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Is there a kind of rule to post only those answers which offer a solution with a needed time investment that is in good proportion with already available answers? So that a working answer may get downvoted just because other answers are much faster?

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Context.

This is referring to How can I change the case of a Windows 7 user name?.

I got a downvote for a clearly working answer to the question "How can I change the case of a Windows 7 user name?"

Especially if you have a fresh system and you realise a small capitalisation mistake, my answer is straighforward help. Instead of changing the username capitalisation directly, you should rename your current user to some unneeded name, create a new user, switch to the new and delete the old. So easy. This would change your official Windows username capitalisation, which is the answer to the question, even if it is a lot of work and could be done just in a minute in the user preferences, admittedly.

What is more (but apart from anything said before), in my opinion, the question does not exclude changing the username path as well, even if it is not mentioning this directly. And that is done with this approach automatically. Even if the user did not actually want to find a solution for this, she might also just have forgotten about changing the username path as well. It should be mentioned at least. My answer thus adds value, in a very simple way, and then I ask myself why this gets downvoted.

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    Users do not have to give reasons for downvotes. Having looked at your answer I notice that it is an answer to a 6 1/2 year old question about Windows 7 and your answer is for Windows 10. That could be why someone down voted.
    – DavidPostill Mod
    Jul 27, 2020 at 15:58
  • @DavidPostill Well I had a look at the keywords of the issue because I accidentally had such kind of issue on Windows 10. There were just 3 hits, and the version is not important here for some who might search as well. I just wanted to add this for reasons of completeness. I know that it is Windows 7, it stil should be the same answer. Then I see that the downvote is rather intuitive, probably a mixture of all. Thanks for looking it up. Jul 27, 2020 at 16:10
  • The question would still be kind of open now, as it was not entirely about this case. I have generalised it to a question of effort comparison, while my example was rather the trigger to ask. I am probably wrong now to take that case as the example. Jul 27, 2020 at 16:13
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    @Lorenz - At least one of your reference links describe a process that can only be performed on Windows 10.
    – Ramhound
    Jul 27, 2020 at 21:00
  • After all, see the finally and rightly deleted answer, I should downvote my own question here. It was also not good to put two questions in one. The general question at the top is ok, see a part at the mere top of @Ramhound's answer, while the example case was not adequate. Jul 28, 2020 at 6:30

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Here is the current revision of your answer:

If you also need to change the username in its directory, you may not just change it since the registry has many links to the username (though I doubt that the links are case-sensitive, you may try, but no guarantee). It might be the cleanest way to rename the current user to something else, then create a new user with the right naming, migrate all you need, and then delete the old. A lot of work of course if you have used the computer for a long time, but quite quick if it is just newly installed.

Which is just repeating what the accepted answer to that question 7 years ago suggested. While you have attempted to improve the answer, it seems you have just repeated what has already been said, in a slightly different way.

Is there a kind of rule to post only those answers which offer a solution with a needed time investment that is in good proportion with already available answers?

What you describe absolutely is not a community rule.

So that a working answer may get downvoted just because other answers are much faster?

There are many reason a user might vote for an answer. One of the many reasons to downvote an answer is a user believes the answer is not helpful. At this time it is not required, for anyone to explain, any vote they might have issued.

I got a downvote for a clearly working answer to the question "How can I change the case of a Windows 7 user name?"

I downvoted your answer because it's a "link only answer" and does not contain actual instructions. There are also numerous grammatical and spelling errors contained within that particular answer. The answer does not explain in detail how the author accomplishes what they are attempting to do. You also reference at least one question about changing your username that is specifically about Windows 10. The answer to that question is not even applicable to Windows 7.

Especially if you have a fresh system and you realize a small capitalization mistake, my answer is straightforward help. Instead of changing the username capitalization directly, you should rename your current user to some unneeded name, create a new user, switch to the new and delete the old.

You don't explain the method the author should use to accomplish that task. You reference one question about Windows 10, which describes a method that cannot be performed on a Windows 7 installation. The other link is to an answer that has already been deleted.

Even if the user did not actually want to find a solution for this, she might also just have forgotten about changing the username path as well. It should be mentioned at least. My answer thus adds value, in a very simple way, and then I ask myself why this gets downvoted.

As one of the users who downvoted your answer. I did not find your answer helpful. It contains numerous grammatical errors. It contains numerous spelling errors of common everyday words. It does not contain specific information to do what you describe, references using a method, that can only be performed on Windows 7. The only real reference link you provide, describes a method, that is only applicable to Windows 10.

When the answer contains specific information on a method that works for Windows 7, is not a link-only answer, and contains no grammatical or spelling mistakes I will revert my vote.

Very simple answer. Create a new user and delete the old. This worked for me, I bought the computer from someone else, and there were no data or programs to keep. I created a new user with admin rights and deleted the old user with admin rights afterwards. The path was changed, and the login username as well, of course.

I don't find the answer your reference in the answer you describe in this question particularly useful. It seems the only reason you submitted this answer is to promote your other answer. You also seem to have a habit of submitting low quality answers.

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  • Keeping the things separate now (I have deleted the answer and you were right). Mentioning the links to Windows 10 answers was just a reference to support statements about the registry which is nothing I knew myself. I was aware that I was refering to Windows 10 in an old Windows 7 thread. I simply wanted to complete the ideas in all 3 questions. I also wanted to flag the one Windows 10 answer as duplicate, but that was not possible as it had no accepted answer. These were my first posts on this SE, and I just wanted to add the idea where it did not exist yet. Upvote for all your details. Jul 28, 2020 at 6:21
  • Now that I see that my answer was completely redundant - there was an accepted answer with exactly the same idea suggested and which you rightly found out, good you saw this - I see a clear reason of course to downvote this, and it is of course deleted. I must have been confused by the three opened questions in parallel, of course I would not post an answer that is exactly the same as the accepted answer. Jul 28, 2020 at 6:23
  • The answer is not only upvoted and accepted for the details and the criticism that it is repeating another answer, but also for the accepted answer to the general question: "Is there a kind of rule to post only those answers which offer a solution with a needed time investment that is in good proportion with already available answers?" "What you describe absolutely is not a community rule." --> This is the accepted answer of the general question. Jul 28, 2020 at 6:35

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