XP unable to load "personal settings"

[Guest]

Friday night I got "frozen" out of the MSN gaming zone. My desktop was
completely locked. No access to the task manager, unable to shut down. The
boot literally paralyzed my system. Upon reboot the usual "bad shutdown
previously" that I expected to so did not happen. The system went through
the post quite happily. The "Welcome" screen came up. I logged in with my
password and got the appropriate "please wait... loading personal settings"
and there it sits forevermore. Somehow in that incident it seems the
personal settings have lost their way. And I am unable to proceed from that
"Please wait...">
I have gone in in "safe mode" and tried restoring to last good configuration
but that made no difference (probably because the OS boots quite happily).
I then tried "system restore" to two days previously but same response. I
remain "please wait...".
Does anyone have any suggestions or understanding of how I can retrieve my
personal settings and steer XP (Pro) in the right direction?
I also tried logging in as one of the other users on my computer but same
thing. It just hangs under "loading personal settings"...
Interestingly I am not the only one with this type of problem after Friday.
Spoke to one of the +'s. She can't boot up her system at all since being
booted Friday.
Thanks in advance for any advice.

 

[Rick \Nutcase\ Rogers]

Hi,

Sounds like your user profile was corrupted. If this is the case, there is
little you can do to recover it. Instead, logon as administrator and create
a new profile for yourself. Then copy the old profile's data into it using
the procedure outlined here:

How to Copy User Data to a New User Profile
http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=811151

--
Best of Luck,

Rick Rogers, aka "Nutcase" - Microsoft MVP

Associate Expert - WindowsXP Expert Zone

Windows help - www.rickrogers.org

 

[Guest]

Thanks for the reply Rick. That is what I thought initially too but as I
mentioned no profiles can be initiated. I did try copying my profile earlier
today with no success. The only way I can log in is in safe mode. What
initiates the "user settings"? Is there something like "desktop.ini" that is
invoked for each user? It has to be a common file (a dll or an ini or
something of that sort) that is corrupt since no personal settings can be
applied to any user.

 

[Rick \Nutcase\ Rogers]

Hi Jany Doe,

If you can log into Safe mode (any user or just the administrator?), then
you're right in that it has to be a common file. The individual users are
loaded by ntuser.dat (found in each user's profile and is the reason why
this is one of the files you do not copy from the old to the new). Instead,
you need to look at what is loading in Normal mode that is not loading in
Safe mode. Msconfig is the easiest way to do this, try the steps here:

How to Troubleshoot By Using the Msconfig Utility in Windows XP [Q310560]
http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=310560

Desktop.ini, by the way, just contains view settings for the folder in which
it is found - it certainly wouldn't be the cause of your current problem.

--
Best of Luck,

Rick Rogers, aka "Nutcase" - Microsoft MVP

Associate Expert - WindowsXP Expert Zone

Windows help - www.rickrogers.org

 

[Guest]

What calls up the "user profile"?

It's not a boot problem, doesn't seem to be in the win.ini.
Should I be looking at things like the graphics drivers, anti-virus etc?
If I understood you, it could be something completely outside Windows - but
is common to all users - that is not able to load within the user's profile
for whatever reason.

Hi Jany Doe,

If you can log into Safe mode (any user or just the administrator?), then
you're right in that it has to be a common file. The individual users are
loaded by ntuser.dat (found in each user's profile and is the reason why
this is one of the files you do not copy from the old to the new). Instead,
you need to look at what is loading in Normal mode that is not loading in
Safe mode. Msconfig is the easiest way to do this, try the steps here:

How to Troubleshoot By Using the Msconfig Utility in Windows XP [Q310560]
http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=310560

Desktop.ini, by the way, just contains view settings for the folder in which
it is found - it certainly wouldn't be the cause of your current problem.

--
Best of Luck,

Rick Rogers, aka "Nutcase" - Microsoft MVP

Associate Expert - WindowsXP Expert Zone

Windows help - www.rickrogers.org

Thanks for the reply Rick. That is what I thought initially too but as I
mentioned no profiles can be initiated. I did try copying my profile
earlier
today with no success. The only way I can log in is in safe mode. What
initiates the "user settings"? Is there something like "desktop.ini" that
is
invoked for each user? It has to be a common file (a dll or an ini or
something of that sort) that is corrupt since no personal settings can be
applied to any user.

