logging on

[Guest]

guys i have never experienced this when i logged on to my computer it told me
preparing your desktop and then i logged on i was shocked everything i had
before on my desktop is gone and i got this notification and it told me user
profile not loaded correctly does this mean this is the end for my computer i
need some help.

 

[Rick Rogers]

Hi Colin,

Logoff, reboot, logon. If it is not corrected and you see a similar
"preparing desktop" message, then it means that your original userprofile is
corrupted and a temporary one is being created for you. If this is the case,
then all you can do is create a new permanent one for yourself, then copy
the user data from the old one into it. This will probably require taking
ownership of the old userprofile folder.

--
Best of Luck,

Rick Rogers, aka "Nutcase" - Microsoft MVP

Windows help - www.rickrogers.org
My thoughts http://rick-mvp.blogspot.com

 

[Andre Da Costa[ActiveWin]]

I have not seen that one in a while, but it happened to me on 2000, what I
did was unplug the computer before the count down ended.

 

[Guest]

i went into the event viewer and it told me when i log off all changes to the
user profile will be lost and i told me windows will try to use the backup i
performed

 

[MICHAEL]

guys i have never experienced this when i logged on to my computer it told me
preparing your desktop and then i logged on i was shocked everything i had
before on my desktop is gone and i got this notification and it told me user
profile not loaded correctly does this mean this is the end for my computer i
need some help.

I've never seen this on Vista. But, I have experienced it once
on Windows Server 2003 and once on WHS... a reboot fixed both.


-Michael

 

[Rick Rogers]

Seen it on Vista once, and numerous times on XP and 2000. On XP it was
generally not recoverable, but on Vista I was able to recover. I think it
may have to do with the shadow copies, but I'm not 100% on that.

--
Best of Luck,

Rick Rogers, aka "Nutcase" - Microsoft MVP

Windows help - www.rickrogers.org
My thoughts http://rick-mvp.blogspot.com

 

[Andre Da Costa[ActiveWin]]

Its was prevalent on NT 4, numerous times on 2000, happened on XP when I was
connected to a Domain.

 

[MICHAEL]

It's a scary thing the first time it happens to you.


-Michael

 

[Rick Rogers]

Uh-huh - Just happened to me on my work computer (an XP client on a very
large corporate domain) Thursday. Third time this year, less frequent than
it was with the NT4 machines we previously had. Never happened on our old
386's (but I don't miss them). I always laugh when I call it in to network
IT. Most of their users are in a panic about loss of personal data since
they just do a wipe and reload, I just give them my location ID and sit back
since I save all files to my office's server (3 blade raid running Win2K3)
where I have both a personal (that contains a settings backup) and a shared
data folder.

--
Best of Luck,

Rick Rogers, aka "Nutcase" - Microsoft MVP

Windows help - www.rickrogers.org
My thoughts http://rick-mvp.blogspot.com

 

[John T]

You always laugh , huh Rick ? Good for you.
As a matter of fact most people panic when their files are gone and they
are right to panic.
My fiancee is currently in south america and all her files and programs
have disappeared today. She cannot work , she cannot do anything.

So instead of telling users that you laugh, I would expect you to
- explain where this bug comes from, some say it is a Vista update
- explain what we can do to revert to a normal state

Thank you !!
John T

 

[Rick Rogers]

Hi John,

The thread was about corrupt user profiles, they generally are not
recoverable, so advising on what to do after one's happened is pointless.
Like telling someone they should've hit the brakes sooner after they've gone
off the cliff. There is no reverting to a prior state in this type of error.
It can happen for many reasons, even when a system is kept lean and clean.
It's not limited to Vista, as Andre pointed out it happens in XP, Win2000,
and NT4 as well. It's an inherent problem to the NT line and can occur
without reason.

And yes, I do get a kick out of how it happens at my workplace. I'm prepared
for it, and I know what to expect when I call it in. IT expects another
paniced user that failed repeatedly to safeguard their data files and
ignored warning signs of a problematic system. For them, I'm a bit of a
relief. I understand where they are coming from and yes, I can laugh with
them about it. Backing up data on a regular basis is one of the single most
ignored pieces of advice in the computer world, and few ever learn the
lesson until it happens to them.

I can sympathize with your fiancee, I've been there. It's why I can laugh
with IT now. I don't laugh when a machine shows up on my workbench, it's not
the same thing, though it can be the same problem. The only solution for the
home user is to create a new account and copy data from the old one into it.
Programs, if installed for only the local users, have to be reinstalled
under the new profile. In a corporate world, it's generally a wipe and
reload - far more drastic with no chance of recovery of old data.

--
Best of Luck,

Rick Rogers, aka "Nutcase" - Microsoft MVP

Windows help - www.rickrogers.org
My thoughts http://rick-mvp.blogspot.com