Welcome Screen/Logon issue still remains unsolved??

C

cenozoite

I've been having the problem where my normal Windows XP Pro (SP2)
welcome screen got suddenly replaced by the old NT style login window
asking for a username and password, and I haven't been able to switch
back to the Welcome Screen mode.

All day today I've been reading through the several hundred threads
throughout usenet related to this problem, and tried every single
solution suggested out there, with no success.

Some of the more frequently suggested ones I tried are:

1. Enabling the welcome screen option under "Change how users log on
and off".

2. Using various vbs programs, registry fixes, and manual reg-editing
to address any possible "gina.dll" type issues.

3. Using the "control userpasswords2" screen from RUN

4. Editng Group Policy settings from gpedit.msc from RUN

5. Ensuring that I am not on a domain (I'm not) but setup as a
workgroup instead.

6. Uninstalling any third party software that may have messed with the
logon settings or files.

7. Restoring windows to a previous restore point.

None of these methods have had any success. I am still faced with the
NT-style login dialog window, instead of the welcome screen. If I set
the system to automatically log into a specific account, yes, that
works and goes right into windows, but that's not what I'm after. I
want the old Welcome Screen back, with the user account icons and
names.

I had recently instaled the ASP.NET framework 1.1 which I hear can
cause problems, but I have since uninstalled it. Same with Symantec
Norton Ghost 9.0. Both are gone now, but the login window remains.

In relation to gina.dll type files, my original msgina.dll file appears
to be intact and the correct version, and there is no enrty for any
alternate one under HKLM......winlogon.

In my System32 folder, there is an additional "shgina.dll" file, which
gets instantly recreated by some process the moment I delete or rename
it. That seems pretty nefarious to me.

In all my reading of all the threads on this subject, it seems that
there are many people with this problem, for whom none of the solutions
mentioned have worked. Does this problem still remain completely
unsolved? I'm surprised that in the whole wide world of usenet, any
Windows-related problem could persist for long without any of the many
knowledgeable people being able to figure this out.

Can anyone give me an update on whether this solution-resistant problem
continues to plague users, or has been finally solved once and for all?

I anxiously await any news on this most frustrating issue. Thanks!
 
R

Ramesh, MS-MVP

Couple of checkpoints:

1. Check the value-data for "UIHost" here:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon

It should be "logonui.exe" (REG_EXPAND_SZ by default)

2. Check for the "LogonType" Policy here:

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\policies\system]

Delete the "LogonType" key if found.
 
C

cenozoite

Hi Ramesh, thanks for your reply.

I checked the UIHOST key, and it was correctly set to "Logonui.exe" as
you suggested.

I did find a "Logontype" key in the directory you mentioned, deleted
it, restarted, but stil got the NT-style login window.

There is also a "logontype" key under the first directory mentioned
(winlogon) where UIHOST is located. That logontype is set to 1, which I
understand *should* mean welcome screen, as opposed to 0, which would
be classic login.

Still getting the login window though.
 
R

Ramesh, MS-MVP

Enabling the welcome screen option under "Change how users log on and
Is this option / checkbox retained, or gets unchecked the next time you open
the dialog? Also, see if the LogonType Policy is re-created, by chance.
 
C

cenozoite

The "logontype" key did not re-appear after I deleted it and rebooted
the system, no.

Now however, when I try to check the "user accounts" settings from the
control panel, Windows tells me it cannot open the user accounts
control panel. Is there an obvious fix for this, and how did I cause it?
 
C

cenozoite

Okay forget the "windows cannot open the user accounts control panel"
problem, I've fixed that.

And yes, the options (Use Welcome Screen and Fast User Switching) do
remain checked after system restartm although I still get the NT style
login window and shot down screen.
 
C

cenozoite

Okay Ramesh, I've used Regmon to create a boot log, but it's a massive
50MB file. I'm not sure whether that's normal or not since the
developer's website only mentioned 10-15 meg files.

I'd rather not publicly list where I'm uploading it, so if you contact
me at "cenozoite at mail dot com" or give me an address where I can
contact you, I'll send you the link.

Many thanks for your continuing assistance with this most frustrating
problem.
 

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