 

[Rick \Nutcase\ Rogers]

Hi Jany Doe,

Three questions:

1. Can you log into any account in normal mode?

2. In Safe mode, do all the logons work, or just specific ones?

3. If just specific, are they the admin accounts?

--
Best of Luck,

Rick Rogers, aka "Nutcase" - Microsoft MVP

Associate Expert - WindowsXP Expert Zone

Windows help - www.rickrogers.org

What calls up the "user profile"?

It's not a boot problem, doesn't seem to be in the win.ini.
Should I be looking at things like the graphics drivers, anti-virus etc?
If I understood you, it could be something completely outside Windows -
but
is common to all users - that is not able to load within the user's
profile
for whatever reason.

Hi Jany Doe,

If you can log into Safe mode (any user or just the administrator?), then
you're right in that it has to be a common file. The individual users are
loaded by ntuser.dat (found in each user's profile and is the reason why
this is one of the files you do not copy from the old to the new).
Instead,
you need to look at what is loading in Normal mode that is not loading in
Safe mode. Msconfig is the easiest way to do this, try the steps here:

How to Troubleshoot By Using the Msconfig Utility in Windows XP [Q310560]
http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=310560

Desktop.ini, by the way, just contains view settings for the folder in
which
it is found - it certainly wouldn't be the cause of your current problem.

--
Best of Luck,

Rick Rogers, aka "Nutcase" - Microsoft MVP

Associate Expert - WindowsXP Expert Zone

Windows help - www.rickrogers.org

Thanks for the reply Rick. That is what I thought initially too but as
I
mentioned no profiles can be initiated. I did try copying my profile
earlier
today with no success. The only way I can log in is in safe mode.
What
initiates the "user settings"? Is there something like "desktop.ini"
that
is
invoked for each user? It has to be a common file (a dll or an ini or
something of that sort) that is corrupt since no personal settings can
be
applied to any user.


:

Hi,

Sounds like your user profile was corrupted. If this is the case,
there
is
little you can do to recover it. Instead, logon as administrator and
create
a new profile for yourself. Then copy the old profile's data into it
using
the procedure outlined here:

How to Copy User Data to a New User Profile
http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=811151

--
Best of Luck,

Rick Rogers, aka "Nutcase" - Microsoft MVP

Associate Expert - WindowsXP Expert Zone

Windows help - www.rickrogers.org

Friday night I got "frozen" out of the MSN gaming zone. My desktop
was
completely locked. No access to the task manager, unable to shut
down.
The
boot literally paralyzed my system. Upon reboot the usual "bad
shutdown
previously" that I expected to so did not happen. The system went
through
the post quite happily. The "Welcome" screen came up. I logged in
with
my
password and got the appropriate "please wait... loading personal
settings"
and there it sits forevermore. Somehow in that incident it seems
the
personal settings have lost their way. And I am unable to proceed
from
that
"Please wait...">
I have gone in in "safe mode" and tried restoring to last good
configuration
but that made no difference (probably because the OS boots quite
happily).
I then tried "system restore" to two days previously but same
response.
I
remain "please wait...".
Does anyone have any suggestions or understanding of how I can
retrieve
my
personal settings and steer XP (Pro) in the right direction?
I also tried logging in as one of the other users on my computer but
same
thing. It just hangs under "loading personal settings"...
Interestingly I am not the only one with this type of problem after
Friday.
Spoke to one of the +'s. She can't boot up her system at all since
being
booted Friday.
Thanks in advance for any advice.

 

[Guest]

Hi Rick,

1. I cannot log in to any account in "normal" mode. Furthermore I cannot
create a new account with admin privileges. Same hang occurs.

2. In "safe" mode the only accounts that show are the "administrator"
account created at the time of installing XP, and the single current account
with "admin" privileges.

3. Both accounts are admin accounts.

Best regards...

Hi Jany Doe,

Three questions:

1. Can you log into any account in normal mode?

2. In Safe mode, do all the logons work, or just specific ones?

3. If just specific, are they the admin accounts?

--
Best of Luck,

Rick Rogers, aka "Nutcase" - Microsoft MVP

Associate Expert - WindowsXP Expert Zone

Windows help - www.rickrogers.org

What calls up the "user profile"?

It's not a boot problem, doesn't seem to be in the win.ini.
Should I be looking at things like the graphics drivers, anti-virus etc?
If I understood you, it could be something completely outside Windows -
but
is common to all users - that is not able to load within the user's
profile
for whatever reason.

