Why does Windows 8.1 use my Hotmail address wherever my "full name" is supposed to appear?

Question

I am signed on to my Windows 8.1 machine not as a Microsoft account but with a local account. Yet Windows 8.1 presents my email address as my "full name" to all applications that ask for it (i.e. installers etc.).

Why does it do that and how can I convince Windows 8.1 that my name is "Andrew Brehm" and not "[e-mail]"?

Update: I also did a

$user = [LDAP]"WinNT://computername/username"

and then a

$user | Format-List *

but I cannot find where Windows even stores this email address it keeps using for my "full name". The .FullName field of this user is actually set to my name, but it's not used for some reason.

Answer 1

I found it.

The email address it uses for my name is stored in the registry under

HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion

in a value named "RegisteredOwner".

This appears to be set variously to "Windows User" or my Hotmail address on all my Windows systems. For some reason my actual name, which I did type in when I installed Windows every time, was pretty much the only thing Windows didn't think belonged there. I don't know how Windows decided between my Hotmail address and "Windows User" each time.

The field can be accessed via WMI (Win32_ComputerSystem shows it as "PrimaryOwnerName") and modified in the registry.

Answer 2

Assuming this user is a Local user and not a Domain user:

• Right-click the Start button icon and choose Control Panel.
• Click User Accounts.
• Click User Accounts again (on the next page).
• Click Manage User Accounts.
• Select the user in question and click Properties.
• Edit the Full name field to your liking.