Re: Bug Report: Purging Old and Invalid User Names With Spaces
* From: Robert Peaslee
* To: cygwin at cygwin dot com
* Date: Fri, 16 Mar 2007 17:19:18 -0400
* References:
<[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Thrall, Bryan wrote:
>Yes, WinXP stores your username twice ("Full name" and "User Name") and
>Cygwin uses the "hidden" one ("User Name"), but I'm pretty sure you
>don't have to reinstall XP to change it!
>IIRC, you can change the username from Control Panel->User
>Accounts->Advanced tab->Advanced button->Users->right click on the user
>and select "Rename". You might need to be Administrator to do this,
>though (and it only works for local users, so if you're on a domain, you
>need to contact the domain admin).
There's a slight problem here. I have XP, but I can't see an Advanced
tab in the User Accounts window. It lacks all advanced functionality,
so I use the Computer Management window as described below:
I no longer have XP installed, but found the same can be done in Vista by
opening the
computer management window (Right click on my computer -> manage ), expanding
the
"Local Users and Groups" tree, and clicking on "Users." Then the instructions
are the
same as Bryan's, right click on the user and hit 'rename' to set a new username.
This does change the real username, and the change will take effect in
Cygwin once the password file has been rebuilt using mkpasswd (or
updated by hand). (However, it should be noted that the user's
profile in Documents and Settings is not renamed).
--
Unsubscribe info: http://cygwin.com/ml/#unsubscribe-simple
Problem reports: http://cygwin.com/problems.html
Documentation: http://cygwin.com/docs.html
FAQ: http://cygwin.com/faq/
Re: Bug Report: Purging Old and Invalid User Names With Spaces
On Fri, Mar 16, 2007 at 10:49:36PM -, Thorsten Kampe wrote: >* Robert Peaslee (Fri, 16 Mar 2007 16:52:40 -0400) >> 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. > >Cygwin asks Windows at first install about the user names and creates >/etc/passwd. The problem is (or can be) that this list never gets updated >even if the user names change or new user are added. > >As Keith wrote: >"Subsequent installations of CygWin utilize the aforementioned out of >date username list, even though those usernames have been changed and >are no longer valid." > >The secret is to run > >mkpasswd -l -c > /etc/passwd >and >mkgroup -l -c > /etc/group > >Also you have to run this if you're in a domain (because Cygwin retrieves >only the local user names, not the domain names). Given that the OP admitted to wiping out his whole Cygwin installation, I think it's a safe bet that he wiped out and regenerated his /etc/passwd. cgf -- Unsubscribe info: http://cygwin.com/ml/#unsubscribe-simple Problem reports: http://cygwin.com/problems.html Documentation: http://cygwin.com/docs.html FAQ: http://cygwin.com/faq/
Re: Bug Report: Purging Old and Invalid User Names With Spaces
* Robert Peaslee (Fri, 16 Mar 2007 16:52:40 -0400) > 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. Cygwin asks Windows at first install about the user names and creates /etc/passwd. The problem is (or can be) that this list never gets updated even if the user names change or new user are added. As Keith wrote: "Subsequent installations of CygWin utilize the aforementioned out of date username list, even though those usernames have been changed and are no longer valid." The secret is to run mkpasswd -l -c > /etc/passwd and mkgroup -l -c > /etc/group Also you have to run this if you're in a domain (because Cygwin retrieves only the local user names, not the domain names). Thorsten -- Unsubscribe info: http://cygwin.com/ml/#unsubscribe-simple Problem reports: http://cygwin.com/problems.html Documentation: http://cygwin.com/docs.html FAQ: http://cygwin.com/faq/
Re: Bug Report: Purging Old and Invalid User Names With Spaces
Thrall, Bryan wrote:
Yes, WinXP stores your username twice ("Full name" and "User Name") and
Cygwin uses the "hidden" one ("User Name"), but I'm pretty sure you
don't have to reinstall XP to change it!