Hi Jany Doe,

If you can log into Safe mode (any user or just the administrator?), then
you're right in that it has to be a common file. The individual users are
loaded by ntuser.dat (found in each user's profile and is the reason why
this is one of the files you do not copy from the old to the new).
Instead,
you need to look at what is loading in Normal mode that is not loading in
Safe mode. Msconfig is the easiest way to do this, try the steps here:

How to Troubleshoot By Using the Msconfig Utility in Windows XP [Q310560]
http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=310560

Desktop.ini, by the way, just contains view settings for the folder in
which
it is found - it certainly wouldn't be the cause of your current problem.

--
Best of Luck,

Rick Rogers, aka "Nutcase" - Microsoft MVP

Associate Expert - WindowsXP Expert Zone

Windows help - www.rickrogers.org

Thanks for the reply Rick. That is what I thought initially too but as
I
mentioned no profiles can be initiated. I did try copying my profile
earlier
today with no success. The only way I can log in is in safe mode.
What
initiates the "user settings"? Is there something like "desktop.ini"
that
is
invoked for each user? It has to be a common file (a dll or an ini or
something of that sort) that is corrupt since no personal settings can
be
applied to any user.


:

Hi,

Sounds like your user profile was corrupted. If this is the case,
there
is
little you can do to recover it. Instead, logon as administrator and
create
a new profile for yourself. Then copy the old profile's data into it
using
the procedure outlined here:

How to Copy User Data to a New User Profile
http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=811151

--
Best of Luck,

Rick Rogers, aka "Nutcase" - Microsoft MVP

Associate Expert - WindowsXP Expert Zone

Windows help - www.rickrogers.org

Friday night I got "frozen" out of the MSN gaming zone. My desktop
was
completely locked. No access to the task manager, unable to shut
down.
The
boot literally paralyzed my system. Upon reboot the usual "bad
shutdown
previously" that I expected to so did not happen. The system went
through
the post quite happily. The "Welcome" screen came up. I logged in
with
my
password and got the appropriate "please wait... loading personal
settings"
and there it sits forevermore. Somehow in that incident it seems
the
personal settings have lost their way. And I am unable to proceed
from
that
"Please wait...">
I have gone in in "safe mode" and tried restoring to last good
configuration
but that made no difference (probably because the OS boots quite
happily).
I then tried "system restore" to two days previously but same
response.
I
remain "please wait...".
Does anyone have any suggestions or understanding of how I can
retrieve
my
personal settings and steer XP (Pro) in the right direction?
I also tried logging in as one of the other users on my computer but
same
thing. It just hangs under "loading personal settings"...
Interestingly I am not the only one with this type of problem after
Friday.
Spoke to one of the +'s. She can't boot up her system at all since
being
booted Friday.
Thanks in advance for any advice.

 

[Guest]

Just to clarify, there are other users on the computer with no admin
privileges. They cannot be accessed in "normal" mode either.

Hi Jany Doe,

Three questions:

1. Can you log into any account in normal mode?

2. In Safe mode, do all the logons work, or just specific ones?

3. If just specific, are they the admin accounts?

--
Best of Luck,

Rick Rogers, aka "Nutcase" - Microsoft MVP

Associate Expert - WindowsXP Expert Zone

Windows help - www.rickrogers.org

What calls up the "user profile"?

It's not a boot problem, doesn't seem to be in the win.ini.
Should I be looking at things like the graphics drivers, anti-virus etc?
If I understood you, it could be something completely outside Windows -
but
is common to all users - that is not able to load within the user's
profile
for whatever reason.

Hi Jany Doe,

If you can log into Safe mode (any user or just the administrator?), then
you're right in that it has to be a common file. The individual users are
loaded by ntuser.dat (found in each user's profile and is the reason why
this is one of the files you do not copy from the old to the new).
Instead,
you need to look at what is loading in Normal mode that is not loading in
Safe mode. Msconfig is the easiest way to do this, try the steps here:

How to Troubleshoot By Using the Msconfig Utility in Windows XP [Q310560]
http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=310560

Desktop.ini, by the way, just contains view settings for the folder in
which
it is found - it certainly wouldn't be the cause of your current problem.

--
Best of Luck,

Rick Rogers, aka "Nutcase" - Microsoft MVP

Associate Expert - WindowsXP Expert Zone

Windows help - www.rickrogers.org

Thanks for the reply Rick. That is what I thought initially too but as
I
mentioned no profiles can be initiated. I did try copying my profile
earlier
today with no success. The only way I can log in is in safe mode.
What
initiates the "user settings"? Is there something like "desktop.ini"
that
is
invoked for each user? It has to be a common file (a dll or an ini or
something of that sort) that is corrupt since no personal settings can
be
applied to any user.


