What is the User.dat file? Is this a Windows folder? I opned mine up in Wordpad and it had some personal information on there. Can I delete this?
It is part of the windows reg. that identifies the users…I wouldnt recommmend deleting it
Just to add a little…
Yes, the user.dat file is part of the registry, along with another file, system.dat. User.dat stores user specific files, while system.dat stores PC specific files.
The division of the registry into these 2 seperate files allows one user or users to log onto more than one machine in a networked enviornment, and keeping that user’s preferences as he travels from one machine to the next.
By the same token, you can also configure one machine for multiple users by having user.dat files for each of those users.
If you delete user.dat, the next time you boot into Windows, you’ll get the logon screen. Once you log in, a new user.dat file will be created. But, of course, all of your old preferences will be deleted, and it will default to the Windows preferences.