IIRC, you can change the username from Control Panel->User
Accounts->Advanced tab->Advanced button->Users->right click on the user
and select "Rename". You might need to be Administrator to do this,
though (and it only works for local users, so if you're on a domain, you
need to contact the domain admin).
Also, as someone already said, it is trivial to replace the
names-with-spaces in the /etc/passwd file with names that have no
spaces, as long as you don't mess with the SID.
That is good information to have. Thanks for your reply, Bryan.
I no longer have XP installed, but found the same can be done in Vista
by opening the computer management window (Right click on my computer ->
manage ), expanding the "Local Users and Groups" tree, and clicking on
"Users." Then the instructions are the same as Bryan's, right click on
the user and hit 'rename' to set a new username.
--Robert Peaslee
--
Unsubscribe info: http://cygwin.com/ml/#unsubscribe-simple
Problem reports: http://cygwin.com/problems.html
Documentation: http://cygwin.com/docs.html
FAQ: http://cygwin.com/faq/
RE: Bug Report: Purging Old and Invalid User Names With Spaces
Robert Peaslee wrote on Friday, March 16, 2007 3:53 PM:
> 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.
Yes, WinXP stores your username twice ("Full name" and "User Name") and
Cygwin uses the "hidden" one ("User Name"), but I'm pretty sure you
don't have to reinstall XP to change it!
IIRC, you can change the username from Control Panel->User
Accounts->Advanced tab->Advanced button->Users->right click on the user
and select "Rename". You might need to be Administrator to do this,
though (and it only works for local users, so if you're on a domain, you
need to contact the domain admin).
Also, as someone already said, it is trivial to replace the
names-with-spaces in the /etc/passwd file with names that have no
spaces, as long as you don't mess with the SID.
--
Bryan Thrall
FlightSafety International
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
--
Unsubscribe info: http://cygwin.com/ml/#unsubscribe-simple
Problem reports: http://cygwin.com/problems.html
Documentation: http://cygwin.com/docs.html
FAQ: http://cygwin.com/faq/
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 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 -- Unsubscribe info: http://cygwin.com/ml/#unsubscribe-simple Problem reports: http://cygwin.com/problems.html Documentation: http://cygwin.com/docs.html FAQ: http://cygwin.com/faq/
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 lng 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. -- Unsubscribe info: http://cygwin.com/ml/#unsubscribe-simple Problem reports: http://cygwin.com/problems.html Documentation: http://cygwin.com/docs.html FAQ: http://cygwin.com/faq/
Re: Bug Report: Purging Old and Invalid User Names With Spaces
On Fri, Mar 16, 2007 at 04:19:35PM -0400, 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. Just in case it isn't clear: *Cygwin* does not store a list of usernames in the registry. cgf -- Unsubscribe info: http://cygwin.com/ml/#unsubscribe-simple Problem reports: http://cygwin.com/problems.html Documentation: http://cygwin.com/docs.html FAQ: http://cygwin.com/faq/
Bug Report: Purging Old and Invalid User Names With Spaces
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 -- Unsubscribe info: http://cygwin.com/ml/#unsubscribe-simple Problem reports: http://cygwin.com/problems.html Documentation: http://cygwin.com/docs.html FAQ: http://cygwin.com/faq/
Re: Purging Old and Invalid User Names With Spaces
On Wed, 14 Mar 2007, Keith Mitchell wrote: > In am running Windows XP SP2. I was having trouble with applications > running under CygWin because I originally had spaces in my user names. I > changed all the user names on my system, eliminating all the spaces in > the user names. I then rebooted the computer just in case. Nothing > changed. I then deleted my whole CygWin installation and reinstalled > everything fresh from the web from scratch. Things were still broken in > the same way!! I checked /etc/passwd file. All the user names were > wrong. The user names were the same old user names I had in place before > I changed the names eliminating the spaces. I do not