I am a beginner with windows 10.
When I log in I now get 'incorrect user name and password' and I see I have now got two User Accounts in my own name. How do I get rid of the wrong one? (I'm sure this has been asked many times but I couldn't find it in FAQs). Since it appeared my Pc is very slow to come to life - I have time to make a cup of tea before the desktop appears.
Hello Barb, and welcome to windowssh blog.
This usually happens if you have Windows set to sign in to your account automatically at startup using netplwiz, and then changed your password, user name, or computer name afterwards.
Setting up netplwiz to update it will usually sort this for you.
Sign in User Account Automatically at Windows 10 Startup
I'm out of my depth here.
I am 77 and until this update, have been weaned on XL so this has been a HUGE learning curve. This laptop I have now (a Toshiba Satellite C850D) isn't a touch screen, but I got on OK with windows 8.1 on it.
It updated itself (I may have pressed something) to Windows 10 and I've had nothing but trouble since, so I took it back to the shop to check if I could reinstall windows 8, or if it had a virus or something. A young wizkid was appalled by my lack of security and sold me Kaspersky, then he changed the loh on details and showed me what I had to do at the new login screen.
I have to enter Ctrl/Alt/Del at startup, then he put in my details for logging in - they were
1, my user name (my christian name) and microsoft email address and password
2, my second user name (my full name) and yahoo email address and password
3, my Admin and password
That was all quite simple.
Then with the last update from windows, the 'incorrect user name ... etc came up each time I logged on, and in inspecting the screen I saw another (4th) log on name which was a corruption of my microsoft name and 000.
Its that log on name and password I need to delete - without deleting the first three options.
I'm a bit long in the tooth to start messing with registrys and such, the warnings that come up with netplwiz scare me rigid. I quite like having the option of two email addys to use for logging on. I would just like to delete (or hide) the fourth option without a major upheaval if possible.
I was advised to change the rogue account to my usual one ..... so now they both look the same but the rogue one doesn't log on - its impossible to recognise which one is right.
I don't want to lose the option of a backup logon email address, or my ability to logon as admin.
If you like, you could try doing a quick system restore using a restore point dated before this happened to undo and hopefully fix it.
System Restore Windows 10
Thank you - I'd already tried that, but windows 10 had no restore dates, and after a couple more hours of trawling the net I discovered it was disabled. Makes you wonder about the mind-set of the people working for Microsoft - do they think everyone is au fait with the working of computers?If you like, you could try doing a quick system restore using a restore point dated before this happened to undo and hopefully fix it.
System Restore Windows 10
System restore used to be so easy to find, restore points were created regularly - and it worked fine.
Anyway, I learned how to create some restore points of my own, and after 3 'goes' I left the machine restoring itself and went to bed. This morning it seems to be working fine, and the ghost account user did not appear in the logon screen.
Thank you for your suggestion. It might be well worth pointing out to idiots like me that some versions of windows 10 don't have automatic restore points, and also have to be enabled.
I'm glad to hear that it seems to be sorted for now.
Oh dear - its back again today. (my screen in 'accounts' setting doesn't look at all like those shown in any of the suggested fixes, so maybe I'm doing something wrong like not clicking a hard to see 'Apply' or something).
I tried a long convoluted 'fix' from Cortana some days ago ..... but it came back again and again.
I guess I can live with it, its annoying more than anything.
Not impressed with windows 10 yet though!
As a test, check the Users must enter a user name and password to use this computerbox and click on OK in netplwiz in OPTION ONE below to see it that stops it.
Sign in User Account Automatically at Windows 10 Startup
no worries - I'll live with it. Every time I try something I seem to make things worse, so I'm stopping while I can still get into the darn thing. I'll take the pc back to the shop and get them to fix it if I can't manage - after all it is just a matter of going back and choosing the correct user account instead of the rogue one.
Now I find the typing jumps around the text and th appearanc of the text onscreen is slow so that leters are missed altogether and I have to keep gong back and repairing things.
I've just made things worse.
You might go ahead and do a full scan of your system with an AV program (ex: Windows Defender) to help make sure it's clean.
