This is probably a trivial question, but I've never done this before and I want to make sure I don't mess things up.

I have a POP3 email account with my local provider. I currently access this account from a desktop computer running Win 7 Pro and from a Toshiba Notebook running Win 7 Starter.

I want to give the Notebook computer to my daughter, and before doing so I want to remove my email account from this computer only. So if I go into the Accounts dialog on the Notebook and remove the account, will the account still remain on my desktop computer?

And since I don't store any email messages on the Notebook, I assume once the account has been deleted from the Notebook, then messages that might still be on the server can't be accessed...is that correct?

Thanks in advance.....

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BB
http://barrypatch.net

Depends on just where the Accounts dialog you reference is. Is it in an email program, such as Outlook, or Windows Live Mail? Or is it on the web?

I understand that it is a POP3 account, so I could assume you are talking about removing it from the Accounts in the email program. However, you could still be talking about going to the web site and removing it from the Accounts dialog existing somewhere on the provider's website. Just want to make sure.

If you remove it from a local program, it removes it only from that machine. If you go to a website, it will remove the actual Account from your provider, and that would remove access to it from all locations.

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Patty MacDuffie
Computer Haven Administrator

Live Long and Prosper
Mr. Spock

Yes, Patty, I am talking about removing it from Accounts in Windows Live Mail, which is installed on both computers. I am not talking about going to my provider's website.

That being the case, it sounds like a Removal will only be from the Notebook computer. That's kinda what I thought, but I wanted to make sure.

Thanks for your response........

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BB
http://barrypatch.net

Removing the email account from Windows Live Mail is pretty simple via Account settings. It will have no effect on the email account on the server or your other PC.
http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/wind ... ccount-faq

However, if you are giving the PC to your daughter, you should be doing one of the following:
1. Reset the PC to factory condition and update it via Windows Update
or
2. Remove the Windows User account from the PC after adding a new Administrator account

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stephen boots
Microsoft MVP 2004 - 2020
"Life's always an adventure with computers!"

I love number 2 above. It's my preferred method of moving a pc to another family member or friend. Simple, elegant and easy!

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Patty MacDuffie
Computer Haven Administrator

Live Long and Prosper
Mr. Spock

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BB
http://barrypatch.net

Thanks for the response, Patty. And that's what I'm going to do as soon as the last update finishes, lol. Like I told Steve, I was a little delinquent in updating this Notebook (240 updates required), as it has sat silently in my briefcase for the last couple of years.

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BB
http://barrypatch.net

Number 2 is most certainly the simpler solution. And I like your twist. Add another twist. Besides the Administrator account change and removal of your account, create a standard user account for your daughter.

-steve

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stephen boots
Microsoft MVP 2004 - 2020
"Life's always an adventure with computers!"

Steve, since I am the only one in my household, I have never really messed around with user accounts except to open one for me with Administrator privileges and password protection (I have visiting grandkids, lol).

So I have encountered two problems:

(1) When I finally logged onto the computer using my daughter's account and password, I suddenly realized that all the legit programs I had left for her are not on her desktop. I'm talking about programs like Office, Microsoft Streets & Trips, Toshiba User's Guide, etc. And I don't want to have to reinstall software and configure her desktop and task bars. So what I have decided to do is delete her new account, and then change my old Administrator account to reflect her password and picture. It never dawned on me that these programs and configurations would not be available to her. Or am I missing something here?

(2) I guess I don't know what a standard user account is. Is that simply one without Administrator privileges?

Thanks........

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BB
http://barrypatch.net

Yes, a standard account is one without admin privileges. It is considered safer for normal usage. Of course there still MUST be an admin account but unless doing something special the normal log in would be to the Standard account.

Giving away a system is not a simple matter. Passing on a system with your user account intact is about like crossing a busy intersection in rush hour blindfolded... it is hit or miss. All the misses are nice but it only takes one hit...

Yes you could rename your account to reflect your daughter's name and such but I'd rather see a new account with yours removed. This should not prevent your daughter's access to installed software unless you installed specifically for only your account instead of for all users.

The reason that I'd prefer to see an new account and yours removed is your personal security. In absolutely no way do I mean any insult to your daughter with the following but do you absolutely know every possible person that might be given access to the system once your daughter has ownership? Do you ever have Windows 'Remember' password? Did you remember to clear all of these if you do? Do you ever use 'Remember me' on a site such as Computer Haven to automate log in? Did you remember to go through and delete all cookies and history including those that require enabling the viewing of hidden and protected files? You and your daughter seem pretty close so she is probably not a threat but what if she allows someone else to use the system... they may not be quite so cool.

1) Log in to your daughter's account and go to the Start Menu.

2) Go to 'All Programs' and test the desired software to be sure that it works. If they work all is fine. If not this could POSSIBLY be fixed but I'm not sure of the exact process, MAY have to do with permissions.

