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Re: Bug Report: Purging Old and Invalid User Names With Spaces
- From: Robert Peaslee <peasleer at gmail dot com>
- To: cygwin at cygwin dot com
- Date: Fri, 16 Mar 2007 16:52:40 -0400
- Subject: Re: Bug Report: Purging Old and Invalid User Names With Spaces
- References: <45FAFBD7.4000802@gmail.com>
Keith Mitchell wrote:
Problem: Virgin Installs of CygWin on Windows XP work fine but a total
purge (deletion of all CygWin files and directories) and a fresh
reinstall with different set of usernames do not work properly, i.e.,
usernames that have been CHANGED using the XP user manager to new
usernames. This problem occurred as a result of my changing all my
usernames with spaces to usernames without spaces to make them Linux
compatible.
I wanted to thank all for the responses. After many reinstallations of
CygWin, I finally identified the problem and got things working. This
is just a bug report documenting my discoveries and what I believe is
going on.
1. A virgin install of CygWin makes a list of all user names on the
system. This list is reflected in /etc/passwd after any reinstall. I
am guessing this list is stored in the Windows XP registry as this
list does not exist on the drive where CygWin is installed, in my
case, the D drive. This list is NEVER updated on subsequent CygWin
installs. This is the REAL problem: no updates on subsequent installs.
2. Subsequent installations of CygWin utilize the aforementioned out
of date username list, even though those usernames have been changed
and are no longer valid
3. My problems occurred as a result of a conflict between the list of
original usernames that are no longer valid created by the first
virgin install of CygWin and usernames that currently valid after user
manager changes. This registry entry (or whatever the source of the
invalid usernames) entry needs either to either be purged before or
updated as a result of subsequent CygWin installs.
Again thanks to all.
Keith Mitchell
Actually, this information is incorrect.
Windows XP stores the first username you choose and will associate your
current username to it regardless of what you change it to. Cygwin
stores nothing, it is asking Windows what your username is and getting a
response of what Windows tells it. I can't verify this right now, but I
do believe that if you navigate to C:\Documents and Settings\ you should
find that your old usernames still exist in place of your new usernames.
That should be verification that it is Windows that is acting strangely,
and is not a Cygwin problem.
You can get around this by either reinstalling XP and setting up new
usernames that are correct from the start, creating new users completely
(not changing the names of existing users) and migrate your personal
information to the new user profiles, or finally, just get used to
typing quotes around your usernames or escaping the spaces when using
Cygwin.
--Robert Peaslee
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