"Stammiam" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:10F1A273-C19B-4FA1-BDA5-(E-Mail Removed)...
> Hi! I was a dummy and ran a registry edit without backing up first
> and now
> I'm having problems with my XP system. The user accounts screen pops
> up and
> when I click on any of the accounts, the system logs in briefly and
> then just
> as quickly logs off. As it stands now I can't access anything on my
> computer
> because I can't get past the login screen. Can you tell me which file
> I
> accidentally deleted and how to go about restoring it? Is there a way
> to run
> XP in "safe mode" to reinstall this file? How do I access this
> feature?
You may need to recover from a corrupted registry. Although the method
is a PITA, it should work. See:
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/307545
When you get to Part 4, be sure to select a Restore Point that was
created prior to the damage.
Now is a good time to start regularly creating images of your hard
drive. Restoring an image would get you back in business *much* quicker
and easier. Acronis True Image and Norton Ghost are popular and decent.
DriveImageXML is a free alternative, but it lacks the ability to create
incremental images. And if you don't have one already, a USB external
hard drive is an ideal backup medium.