Solved how to get user accounts on Windows 8.1

pawz7

Member
Member
Messages
27
I have just put windows 8.1 on a new drive for a couple. The old drive has failed. I got the husband on and he has user-folders tied to his account, but when I added an account for his wife via control panel, nothing is showing for her when I go to Users. Does that person have to put their e-mail address in, or something like that? I am a Windows 7 person and this new way of doing things is trial and error for me. I have another two computers to fix yet so am finding it testing to have to keep playing guessing games with Windows 8.1. Guidance from them as know would be appreciated....
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    windows 7
I believe it works the same as it did in Win 7, if you create an account for her, nothing will show up under Users until that account gets logged into the first time.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    W10 Pro (desktop), W10 (laptop), W10 Pro (tablet)
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Home built i7-8700K, Hp Envy x360 EVO Laptop, MS Surface Pro 7
    CPU
    3.7Ghz Core i7-8700K, 11th Gen Core i7-1165G7 4.7Ghz, 10th Gen Core™ i5-1035G4 1.1Ghz
    Motherboard
    ASUS TUF Z370-Pro Gaming, HP, MS
    Memory
    16G, 8G, 8G
    Graphics Card(s)
    AMD Radeon RX580, Intel Iris X Graphics, Intel Iris Plus Graphics G4
    Sound Card
    ATI High Definition Audio (Built-in to mobo)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Dual Samsung U32J59 32 inch monitors, 13.3" display, 12.3" display
    Screen Resolution
    3840x2160 (Desktop), 1920x1080 (laptop), 2736x1824 Pro 7
    Hard Drives
    500GB ssd boot drive with 2 & 10TB Data (Desktop), 512GB ssd (laptop), 128GB SSD (tablet)
    PSU
    Corsair CX 750M
    Case
    Antec 100
    Cooling
    Coolermaster CM 212+
    Keyboard
    IBM Model M - used continuously since 1986
    Mouse
    Microsoft IntelliMouse
    Internet Speed
    665Mbps/15Mbps down/up
    Browser
    FireFox, MS Edge
    Antivirus
    Defender on all
    Other Info
    Retired in 2015 after working in the tech industry for 41 years. First 10 years as a Technician, the rest as a programmer/software engineer. After 1 year of retirement, I was bored so went back to work as a Robotic Process Automation Consultant. Retired for 3rd (and final) time in 2019.
And just as a minor addition, there are now two types of accounts in Windows 8, not just "User" and "Administrator". You have the online accounts Microsoft is pushing pretty hard and need to use certain functions of the OS like the app store, but you also have the old traditional "local" account like all previous versions of Windows. It's a little hard to find, but it's there. One of the at least potential benefits of an online account is it functions somewhat like a domain roaming account, meaning your settings follow you to whatever computer you use. Make sure there is a third account created, with a password and admin access, purely so that if something should happen to one of the other accounts, you have a "spare". There's a bug that's existed in Windows since at least XP, but probably all the way back to NT 3.1, where account profiles just seemingly randomly corrupt. Either MS can't figure out what's causing it or it's too onerous to fix, so always keep a spare admin account at the ready.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    8.1
thanks both - I eventually realised that I needed to sign out of the first account, and then to tell it I wanted to see both Users ( so I could pass over the stuff I had rescued from one to the other).
I hear what you say asvent and have tucked that info away, but as this is not my computer, and the owners are very un-computery, I shall leave it as it is. I do now have the .iso should I have to do this again at some point in the future...
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    windows 7
If you're the one they're going to call to come fix it, I'd put one on there and just explain that it's a failsafe option and to pretend it doesn't exist otherwise, but that's me.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    8.1
well..maybe. TBH I just want them to come and get it and go away again.. but I do see the sense in what you are saying :)
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    windows 7
Back
Top