Ever solve SL problems by using a different Windows username?

Does anyone recall hearing of any SL problems being solved by creating and logging in with a new Windows username ?

Oh, I think I know what you mean. I was told to do that at one time when I was having a problem with old machine. It might work for SL too, who knows.

A lot of problems are solved by trashing the application data folder for SL, so I'm guessing that this does the same thing. By logging in as another Windows user, you are essentially working with a fresh install.

Did this tip come from Teh Labratory? That follows the same brainless logic like telling one to reinstall SL to fix problems as the so called "support" does.

All settings are stored in Application Data in your user account folder. Deleting the user_settings in there will do the trick without screwing around with the rest of your system.

No, I thought of this brainless logic-ed idea all on my own. I have no reason to think it does solve any SL problems. Hence the asking of a question rather than the making of a suggestion.

When you log in as a different Windows user, it does change things about what software is in use. I have heard of people solving problems with other software by doing so.

Depends on whether the user has SL installed for a specific username only, or for all users. For all users install, any new username will automatically be added to the all users group and SL would become available, and run under the current settings recorded as of last use. Either way, just deleting the user data and purging the cache files is always the better choice.

There is no such thing as an "All User" installation in SL nor are any user settings created during installation. SL only installs itself into Program Files and creates a registry entry + start menu shortcuts. Every other setting in the Applications Data folder is created when SL runs the first time for that user who runs it. That will never be "All Users".

What happens when you create a new user account (and by doing so screw around with your system configuration) is you simply allow SL to again start with a fresh configuration in this users new and empty Application Data\SecondLife as if it was first installed. That's completely uncalled for and may even introduce security risks (e.g. new user account with admin privileges and no password). You can achieve the exactly same effect by removing C:\Documents and Settings\existing user\Application Data\SecondLife\user_settings (thats for XP, slightly different path for Vista/Win7). The next time SL runs it will use default settings and create a new user_settings folder.

it is theoretically possible that some other programs that normally run for one user won't be set up to run for a new user (whether as simple as having a startup for one user and not the other, or more complex in the case of an app only being available to a particular user, or account settings)

IF such a solution DOES work, then the issue likely isn't the account, but the programs that are running, one of which might be interfering with SL in some way, and the REAL solution would be to check which programs are running in the old user name login space, vs the new one, and disable them one at a time to see what's causing the issue.

Does the upcoming media system find existing browser plugins? Plugins that might be active in one Windows user account but not in others?

it shouldn't be able to find plugins that are restricted to different user names, but intelligently it'll find any that are installed and available to the current account.