Issue
Deleting a user’s Windows profile directly from the Users folder (C:\Users\uniqname) will cause an error when the deleted account tries to log in again. The error displayed will state “We can't sign in to your account”, and may persist past a sign out/in, and between restarts.
Environment
Windows
Cause
Deleting a user’s Windows profile directly from the Users folder (C:\Users\uniqname), instead of through Advanced Settings -> User Profiles.
Resolution
The issue can be resolved by deleting the user’s folder, a registry entry, and then restarting.
1. Please note that the user's local data will be lost upon deleting the account's User folder, so perform a backup of any important data before deleting the folder.
2. Log into the system with an administrative account, different than the account experiencing the login issue.
3. Delete the account's User folder (located at C:\Users\uniqname).
4. Delete the account's associated registry key (the registry key can be deleted before or after deleting the account's User folder).
The key to delete can be found at the following location within the registry:
Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\ProfileList\*Key to Delete*
The proper registry key for the profile requiring the fix can be identified by finding the account’s User folder’s filepath in the account registry key’s “ProfileImagePath” entry.
5. Once the account's User folder and registry entry are both deleted, the computer can be restarted.
6. The user will need to treat their next login as a first-time login, and will need to be on the campus's network with a wired connection.