diff --git a/lib/images/windows/helpers/makeConfigMedium.nix b/lib/images/windows/helpers/makeConfigMedium.nix
index e3c10cd..8a90be1 100644
--- a/lib/images/windows/helpers/makeConfigMedium.nix
+++ b/lib/images/windows/helpers/makeConfigMedium.nix
@@ -20,6 +20,12 @@
 {
   name ? "vmix-config",
   hostname ? "",
+  # The per-VM account. The sealed image carries a generic bootstrap account
+  # (only there to carry OOBE); on first boot this real account is created from
+  # here, gets the SID-bound profile on D:\Users\<username>, and the bootstrap
+  # is retired. Distinct per VM -- nothing about the account is shared/baked.
+  username ? "",
+  password ? "",
   # { address; prefixLength; gateway; dns = [ ... ]; }
   staticIP ? null,
   timezone ? null,
@@ -37,6 +43,8 @@ let
   configPs1 = pkgs.writeText "vmix-config.ps1" ''
     # vmix per-VM config -- generated, read by the sealed image's baked scripts.
     $VmixHostname     = '${hostname}'
+    ${lib.optionalString (username != "") "$VmixUsername     = '${username}'"}
+    ${lib.optionalString (username != "") "$VmixPassword     = '${password}'"}
     ${lib.optionalString (staticIP != null) ''
     $VmixIpAddress    = '${staticIP.address}'
     $VmixPrefixLength = ${toString staticIP.prefixLength}
diff --git a/lib/images/windows/templates/default.nix b/lib/images/windows/templates/default.nix
index a5a60fa..8bf1a10 100644
--- a/lib/images/windows/templates/default.nix
+++ b/lib/images/windows/templates/default.nix
@@ -43,10 +43,16 @@ in rec {
   # delivered at deploy time on a config medium (helpers/makeConfigMedium.nix).
   # One sealed store path is shared by every VM; each VM's first boot mints its
   # own SID and builds the whole profile on the relocated data volume (D:).
-  # Forces only the structural bits -- account, RDP and locale stay caller args.
+  #
+  # The baked account is a generic bootstrap that only exists to carry OOBE to a
+  # logon -- the real, per-VM account (username/password) comes from the config
+  # medium, and the bootstrap is retired on the target. So nothing per-VM is
+  # baked. RDP and locale stay caller args.
   seal = templateArgs: generalize ({
     delayOobeRun = true;
     configMedium = true;
+    username = "vmixsetup";
+    password = "vmixsetup";
     profilesDirectory = "D:\\Users";
     dataDisk = { driveLetter = "D"; label = "data"; };
   } // templateArgs);
diff --git a/lib/images/windows/templates/generalize.nix b/lib/images/windows/templates/generalize.nix
index b710e0d..9a54b4c 100644
--- a/lib/images/windows/templates/generalize.nix
+++ b/lib/images/windows/templates/generalize.nix
@@ -202,6 +202,44 @@ in
     }
   '';
 
+  # Creates the real per-VM account from the config and hands the machine over
+  # to it. The sealed image bakes only a generic bootstrap account (${username})
+  # -- enough to carry OOBE to a logon so this can run -- and the real account
+  # is made here, on the target, from the CD. Autologon is switched to it and a
+  # one-shot cleanup is armed; the post-oobe reboot then lets the real account
+  # log in and build its own SID-bound profile on D:\Users\<username>, after
+  # which the bootstrap is retired. So the account, like the SID, is per-VM and
+  # nothing about it is shared or baked. Runs as the bootstrap user in post-oobe.
+  createUserScript = pkgs.writeText "vmix-create-user.ps1" ''
+    if (-not (Test-Path C:\vmix-config.ps1)) { exit 0 }
+    . C:\vmix-config.ps1
+    if (-not $VmixUsername) { exit 0 }
+    if ($VmixUsername -ieq '${username}') { exit 0 }
+    & net user $VmixUsername $VmixPassword /add
+    & net localgroup Administrators $VmixUsername /add
+    $w = 'HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon'
+    Set-ItemProperty $w -Name AutoAdminLogon  -Value '1'
+    Set-ItemProperty $w -Name DefaultUserName -Value $VmixUsername
+    Set-ItemProperty $w -Name DefaultPassword -Value $VmixPassword
+    Remove-ItemProperty $w -Name DefaultDomainName -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
+    # Fires at the real account's first logon (HKLM RunOnce = next user to log
+    # on), i.e. after the reboot below, once the bootstrap is no longer in use.
+    Set-ItemProperty 'HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\RunOnce' `
+      -Name vmixUserCleanup -Value 'cmd /c C:\vmix-user-cleanup.cmd' -Type String
+  '';
+
+  # Runs once as the real account (RunOnce, after the hand-over reboot): retire
+  # the bootstrap account and its profile, and apply the per-user desktop tint
+  # (which the bootstrap ran against on the first boot, before this account
+  # existed). Bootstrap is idle here, so its profile is safe to remove.
+  userCleanupScript = pkgs.writeText "vmix-user-cleanup.cmd" ''
+    @echo off
+    powershell -NoProfile -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -Command "Get-CimInstance Win32_UserProfile | Where-Object { $_.LocalPath -like '*\${username}' } | Remove-CimInstance -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue"
+    net user ${username} /delete >nul 2>&1
+    powershell -NoProfile -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File C:\vmix-apply-config.ps1 >nul 2>&1
+    del /q C:\vmix-user-cleanup.cmd 2>nul
+  '';
+
   # Thin launcher, so the scheduled task has a cmd to point at.
   staticIPScript = pkgs.writeText "vmix-static-ip.cmd" ''
     @echo off
@@ -545,6 +583,13 @@ in
     reg delete "HKLM\SYSTEM\Setup" /v OOBEInProgress /f 2>nul
     reg delete "HKLM\SYSTEM\Setup" /v CmdLine /f 2>nul
     ''}
+    ${lib.optionalString configMedium ''
+    :: Runs last, as the generic bootstrap account: create the real per-VM
+    :: account from the config, switch autologon to it and arm the cleanup. The
+    :: reboot below then logs the real account in for the first time, building
+    :: its SID-bound profile on D:\Users\<username>.
+    powershell -NoProfile -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File C:\vmix-create-user.ps1 > C:\Windows\Temp\vmix-create-user.log 2>&1
+    ''}
     :: Clean up
     del /q C:\oobe-unattend.xml 2>nul
     del /q C:\vmix-audit-script.cmd 2>nul
@@ -671,6 +716,8 @@ in {
     ++ lib.optionals configMedium [
       { source = loadConfigScript; dest = "/vmix-load-config.cmd"; }
       { source = applyConfigScript; dest = "/vmix-apply-config.ps1"; }
+      { source = createUserScript; dest = "/vmix-create-user.ps1"; }
+      { source = userCleanupScript; dest = "/vmix-user-cleanup.cmd"; }
     ]
     ++ lib.optionals (staticIP != null || configMedium) [
       { source = staticIPScript; dest = "/vmix-static-ip.cmd"; }