:

Hi,

Sounds like your user profile was corrupted. If this is the case,
there
is
little you can do to recover it. Instead, logon as administrator and
create
a new profile for yourself. Then copy the old profile's data into it
using
the procedure outlined here:

How to Copy User Data to a New User Profile
http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=811151

--
Best of Luck,

Rick Rogers, aka "Nutcase" - Microsoft MVP

Associate Expert - WindowsXP Expert Zone

Windows help - www.rickrogers.org

Friday night I got "frozen" out of the MSN gaming zone. My desktop
was
completely locked. No access to the task manager, unable to shut
down.
The
boot literally paralyzed my system. Upon reboot the usual "bad
shutdown
previously" that I expected to so did not happen. The system went
through
the post quite happily. The "Welcome" screen came up. I logged in
with
my
password and got the appropriate "please wait... loading personal
settings"
and there it sits forevermore. Somehow in that incident it seems
the
personal settings have lost their way. And I am unable to proceed
from
that
"Please wait...">
I have gone in in "safe mode" and tried restoring to last good
configuration
but that made no difference (probably because the OS boots quite
happily).
I then tried "system restore" to two days previously but same
response.
I
remain "please wait...".
Does anyone have any suggestions or understanding of how I can
retrieve
my
personal settings and steer XP (Pro) in the right direction?
I also tried logging in as one of the other users on my computer but
same
thing. It just hangs under "loading personal settings"...
Interestingly I am not the only one with this type of problem after
Friday.
Spoke to one of the +'s. She can't boot up her system at all since
being
booted Friday.
Thanks in advance for any advice.

 

[Guest]

Hello Rick,

I now know what caused Windows XP to fail. It seems the anti-virus software
that I am using sent down an "update" that does not work with some machines
running XP and having certain configurations. They have suggested a fix (a
specific file must be deleted) that will presumably allow the machine to boot
up with the "normal" mode available again.

I'll let you know later when I get an opportunity to try it.

Best regards,

Hi Jany Doe,

Three questions:

1. Can you log into any account in normal mode?

2. In Safe mode, do all the logons work, or just specific ones?

3. If just specific, are they the admin accounts?

--
Best of Luck,

Rick Rogers, aka "Nutcase" - Microsoft MVP

Associate Expert - WindowsXP Expert Zone

Windows help - www.rickrogers.org

What calls up the "user profile"?

It's not a boot problem, doesn't seem to be in the win.ini.
Should I be looking at things like the graphics drivers, anti-virus etc?
If I understood you, it could be something completely outside Windows -
but
is common to all users - that is not able to load within the user's
profile
for whatever reason.

Hi Jany Doe,

If you can log into Safe mode (any user or just the administrator?), then
you're right in that it has to be a common file. The individual users are
loaded by ntuser.dat (found in each user's profile and is the reason why
this is one of the files you do not copy from the old to the new).
Instead,
you need to look at what is loading in Normal mode that is not loading in
Safe mode. Msconfig is the easiest way to do this, try the steps here:

How to Troubleshoot By Using the Msconfig Utility in Windows XP [Q310560]
http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=310560

Desktop.ini, by the way, just contains view settings for the folder in
which
it is found - it certainly wouldn't be the cause of your current problem.

--
Best of Luck,

Rick Rogers, aka "Nutcase" - Microsoft MVP

Associate Expert - WindowsXP Expert Zone

Windows help - www.rickrogers.org

Thanks for the reply Rick. That is what I thought initially too but as
I
mentioned no profiles can be initiated. I did try copying my profile
earlier
today with no success. The only way I can log in is in safe mode.
What
initiates the "user settings"? Is there something like "desktop.ini"
that
is
invoked for each user? It has to be a common file (a dll or an ini or
something of that sort) that is corrupt since no personal settings can
be
applied to any user.


