SOMETHING WENT WRONG. When adding other user account.

Question

After PC problems I recently removed my wife`s account as a family member. I am now trying to re-instate it in other users but cant do so as I just get a notice stating "<Mod remove PII> @live.co.uk has already been added to this PC". I have looked around and the only evidence of her old account is in C:/users/amand. I have tried to delete this folder thinking it may be the problem but I am denied access. How do I sort this please?

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Moved from: Microsoft Security | Microsoft Authenticator

Answer 1

Hello Tim,

Thank you for reaching out about the issue you’re experiencing when trying to add your wife’s account back to the PC I understand how frustrating it can be to encounter this message after already removing the account and trying to set things up again. This usually happens because some remnants of the previous account configuration are still stored on the system which prevents adding the same account again.

One way to resolve this is by clearing any cached credentials and ensuring the old profile is fully removed. Start by opening Control Panel and navigating to Credential Manager. Under Windows Credentials look for any entries related to your wife’s account and remove them. Next check Settings select Accounts select Family & other users to confirm her account is not listed there if it is, remove it from this section. Since you mentioned the folder under C:/Users/amand is still present you’ll need to take ownership of it before deleting. Right-click the folder select Properties, go to the Security tab, click Advanced and change the owner to your current account. Once ownership is updated you should be able to delete the folder. After completing these steps restart your PC and then try adding her account again through Settings select Accounts select Family & other users select Add someone else to this PC.

Could you let me know if you’ve already tried clearing credentials or taking ownership of the folder?

I hope this answer is helpful if you have further questions feel free to reply back

Regards,

Marcelo

Answer 2

To resolve the issue of adding your wife's account back to the PC, you can follow these steps:

1. Remove Cached Credentials: Sometimes, the account may still be cached in the system. Go to Control Panel > Credential Manager and check under Windows Credentials. Look for any entries related to your wife's account and remove them.
2. Check User Accounts: Open Settings > Accounts > Family & other users. Ensure that her account is not listed there. If it is, try removing it from this section.
3. Delete User Profile Folder: Since you mentioned that you cannot access the C:/users/amand folder, you may need to take ownership of the folder. Right-click the folder, select Properties, go to the Security tab, click on Advanced, and change the owner to your current user account. After taking ownership, you should be able to delete the folder.
4. Restart the Computer: After making these changes, restart your computer to ensure that all settings are refreshed.
5. Add the Account Again: Once the computer is back up, try adding your wife's account again through Settings > Accounts > Family & other users > Add someone else to this PC.

If you continue to experience issues, it may be necessary to check for any additional user account settings or conflicts that could be causing the problem.