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On a new PC with Windows 11, user folder name is the email address instead of the user name associated with the account. Now it's causing problems.

Anonymous
2022-07-27T04:16:04+00:00

Bought a new Dell XPS 17 9720 with Windows 11 Pro installed, and used Dell migrate to copy from the old Windows 10 Home pc. I used the same microsoft account for both pc's. It just finished, but then I see *2* user folders in C:\users - one folder with the user name associated with the account (as it was on the old pc), but the other folder used the email address as the folder name, instead. All files except those from onedrive are in the folder with the email address name. When I connect to onedrive it will only use the folder with the "correct" user name.

I haven't gone any farther until I decide how I want to proceed. I see from another post about renaming the incorrectly named user folder that it's not only a pain but can cause issues with applications. I could start all over again, but I need to know why this happened so it doesn't repeat. This is the first time I've used Dell Migrate so it's likely operator error, just don't know what.

Any help would be appreciated.

Windows for home | Windows 11 | Accounts, profiles, and login

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  1. Anonymous
    2022-07-27T20:37:34+00:00

    Thanks for the fast response. Unfortunately, Dell has no idea so I'm on my own. They could only run the troubleshooter and do a disc cleanup. He thought I was saying the different name of the c:\users[user name] corrupted the files on the computer. I'm just going to start from scratch since it's a new build and I haven't installed anything but office.

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  2. DaveM121 871.8K Reputation points Independent Advisor
    2022-07-27T06:28:40+00:00

    Hi mkda,

    I am Dave, I will help you with this.

    When you create a user profile in Windows 10 or11, the user folder is created with the first 5 characters of your name or Email address, this is automatic.

    Even if you change the user name in Windows, the name on that folder will not change, and Microsoft indicate you should not change the name on the user folder, because that is referenced in many places in the registry and changing the name can cause many unforeseen consequences later.

    The Dell Migrate software process seems to have created another user folder, where it should have imported the data into the new user folder on the new PC.

    Dell are more familiar with the workings of their migration software, and so the best option is to contact Dell support and ask them how yo import the data into the new user account folder on the new PC, and delete that second user profile folder that was created, because that will cause problems.

    3 people found this answer helpful.
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  3. DaveM121 871.8K Reputation points Independent Advisor
    2022-07-27T20:43:33+00:00

    Hi mkda,

    Dell Support really should know more about their own software, that is strange, I think you are correct, the best option is to start again hopefully that is successful for you

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