.

Assuming the foregoing went without a hitch, close Find, and Explorer, then

Start=Settings=>Control Panel.

Open the Users applet. Remove any existing profiles.

Open the Passwords applet, and in the User Profiles tab, check "All users on
this computer use the same settings"--something like that. I don't have it here
in front of me, so I can't give you the exact wording.

Close Control Panel and reboot. Now, I don't know how your network is set up,
but the safest thing to do is to again use Jeff as your username, and enter your
same Password. If you didn't have to enter a password before--didn't even see a
Log On prompt before--leave the password blank and click OK.

Once back in Windows, first thing you'll want to do is copy the old PWL file to
C:\Windows. This *should* restore remembered passwords, etc. It will be as if
you hadn't changed a thing. If that doesn't work, you'll want to delete that
copy and restart. You'll have to remember all those old passwords again.

After that, it's a case of copying all the files in OldProfiles to where they
belong now. For instance, the desktop My Do***ents folder will now be C:\My
Do***ents. Copy the files from the OldProfiles My Do***ents there. Don't Move
anything, just Copy and Paste. When you no longer need anything in OldProfiles,
maybe several weeks from now, then you can consider deleting them. Your
OldProfiles Favorites get copied to C:\Windows Favorites. Cookies, the same.
Don't restore History, or Recent, or anything like that. *DO* restore "Start
Menu".

I can't recall, off the top of my head, what else might be there, but you'll
just have to figure that out. There may be a couple of things that won't start
automatically when Windows starts (MSN Messenger, with your own profile, for
example) and you'll have to reconfigure those to your new situation.

Of course, if you have any questions, you should ask *before* deleting the old
profiles in Default User mode. One thing you can do before proceeding is to run
MSINFO32, look in the Software Environment, Startup items, and note down,
exactly, any lines that have the phrase (Per-User Run) in them.

And I'd wait a few days for any other hints that may be added to this thread
before proceeding.

--
Gary S. Terhune
MS MVP for Windows 9x
http://www.dts-l.org
http://www.mvps.org
http://www.aumha.org

jeff d.

·Are you logging on with a user name/password? yes
·Are you hitting cancel at the logon prompt window? no
·What OS's are used? Two are Windows 98 and one Windows
2000 on the three computers all hooked to a router and
networked thru Windows. No host, no server, no special
software. I have to logon with a password if I want to
access the Windows 2000 computer, I think.


hitting cancel at the logon prompt window? You do not need
a

would be only to connect to the network. Without knowing
your

accurately given. Could you please help others help you by
being more

if it is a domain server or not, how you log on and if it
is