Windows username has been changed. But it hasn't. But it has

Question

Windows 7 Pro 32 bits. I have changed the name of an account (that has admin rights) via control panel, and in the login screen it shows the new name. So far, so good.

However, when I start some software, it auto-fills the username field with the old account name, and errors when I fill it with the new name, saying the account does not exist.

Hm, weird. Upon further ispection, I find out that:

• The folder name in c:\users is still the name of the old account (but I suspect this is by design, to prevent malfunction of some poorly programmed software that might have it hardcoded somewhere)
• net user is still listing the old name
• When I clicking on a folder -> properties -> sharing -> advanced sharing -> checkbox "share folder" -> permissions -> add -> advanced -> objects -> checkbox "users" -> OK -> locate now (uh, what was I even doing?) lists the old account name.

Solution

You changed only account name, which basically works as kind of "display name".

This is not login (net user shows login, not "account name"). Login cannot be changed.

You can create new account, transfer all data to it and remove old one,

or change it like this: How do I change a user name in Windows 7?

Comments

[Kinnectus]

You can't change the username of "Administrator" easily. Using Group Policy CAN but your software sounds very odd that it can't work if it doesn't get what it wants...

[That Brazilian Guy]

@Bob Yes, it is. Although, as you said yourself in the chatroom, the most voted and accepted answer is terrible. I ended up going with the netplwiz one.

[tvdo]

@BigChris Ah, yes, a distinction should be made between renaming the builtin Administrator account (which should never be done - heck, there's basically never a good reason to use that account) and renaming an administrator account, i.e. a member of the Administrators group. The former has its own issues (again, should not be done), while the latter runs into the rename issues that apply to non-admin accounts too - namely, the User Accounts control panel won't change the actual user name, merely a display name.

[Kamil]

So... what is exactly your problem?

[Kamil]

Maybe you changed only Full Name? (which is basically... display name, not real login)

[Kamil]

But duplicate question answer says "create new account", so this is not a change, it is new account.

[Michael Frank]

@Kamil - The accepted answer says to make a new account, however another answer give steps on how to achieve this. Just because an answer is accepted does not automatically make it the only answer.

[Kamil]

Oh, now I see. Thanks guys and sorry for wrong answer. I edited it so it's not wrong anymore.