So let's assume that all the software that you want carried over is OK. You would now do one of the following:

1) In the Start Menu right click on each program that is wanted on the Desktop and hover over 'Send to' then select 'Desktop (create shortcut)'. This is the tedious but probably proper way to do this.

2) Open Windows Explorer (file manager) and go to your User folder. Now just copy your 'Desktop' folder to your daughter's account. This is the quick and dirty method. Probably not quite as proper as 1) but should work just fine.

If you use the 'Quick Launch' aspect of your Task Bar and it is not populated within your daughter's account I would not worry about it. After all she may want totally different thing in Quick Launch than you.

As a side but related question... Does everything show properly within your daughter's account as to the Notification area by the clock? Are all the proper icons there such as volume control and such?

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Jay, I do appreciate the way you give step-by-step instructions. I'll have to follow these steps in the morning, as it is past my bedtime and I've already shut down the Notebook. But two quick comments:
(1) Why had you rather that I open a new account in her name and close mine? Isn't the end result the same, or am I missing something?
(2) I had not even thought about going to 'All Programs' to get the software.........duh!

Thanks.......I'll post my results tomorrow.

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BB
http://barrypatch.net

Well, Jay......you sly devil. You must have edited your post to answer my question (1) while I was typing my two quick comments.

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BB
http://barrypatch.net

Yep, I was editing while you were posting.

Sometimes I get in a hurry and forget that the reason for advice can be as important as the advice itself. In this case the reason is important so I went back and edited.

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Are we getting carried away here? Is there something on the machine that somehow might compromise your financial security or privacy. If not, let's not worry about these things all that much. It is true that these things should be considered and mainly because if somebody else other than your daughter gets the machine they could find out things about you. But what's the danger here really? Only you can answer that. I mean it's possible that simply changing username and password is enough or you might want to wipe it all out and start over. Just consider what you really need before going too far down the rabbit hole..

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Best regards,
Manny Carvalho
MS-MVP since 2002

I love it Manny. Voice of reason. Reminded me of something funny I read yesterday. A small non profit was having cooling problems in their computer room. Couldn't keep the temperature below about 82. Called in one cooling firm, who recommend 25k in upgrades. Lot of money for a small non profit so they called another firm for a second opinion. They came, looked around and solved the problem for free. A small box taped over the thermostat. The cool air was blowing on it and turning the AC off. Got to get to the problem, before solving it.

BB, and Manny, removal of your account and creation of a new, clean one for your daughter is still the best way to go. You can grab whatever data and program shortcuts you need to, as per Jay's instructions. As administrator, you can move things between accounts easily.

Aside from security, there is a question of stability and unexpected consequences that (at the risk of being redundant LOL) neither you nor I could predict. What happens when you remove your Windows account is that it removes the User branch of the registry for your account. This removes your preferences, your data, your configurations. It really is a clean, simple break and truly becomes her computer.

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Patty MacDuffie
Computer Haven Administrator

Live Long and Prosper
Mr. Spock

Heh, don't you love the sheer simplicity of these computer thingies?! Don't feel too bad Microsoft, Apple and Linux are right there with you in the "keep it simple" department.
Acadia

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The blazing evidence of immortality is our dissatisfaction with any other solution. -- Emerson

LOL! Acadia. I hear you on the 'simplicity' aspect. It is like cars... I used to fix my own but not today. They make things so complicated that you need an engineering degree to tune the thing.

In this case though it really is simple. Going with the down and dirty method you just copy one folder from one account to another. Try out the desktop links and just re-install anything that may not work. Actually everything will probably work just fine.

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Patty, I agree with you that removing my account and creating a new one for my daughter was the way to go. And Jay told me exactly how to do that, and he was spot on. I went to All Programs, copied shortcuts to her desktop, and everything worked as Jay said it would. The only additional step I needed to do was to export Favorites from my desktop to hers by means of a flash drive. I had already culled the Favorites list on my desktop to include only those websites that I knew my daughter would want, and I didn't want to lose benefit of that effort.

BTW, as I was setting up her account, desktop, and programs, I was in close contact with my daughter so that I could set things up the way she wanted them. She is an excellent RN, but a little 'sparse' on the computer knowledge (by her own admission), so I want the transfer to go very smoothly for her.

And although I disagree with Manny (and I guess Pete) about perhaps going too far down the rabbit hole, I do thank Manny for something he recommended to me a year or so ago. That was the use of TeamViewer. I installed this program on my daughter's computer so that I could help her going forward.

So thanks to everyone for your help and advice.

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BB
http://barrypatch.net

As long as everything ended as you wanted all is cool.

I will say though that you did not need to do an export/import on the favorites. You could have just copied the favorites folder from your account to your daughter's. No difference in the results just fewer steps. By now I'm sure that you have figured that I tend to go with the 'quick and dirty' methods most of the time. The fewer the steps the less the chance for error.

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You're welcome, BB. It is always a delight helping you!

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Patty MacDuffie
Computer Haven Administrator

Live Long and Prosper
Mr. Spock