:

Hi,

Sounds like your user profile was corrupted. If this is the case,
there
is
little you can do to recover it. Instead, logon as administrator and
create
a new profile for yourself. Then copy the old profile's data into it
using
the procedure outlined here:

How to Copy User Data to a New User Profile
http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=811151

--
Best of Luck,

Rick Rogers, aka "Nutcase" - Microsoft MVP

Associate Expert - WindowsXP Expert Zone

Windows help - www.rickrogers.org

Friday night I got "frozen" out of the MSN gaming zone. My desktop
was
completely locked. No access to the task manager, unable to shut
down.
The
boot literally paralyzed my system. Upon reboot the usual "bad
shutdown
previously" that I expected to so did not happen. The system went
through
the post quite happily. The "Welcome" screen came up. I logged in
with
my
password and got the appropriate "please wait... loading personal
settings"
and there it sits forevermore. Somehow in that incident it seems
the
personal settings have lost their way. And I am unable to proceed
from
that
"Please wait...">
I have gone in in "safe mode" and tried restoring to last good
configuration
but that made no difference (probably because the OS boots quite
happily).
I then tried "system restore" to two days previously but same
response.
I
remain "please wait...".
Does anyone have any suggestions or understanding of how I can
retrieve
my
personal settings and steer XP (Pro) in the right direction?
I also tried logging in as one of the other users on my computer but
same
thing. It just hangs under "loading personal settings"...
Interestingly I am not the only one with this type of problem after
Friday.
Spoke to one of the +'s. She can't boot up her system at all since
being
booted Friday.
Thanks in advance for any advice.

 

[Rick \Nutcase\ Rogers]

Good, please post back with your results and also the name of the AV program
causing the problems. Shared knowledge helps everyone.

--
Best of Luck,

Rick Rogers, aka "Nutcase" - Microsoft MVP

Associate Expert - WindowsXP Expert Zone

Windows help - www.rickrogers.org

Hello Rick,

I now know what caused Windows XP to fail. It seems the anti-virus
software
that I am using sent down an "update" that does not work with some
machines
running XP and having certain configurations. They have suggested a fix
(a
specific file must be deleted) that will presumably allow the machine to
boot
up with the "normal" mode available again.

I'll let you know later when I get an opportunity to try it.

Best regards,

Hi Jany Doe,

Three questions:

1. Can you log into any account in normal mode?

2. In Safe mode, do all the logons work, or just specific ones?

3. If just specific, are they the admin accounts?

--
Best of Luck,

Rick Rogers, aka "Nutcase" - Microsoft MVP

Associate Expert - WindowsXP Expert Zone

Windows help - www.rickrogers.org

What calls up the "user profile"?

It's not a boot problem, doesn't seem to be in the win.ini.
Should I be looking at things like the graphics drivers, anti-virus
etc?
If I understood you, it could be something completely outside
Windows -
but
is common to all users - that is not able to load within the user's
profile
for whatever reason.


:

Hi Jany Doe,

If you can log into Safe mode (any user or just the administrator?),
then
you're right in that it has to be a common file. The individual users
are
loaded by ntuser.dat (found in each user's profile and is the reason
why
this is one of the files you do not copy from the old to the new).
Instead,
you need to look at what is loading in Normal mode that is not loading
in
Safe mode. Msconfig is the easiest way to do this, try the steps here:

How to Troubleshoot By Using the Msconfig Utility in Windows XP
[Q310560]
http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=310560

Desktop.ini, by the way, just contains view settings for the folder in
which
it is found - it certainly wouldn't be the cause of your current
problem.

--
Best of Luck,

Rick Rogers, aka "Nutcase" - Microsoft MVP

Associate Expert - WindowsXP Expert Zone

Windows help - www.rickrogers.org

Thanks for the reply Rick. That is what I thought initially too but
as
I
mentioned no profiles can be initiated. I did try copying my
profile
earlier
today with no success. The only way I can log in is in safe mode.
What
initiates the "user settings"? Is there something like "desktop.ini"
that
is
invoked for each user? It has to be a common file (a dll or an ini
or
something of that sort) that is corrupt since no personal settings
can
be
applied to any user.


:

Hi,

Sounds like your user profile was corrupted. If this is the case,
there
is
little you can do to recover it. Instead, logon as administrator
and
create
a new profile for yourself. Then copy the old profile's data into
it
using
the procedure outlined here:

How to Copy User Data to a New User Profile
http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=811151

--
Best of Luck,

Rick Rogers, aka "Nutcase" - Microsoft MVP

Associate Expert - WindowsXP Expert Zone

Windows help - www.rickrogers.org

Friday night I got "frozen" out of the MSN gaming zone. My
desktop
was
completely locked. No access to the task manager, unable to shut
down.
The
boot literally paralyzed my system. Upon reboot the usual "bad
shutdown
previously" that I expected to so did not happen. The system
went
through
the post quite happily. The "Welcome" screen came up. I logged
in
with
my
password and got the appropriate "please wait... loading personal
settings"
and there it sits forevermore. Somehow in that incident it seems
the
personal settings have lost their way. And I am unable to
proceed
from
that
"Please wait...">
I have gone in in "safe mode" and tried restoring to last good
configuration
but that made no difference (probably because the OS boots quite
happily).
I then tried "system restore" to two days previously but same
response.
I
remain "please wait...".
Does anyone have any suggestions or understanding of how I can
retrieve
my
personal settings and steer XP (Pro) in the right direction?
I also tried logging in as one of the other users on my computer
but
same
thing. It just hangs under "loading personal settings"...
Interestingly I am not the only one with this type of problem
after
Friday.
Spoke to one of the +'s. She can't boot up her system at all
since
being
booted Friday.
Thanks in advance for any advice.

