Windows 10 I can't change keys in parts of HKLM....

[steveA]

I'm setting up a new computer and when my user was created the User Folder used the first five letters of my email address (which is ugly). I modified the folder name and adjusted the HKEY_USERS value. However, some work apparently had been done prior and I corrected the names in all the other hives.

Here's an example:
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows Search\CrawlScopeManager\Windows\SystemIndex\DefaultRules\8]
"URL"="file:///C:\\[baa6d4ac-5417-46fd-8db2-763cb00479d3]\\Users\\UGLYNAME\\AppData\\"
Running as admin, I tried to edit to replace UGLYNAME by Steve, and got:

Any idea how I can repair this?

thanks,
steveA

 

[Neemobeer]

There shouldn't be any need to edit this rules. The reason you can't edit them is because users and even administrators don't have permissions to edit them by default. You'd have to take ownership and then grant access if you really wanted to change them.

 

[steveA]

There are also entries like this:
Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows Search\Gather\Windows\SystemIndex\Sites\LocalHost\Paths\7

I'm just not sure when/if they are used and what will happen if the path is invalid. Do I have to take ownership, change it, and give ownership back? gag!

/steveA

 

[Jimbo22]

'm just not sure when/if they are used and what will happen if the path is invalid.

You can crash the system to where you prevent it from running correctly or at all.

It's never ever a good idea to mess with the registry.

When you first setup the PC, you were given the opportunity to give a user name then add the MS account (usually a MS email address). Alternatively, you can go into settings and change the name given to the system. Go to settings, system, left hand side all the way down to about, and then click rename this PC.

 

[Neemobeer]

If it doesn't exist the CSM will just skip it, and as bassfisher pointed out messing with the registry can easily cause either very difficult to diagnose problems or outright cause your system to crash or not run properly. "If it ain't broke, don't fix it"

 

[steveA]

Installing the new PC asked for a Microsoft sign-in first... and I did that (perhaps I should have skipped it!)
Anyway, I went through the drudge work of changing owner, giving admin full access, change value, remove full from Admin, and changing owner back to SYSTEM. Things are okay now. It would have been helpful if looking at a higher data value, I could see if the current owner had selected the propagate ownership to subentries. That way I could have made the changes higher up and saved work on on individual subkeys.

 

[Neemobeer]

For Windows 10 Home Microsoft has made it more difficult to use a local account from the get go. To do so, simply disconnect the computer from all networks during setup and it will bark about no internet then proceed to allow you to setup a local account.

 

[steveA]

Thanks for you note... I was actually on WIn 10 Pro!

 

[Neemobeer]

Pro has the option of setting up a local account still it's just not that obvious.

 

[steveA]

Thanks for the heads up!