Retrieving windows user accounts

Question

I'm trying to retrieve a list of all windows users, but all I can manage is the current user. I want to be able to connect software accounts to the windows accounts for automated login. How can I get a list of all windows users?

Answer 1

What do you mean by "all Windows users"? All Windows Users currently logged onto a workstation? All local Windows user accounts? All Windows users in a domain? I would start looking at System.DirectoryServices to see if that can return the types of users you're looking for. A good article on this namespace is:

 

http://msdn.microsoft.com/msdnmag/issues/05/12/DirectoryServices/default.aspx

Answer 2

I meant all local windows user accounts.

Answer 3

use

System.DirectoryServices.DirectorySearcher object to find all the User Account in your local system

Answer 4

You can use the System.DirectoryServices.DirectoryEntry class to retrieve information on local users, groups, and services:

            using(DirectoryEntry root = new DirectoryEntry("WinNT://EDDINGS")) {
                foreach(DirectoryEntry child in root.Children) {
                    if(child.SchemaClassName == "User") {
                        Console.WriteLine(child.Name);
                    }
                }
            }

SchemaClassName can also be Group or Service.

Answer 5

Unfortunately System.DirectoryServices.DirectorySearcher doesn't work against the local security authority because it's not searchable. Use System.DirectoryServices.DirectoryEntry instead. (See code sample above.)