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Re: Bug Report: Purging Old and Invalid User Names With Spaces


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 Subsequent installations of CygWin utilize the aforementioned out of date username list, even though those usernames have been changed and are no longer valid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 My problems occurred as a result of a conflict between the list of original usernames that are no longer valid created by the first virgin install of CygWin and usernames that currently valid after user manager changes.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
Hi Keith,

In the end, you didn't mention HOW you solved the problem...

BTW, I had one problem with WinXP a loooong time ago that could be related to that. I don't remember the details anymore, but the point is that after changing a username in WindowsXP, apparently the changes were made only "on the outside", meaning that I would "see" a different name but, internally, windows would still use the old one. Maybe what you are describing is really related to the way Windows handles the username changes, not Cygwin. (You can notice how much I "know" about that stuff, right :-) )

Gustavo.

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