 

[Guest]

Hello Rick "Nutcase" Rogers,

Further to my problem...(and resolution!)

Friday Trend sent down a new pattern around 3:30 PT. Some XP users
experienced 100% CPU utilization resulting in zero ability to utilize their
computers. It had to do with an enhancement put in place by Trend that was
found to cause some XP systems with particular configurations to lock up
and/or crash.

The fix is simple (as long as one hasn't messed up something else in trying
to get the system up and running in the meantime ). Remove the offensive
pattern file and update quickly to the new one.

So there we have it.

Once again thanks for your thoughts. Perhaps some other users can be helped
by this.

Best regards

Hi Jany Doe,

Three questions:

1. Can you log into any account in normal mode?

2. In Safe mode, do all the logons work, or just specific ones?

3. If just specific, are they the admin accounts?

--
Best of Luck,

Rick Rogers, aka "Nutcase" - Microsoft MVP

Associate Expert - WindowsXP Expert Zone

Windows help - www.rickrogers.org

What calls up the "user profile"?

It's not a boot problem, doesn't seem to be in the win.ini.
Should I be looking at things like the graphics drivers, anti-virus etc?
If I understood you, it could be something completely outside Windows -
but
is common to all users - that is not able to load within the user's
profile
for whatever reason.

Hi Jany Doe,

If you can log into Safe mode (any user or just the administrator?), then
you're right in that it has to be a common file. The individual users are
loaded by ntuser.dat (found in each user's profile and is the reason why
this is one of the files you do not copy from the old to the new).
Instead,
you need to look at what is loading in Normal mode that is not loading in
Safe mode. Msconfig is the easiest way to do this, try the steps here:

How to Troubleshoot By Using the Msconfig Utility in Windows XP [Q310560]
http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=310560

Desktop.ini, by the way, just contains view settings for the folder in
which
it is found - it certainly wouldn't be the cause of your current problem.

--
Best of Luck,

Rick Rogers, aka "Nutcase" - Microsoft MVP

Associate Expert - WindowsXP Expert Zone

Windows help - www.rickrogers.org

Thanks for the reply Rick. That is what I thought initially too but as
I
mentioned no profiles can be initiated. I did try copying my profile
earlier
today with no success. The only way I can log in is in safe mode.
What
initiates the "user settings"? Is there something like "desktop.ini"
that
is
invoked for each user? It has to be a common file (a dll or an ini or
something of that sort) that is corrupt since no personal settings can
be
applied to any user.


:

Hi,

Sounds like your user profile was corrupted. If this is the case,
there
is
little you can do to recover it. Instead, logon as administrator and
create
a new profile for yourself. Then copy the old profile's data into it
using
the procedure outlined here:

How to Copy User Data to a New User Profile
http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=811151

--
Best of Luck,

Rick Rogers, aka "Nutcase" - Microsoft MVP

Associate Expert - WindowsXP Expert Zone

Windows help - www.rickrogers.org

Friday night I got "frozen" out of the MSN gaming zone. My desktop
was
completely locked. No access to the task manager, unable to shut
down.
The
boot literally paralyzed my system. Upon reboot the usual "bad
shutdown
previously" that I expected to so did not happen. The system went
through
the post quite happily. The "Welcome" screen came up. I logged in
with
my
password and got the appropriate "please wait... loading personal
settings"
and there it sits forevermore. Somehow in that incident it seems
the
personal settings have lost their way. And I am unable to proceed
from
that
"Please wait...">
I have gone in in "safe mode" and tried restoring to last good
configuration
but that made no difference (probably because the OS boots quite
happily).
I then tried "system restore" to two days previously but same
response.
I
remain "please wait...".
Does anyone have any suggestions or understanding of how I can
retrieve
my
personal settings and steer XP (Pro) in the right direction?
I also tried logging in as one of the other users on my computer but
same
thing. It just hangs under "loading personal settings"...
Interestingly I am not the only one with this type of problem after
Friday.
Spoke to one of the +'s. She can't boot up her system at all since
being
booted Friday.
Thanks in advance for any advice.

