Administrator Is Unable to Delete Local Profile in Windows NT

ID: Q238166

The information in this article applies to:
  • Microsoft Windows NT Server version 4.0
  • Microsoft Windows NT Workstation version 4.0
  • Microsoft Windows NT Server version 4.0, Terminal Server Edition
IMPORTANT: This article contains information about editing the registry. Before you edit the registry, make sure you understand how to restore it if a problem occurs. For information about how to do this, view the "Restoring the Registry" Help topic in Regedit.exe or the "Restoring a Registry Key" Help topic in Regedt32.exe.

SYMPTOMS

When an administrator attempts to delete a local user profile in Windows NT 4.0, one of the following error messages may be displayed.

  • The following error message may be displayed when the administrator tries to delete the profile for a user account used to start a service:


    • Can not delete Ntuser.dat. There has been sharing violation.
    The source or destination file may be in use.
  • The following error message may be displayed when the administrator tries to delete the profile folder of a user who is currently logged on:


    • "Profile Folder" is a windows system folder and is required for Windows to run properly. It cannot be deleted.
  • The following error message may be displayed when the administrator tries to delete a profile in Windows NT Server, Terminal Server Edition, for a user who currently has a Terminal Server session:


    • Can not remove desktop folder. There has been a sharing violation. The source or destination file may be in use.


CAUSE

These error messages occur when the profile is in use. The user might still be logged on or the user's session might not have closed completely.


RESOLUTION

To resolve this issue, log that user account off, and/or stop any services that are configured to start with that user account.


MORE INFORMATION

WARNING: Using Registry Editor incorrectly can cause serious problems that may require you to reinstall your operating system. Microsoft cannot guarantee that problems resulting from the incorrect use of Registry Editor can be solved. Use Registry Editor at your own risk.

For information about how to edit the registry, view the "Changing Keys and Values" Help topic in Registry Editor (Regedit.exe) or the "Add and Delete Information in the Registry" and "Edit Registry Data" Help topics in Regedt32.exe. Note that you should back up the registry before you edit it. If you are running Windows NT, you should also update your Emergency Repair Disk (ERD).

For additional information about user profiles that appear to not be unloading properly on Terminal Server, please click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

Q234606 Terminal Server User Profiles Do Not Unload
You can determine which user profiles are loaded by looking at the Security Identifiers (SIDs) in the HKEY_USERS subtree in the registry.

To View the SIDs Loaded in the HKEY_USERS Subtree

  1. Start Registry Editor (Regedt32.exe).


  2. On the Window menu, click HKEY_USERS. A default folder and the SIDs of the user or users (in Terminal Server) logged on to the computer is displayed. The SIDs for user accounts used for services are also displayed.


To Determine Which SID Corresponds to a User Account

  1. Start Registry Editor (Regedt32.exe).


  2. On the Window menu, click HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE.


  3. Double-click each of the following keys to to open them:


    4. Software
    Microsoft
    Windows NT
    CurrentVersion
    ProfileList
    A list of all of the SIDs for users who have logged on to the computer once are displayed under the ProfileList key. The ProfileImagePath value is displayed in the right pane, which lists the user's profile folder name, which generally corresponds with the user account name.

Additional query words:

Keywords : kbenv
Version : winnt:4.0
Platform : winnt
Issue type : kbprb


Last Reviewed: September 10, 1999
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