know where CygWin > found a list of those old and obsolete user names containing spaces, but > it did find them somewhere. (probably in the registry). And it used > them. > > My question. How can I purge those old and now invalid user names so > CygWin uses only the current, correct, and valid user names, user names > without spaces? Your /etc/passwd was generated when you installed Cygwin, and wasn't regenerated since, so did not pick up the changes in your usernames. If you have not edited it, you can simply regenerate it using "mkpasswd" (see "man mkpasswd" or the appropriate section of the Cygwin User's Guide for details). Alternatively, as Larry said, you can just edit that file and fix up the usernames, which are in the first column. Igor -- http://cs.nyu.edu/~pechtcha/ |\ _,,,---,,_[EMAIL PROTECTED] | [EMAIL PROTECTED] ZZZzz /,`.-'`'-. ;-;;,_Igor Peshansky, Ph.D. (name changed!) |,4- ) )-,_. ,\ ( `'-' old name: Igor Pechtchanski '---''(_/--' `-'\_) fL a.k.a JaguaR-R-R-r-r-r-.-.-. Meow! Freedom is just another word for "nothing left to lose"... -- Janis Joplin -- Unsubscribe info: http://cygwin.com/ml/#unsubscribe-simple Problem reports: http://cygwin.com/problems.html Documentation: http://cygwin.com/docs.html FAQ: http://cygwin.com/faq/
Re: Purging Old and Invalid User Names With Spaces
Keith Mitchell wrote: In am running Windows XP SP2. I was having trouble with applications running under CygWin because I originally had spaces in my user names. I changed all the user names on my system, eliminating all the spaces in the user names. I then rebooted the computer just in case. Nothing changed. I then deleted my whole CygWin installation and reinstalled everything fresh from the web from scratch. Things were still broken in the same way!! I checked /etc/passwd file. All the user names were wrong. The user names were the same old user names I had in place before I changed the names eliminating the spaces. I do not know where CygWin found a list of those old and obsolete user names containing spaces, but it did find them somewhere. (probably in the registry). And it used them. My question. How can I purge those old and now invalid user names so CygWin uses only the current, correct, and valid user names, user names without spaces? Cygwin gets its information from Windows. Make sure none of the user names (local or on any workgroup/domain) that you want to use has spaces under Windows. Alternatively, you can go and edit the /etc/passwd file to change the user names that you want to use. Don't change SID though. That's necessary to tie back into Windows. -- Larry Hall http://www.rfk.com RFK Partners, Inc. (508) 893-9779 - RFK Office 216 Dalton Rd. (508) 893-9889 - FAX Holliston, MA 01746 _ A: Yes. > Q: Are you sure? >> A: Because it reverses the logical flow of conversation. >>> Q: Why is top posting annoying in email? -- Unsubscribe info: http://cygwin.com/ml/#unsubscribe-simple Problem reports: http://cygwin.com/problems.html Documentation: http://cygwin.com/docs.html FAQ: http://cygwin.com/faq/
Purging Old and Invalid User Names With Spaces
In am running Windows XP SP2. I was having trouble with applications running under CygWin because I originally had spaces in my user names. I changed all the user names on my system, eliminating all the spaces in the user names. I then rebooted the computer just in case. Nothing changed. I then deleted my whole CygWin installation and reinstalled everything fresh from the web from scratch. Things were still broken in the same way!! I checked /etc/passwd file. All the user names were wrong. The user names were the same old user names I had in place before I changed the names eliminating the spaces. I do not know where CygWin found a list of those old and obsolete user names containing spaces, but it did find them somewhere. (probably in the registry). And it used them. My question. How can I purge those old and now invalid user names so CygWin uses only the current, correct, and valid user names, user names without spaces? Thanks. Keith Mitchell -- Unsubscribe info: http://cygwin.com/ml/#unsubscribe-simple Problem reports: http://cygwin.com/problems.html Documentation: http://cygwin.com/docs.html FAQ: http://cygwin.com/faq/