 

[Charles C. Drew]

I had this problem (or one similar to it). When it happened to me, I could only login with administrator accounts. My wife's account (power user) and daughter (user) would not load the personal settings. I found to that something corrupted or changed some of the security rights assigned to various directories and files (I am using NTFS file system, by the way, instead of FAT32).

Try the following to fix it.

1. Login as one of your administrator accounts in safe mode.
2. Start Windows Explorer.
3. Right click on your "C:" drive and select "Properties".
4. Click the "Security" tab and then click the "Advanced" button.
5. On the "Permissions" tab that comes up, add a check mark next to the box labeled, "Replace permission entries on all child objects with entries shown here that apply to child objects".


Hi Rick,

1. I cannot log in to any account in "normal" mode. Furthermore I cannot
create a new account with admin privileges. Same hang occurs.

2. In "safe" mode the only accounts that show are the "administrator"
account created at the time of installing XP, and the single current account
with "admin" privileges.

3. Both accounts are admin accounts.

Best regards...

Hi Jany Doe,

Three questions:

1. Can you log into any account in normal mode?

2. In Safe mode, do all the logons work, or just specific ones?

3. If just specific, are they the admin accounts?

--
Best of Luck,

Rick Rogers, aka "Nutcase" - Microsoft MVP

Associate Expert - WindowsXP Expert Zone

Windows help - www.rickrogers.org

What calls up the "user profile"?

It's not a boot problem, doesn't seem to be in the win.ini.
Should I be looking at things like the graphics drivers, anti-virus etc?
If I understood you, it could be something completely outside Windows -
but
is common to all users - that is not able to load within the user's
profile
for whatever reason.

Hi Jany Doe,

If you can log into Safe mode (any user or just the administrator?), then
you're right in that it has to be a common file. The individual users are
loaded by ntuser.dat (found in each user's profile and is the reason why
this is one of the files you do not copy from the old to the new).
Instead,
you need to look at what is loading in Normal mode that is not loading in
Safe mode. Msconfig is the easiest way to do this, try the steps here:

How to Troubleshoot By Using the Msconfig Utility in Windows XP [Q310560]
http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=310560

Desktop.ini, by the way, just contains view settings for the folder in
which
it is found - it certainly wouldn't be the cause of your current problem.

--
Best of Luck,

Rick Rogers, aka "Nutcase" - Microsoft MVP

Associate Expert - WindowsXP Expert Zone

Windows help - www.rickrogers.org

Thanks for the reply Rick. That is what I thought initially too but as
I
mentioned no profiles can be initiated. I did try copying my profile
earlier
today with no success. The only way I can log in is in safe mode.
What
initiates the "user settings"? Is there something like "desktop.ini"
that
is
invoked for each user? It has to be a common file (a dll or an ini or
something of that sort) that is corrupt since no personal settings can
be
applied to any user.


:

Hi,

Sounds like your user profile was corrupted. If this is the case,
there
is
little you can do to recover it. Instead, logon as administrator and
create
a new profile for yourself. Then copy the old profile's data into it
using
the procedure outlined here:

How to Copy User Data to a New User Profile
http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=811151

--
Best of Luck,

Rick Rogers, aka "Nutcase" - Microsoft MVP

Associate Expert - WindowsXP Expert Zone

Windows help - www.rickrogers.org

Friday night I got "frozen" out of the MSN gaming zone. My desktop
was
completely locked. No access to the task manager, unable to shut
down.
The
boot literally paralyzed my system. Upon reboot the usual "bad
shutdown
previously" that I expected to so did not happen. The system went
through
the post quite happily. The "Welcome" screen came up. I logged in
with
my
password and got the appropriate "please wait... loading personal
settings"
and there it sits forevermore. Somehow in that incident it seems
the
personal settings have lost their way. And I am unable to proceed
from
that
"Please wait...">
I have gone in in "safe mode" and tried restoring to last good
configuration
but that made no difference (probably because the OS boots quite
happily).
I then tried "system restore" to two days previously but same
response.
I
remain "please wait...".
Does anyone have any suggestions or understanding of how I can
retrieve
my
personal settings and steer XP (Pro) in the right direction?
I also tried logging in as one of the other users on my computer but
same
thing. It just hangs under "loading personal settings"...
Interestingly I am not the only one with this type of problem after
Friday.
Spoke to one of the +'s. She can't boot up her system at all since
being
booted Friday.
Thanks in advance for any advice.

