User Profile Folder Creation: Problems

Question

OneDrive thoroughly messed up my machine, scattering files all over the place. I worked with Copilot for three days trying to straighten out the mess, and finally Copilot told me to create a new user profile. Evidently, the new user profile was created, and when I start the computer, it starts with the new user profile window and then opens up normally. However but now I can't create a new file on my desktop. The file folder creates, but then when I rename it, it says "file not found". I went back to Copilot, who spent another day running me around in circles trying to fix this without success. I've now spent almost a week dealing with these problems, and I don't know where to turn next.

Answer 1

Hi George Govatos,

Thank you for sharing what you've been through. It sounds like you've spent a considerable amount of time trying to recover from the issues that started after OneDrive reorganized your files and folders, and I can understand how frustrating that must be.

I also notice you're using Windows 10. While I'd like to focus first on the current Desktop issue, it's worth mentioning that Windows 10 which reached end of support on October 14, 2025. In some cases, file sync and profile-related issues can become more difficult to troubleshoot over time, so keeping that in mind may be helpful as you evaluate longer-term options for the PC.

Based on what you've described, the new user profile appears to have been created successfully, but the "File not found" message when renaming folders on the Desktop suggests there may still be a problem with the Desktop folder location or how it was affected by the earlier OneDrive changes.

To help narrow this down, could you please try the following?

• Open File Explorer, type %USERPROFILE%\Desktop in the address bar and press Enter. Then create a test folder and see if you're able to rename it.
• Try creating and renaming a folder in another location, such as Documents and let me know whether the issue only happens on the Desktop.
• In File Explorer, right-click the Desktop folder and select Properties. If you see a Location tab, please share the folder path shown there.

It would also be helpful to know whether OneDrive is currently signed in and syncing on this new profile.

These checks should help determine whether the issue is isolated to the Desktop folder or whether something else in the profile still needs attention. I look forward to your update.

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