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How do you make an additional account in Windows 7 with identical settings?

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c627627

c(n*199780) Senior Member
Joined
Feb 18, 2002
Lots of search hits for Windows 8 but this question is for Windows 7.
To make an additional (not replacement) account, how do you transfer all custom settings of everything into another additional account on Windows 7 (not Windows 8)?
 
Use DefProf

Setup a profile the way you want it to be, use DefProf to set the default profile to be mirrored from that profile.
 
That's the correct page, yes.

And yes, copy it to C, open command prompt as admin (right click run as admin) and run 'DefProf ExistingUserName' and it will setup the default profile as you desired.

And no don't pre-create accounts prior to running defprof. The default profile is utilized/copied from at account creation, not afterwards. If the account already exists you will have to delete it first prior to creation of the account.


I also recommend copying the non-active profile, so if you are currently working on and planning to use ProfileA as your default, I would reboot, login as ProfileB (or create one prior to DefProfing) and then do it.

I highly recommend running ccleaner and other profile cleanup utilities prior, it can greatly decrease the startup/login time of new profiles. (This is one of my tasks that I do often at work).
 
OK. Let's say there is one profile only on Windows 7 named ProfileA.
There is no other profile on Windows 7.

Now create ProfileB identical in settings and installed programs and everything... while keeping ProfileA without deleting it.
Can you copy paste steps for clarity.
 
Here's what I would do:

If you already have a profile that is fully setup the way you want it (ProfileA) create a second profile (B) login and run defprof from that B profile pointing defprof to ProfileA. This way any temp files/etc don't get hung up or copied over to the default from a currently logged in profile.

If you do not ready have a profile set exactly as you want it, create B, set it up, and run Defprof from A pointing it at B to set it as default.

If you no longer want profileB after the defprof just delete it from ProfileA. After the default profile is set.
 
Thank you for the extra information which is useful.
The objective is to not to spend time setting up new ProfileB.

Would please post exactly what you would do if Defprof.exe resides on C:\ drive and the computer is off
There is one profile and one profile only on Windows 7.

Now create ProfileB to be identical to ProfileA so that there are two profiles on the computer.


Let me start:
1. Turn computer on, it boots into the only existing ProfileA on Windows 7.
2. ...
 
1. install defprof
2. create standard userB while using userA like you normally would
3. logoff off of userA restart pc, and log in to userB
4. open command prompt as admin and run 'DefProf userA'
5. log off userB restart pc, log in to userA
6. delete userB
7. create userB, it will be created with the settings that userA has, as default

I think ccleaner was only applicable if you were setting up a new profile from scratch, to get rid of any lingering settings. But you already have an account you want all the settings from.

I think that is what I read here but Not 100% :thup:

Word key:
1. User - same as account
2. account - same as user
3. profile - in this sense it is the settings profile used to create a new account

If those instructions are wrong I apologise, I just put everything together from what is already here as I understood it :D .
 
Last edited:
All right. So then we have:


0. Place Defprof.exe in C: drive

1. Create User2
2. Logoff > Login as User2

3. [Open DOS Command Prompt as Administrator] and go to C: drive. Type:
DefProf User1

4. Reboot, Login as User1
5. Delete User2
6. Create User2, which will now be created with identical settings as User1
 
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