 

[Rick \Nutcase\ Rogers]

Thank you for the feedback, I'm sure it will help others, and I'm glad to
hear it is resolved.

--
Best of Luck,

Rick Rogers, aka "Nutcase" - Microsoft MVP

Associate Expert - WindowsXP Expert Zone

Windows help - www.rickrogers.org

Hello Rick "Nutcase" Rogers,

Further to my problem...(and resolution!)

Friday Trend sent down a new pattern around 3:30 PT. Some XP users
experienced 100% CPU utilization resulting in zero ability to utilize
their
computers. It had to do with an enhancement put in place by Trend that
was
found to cause some XP systems with particular configurations to lock up
and/or crash.

The fix is simple (as long as one hasn't messed up something else in
trying
to get the system up and running in the meantime ). Remove the
offensive
pattern file and update quickly to the new one.

So there we have it.

Once again thanks for your thoughts. Perhaps some other users can be
helped
by this.

Best regards

Hi Jany Doe,

Three questions:

1. Can you log into any account in normal mode?

2. In Safe mode, do all the logons work, or just specific ones?

3. If just specific, are they the admin accounts?

--
Best of Luck,

Rick Rogers, aka "Nutcase" - Microsoft MVP

Associate Expert - WindowsXP Expert Zone

Windows help - www.rickrogers.org

What calls up the "user profile"?

It's not a boot problem, doesn't seem to be in the win.ini.
Should I be looking at things like the graphics drivers, anti-virus
etc?
If I understood you, it could be something completely outside
Windows -
but
is common to all users - that is not able to load within the user's
profile
for whatever reason.


:

Hi Jany Doe,

If you can log into Safe mode (any user or just the administrator?),
then
you're right in that it has to be a common file. The individual users
are
loaded by ntuser.dat (found in each user's profile and is the reason
why
this is one of the files you do not copy from the old to the new).
Instead,
you need to look at what is loading in Normal mode that is not loading
in
Safe mode. Msconfig is the easiest way to do this, try the steps here:

How to Troubleshoot By Using the Msconfig Utility in Windows XP
[Q310560]
http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=310560

Desktop.ini, by the way, just contains view settings for the folder in
which
it is found - it certainly wouldn't be the cause of your current
problem.

--
Best of Luck,

Rick Rogers, aka "Nutcase" - Microsoft MVP

Associate Expert - WindowsXP Expert Zone

Windows help - www.rickrogers.org

Thanks for the reply Rick. That is what I thought initially too but
as
I
mentioned no profiles can be initiated. I did try copying my
profile
earlier
today with no success. The only way I can log in is in safe mode.
What
initiates the "user settings"? Is there something like "desktop.ini"
that
is
invoked for each user? It has to be a common file (a dll or an ini
or
something of that sort) that is corrupt since no personal settings
can
be
applied to any user.


:

Hi,

Sounds like your user profile was corrupted. If this is the case,
there
is
little you can do to recover it. Instead, logon as administrator
and
create
a new profile for yourself. Then copy the old profile's data into
it
using
the procedure outlined here:

How to Copy User Data to a New User Profile
http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=811151

--
Best of Luck,

Rick Rogers, aka "Nutcase" - Microsoft MVP

Associate Expert - WindowsXP Expert Zone

Windows help - www.rickrogers.org

Friday night I got "frozen" out of the MSN gaming zone. My
desktop
was
completely locked. No access to the task manager, unable to shut
down.
The
boot literally paralyzed my system. Upon reboot the usual "bad
shutdown
previously" that I expected to so did not happen. The system
went
through
the post quite happily. The "Welcome" screen came up. I logged
in
with
my
password and got the appropriate "please wait... loading personal
settings"
and there it sits forevermore. Somehow in that incident it seems
the
personal settings have lost their way. And I am unable to
proceed
from
that
"Please wait...">
I have gone in in "safe mode" and tried restoring to last good
configuration
but that made no difference (probably because the OS boots quite
happily).
I then tried "system restore" to two days previously but same
response.
I
remain "please wait...".
Does anyone have any suggestions or understanding of how I can
retrieve
my
personal settings and steer XP (Pro) in the right direction?
I also tried logging in as one of the other users on my computer
but
same
thing. It just hangs under "loading personal settings"...
Interestingly I am not the only one with this type of problem
after
Friday.
Spoke to one of the +'s. She can't boot up her system at all
since
being
booted Friday.
Thanks in advance for any advice.