Logon then immediate logoff

  • Thread starter Thread starter Charlie
  • Start date Start date
C

Charlie

Hi -

I had a machine that was multi booting with Windows 2000
and Redhat Linux. I had so much trouble with Linux on
that machine that I decided to reformat the partition that
it was on and use it for data instead.
I used a Win98 boot disk to do Fdisk /mbr, which took care
of getting rid of the Linux boot loader and I was able to
boot into XP. The problem is that when I try to log on, I
immediately get logged back off. I think this is the
behavior you get when the machine is past its activation
grace period. The weird thing is that it's volume license
media. Interestingly, I successfully logged onto W2K for
the first time after getting rid of the Linux boot loader,
but I got a message telling me that I would need to reboot
because of a hardware installation.

I'm not too concerned about this because it's just a test
machine, but I'd like to know if anyone has an idea why
this happened.

Thanks
 
Charlie said:
Hi -

I had a machine that was multi booting with Windows 2000
and Redhat Linux. I had so much trouble with Linux on
that machine that I decided to reformat the partition that
it was on and use it for data instead.
I used a Win98 boot disk to do Fdisk /mbr, which took care
of getting rid of the Linux boot loader and I was able to
boot into XP. The problem is that when I try to log on, I
immediately get logged back off. I think this is the
behavior you get when the machine is past its activation
grace period. The weird thing is that it's volume license
media. Interestingly, I successfully logged onto W2K for
the first time after getting rid of the Linux boot loader,
but I got a message telling me that I would need to reboot
because of a hardware installation.

I'm not too concerned about this because it's just a test
machine, but I'd like to know if anyone has an idea why
this happened.

Thanks
Click to expand...

This typically happens when hard disks or partitions are changed.
Before you do this, delete any inappropriate or non-existing devices
as per Step 2 below.
1. From DOS or via a network connection, copy userinit.exe to
all the other hard drives. This should allow you to log in.
2. HKLM/SYSTEM/MountedDevices/:
delete all keys which look like "\DosDevice\<DRIVE_LETTER>:"
3. Point HKLM/Software/Microsoft/Windows NT/Current Version/
Winlogon/Userinit to the correct location of userinit.exe
See also http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=249321
 
-----Original Message-----



This typically happens when hard disks or partitions are changed.
Before you do this, delete any inappropriate or non- existing devices
as per Step 2 below.
1. From DOS or via a network connection, copy userinit.exe to
all the other hard drives. This should allow you to log in.
2. HKLM/SYSTEM/MountedDevices/:
delete all keys which look
Click to expand...
like "\DosDevice\ said:
3. Point HKLM/Software/Microsoft/Windows NT/Current Version/
Winlogon/Userinit to the correct location of userinit.exe
See also http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=249321
Click to expand...

I consider myself a pretty well informed sysadmin but had
never heard of anything like this.
I'm glad you gave me this information, but I want to
clarify -
Step 1. If I were to do this I think I would have to
create a folder tree on each partition down to System32
and copy userinit.exe there. Instead I used Remote
Registry to skip to the next steps....
Step 2. I assume you meant to delete only keys that
didn't reference an existing drive letter. Is that the
case? Also, should I delete ones that refer to removable
devices?
My guess is that the answer is no to that.
Step 3. This appears to be the actual fix and might be
the only thing that I really needed to do. Although
there's nothing wrong with cleaning up things as in step 2.

Now I am able to log on but pretty much nothing works.
I got a bunch of DCOM errors with "The system cannot find
the path specified." It looks like the drive letter for
XP's system partition has changed and that is the problem.
I'm not sure there is anything I can do about that.

In any case, thanks for the info because I probably can
use it in the future.
 
See below.

Charlie said:
I consider myself a pretty well informed sysadmin but had
never heard of anything like this.
I'm glad you gave me this information, but I want to
clarify -
Step 1. If I were to do this I think I would have to
create a folder tree on each partition down to System32
and copy userinit.exe there.
Click to expand...
*** Correct.
Instead I used Remote
Registry to skip to the next steps....
Click to expand...
Step 2. I assume you meant to delete only keys that
didn't reference an existing drive letter. Is that the
case? Also, should I delete ones that refer to removable
devices?
Click to expand...
*** Not correct. You delete all of them - WinXP will recreate
*** them on the next boot. The removable devices do not
*** matter one way or another.
My guess is that the answer is no to that.
Click to expand...
Step 3. This appears to be the actual fix and might be
the only thing that I really needed to do. Although
there's nothing wrong with cleaning up things as in step 2.
Click to expand...
*** Correct.
Now I am able to log on but pretty much nothing works.
I got a bunch of DCOM errors with "The system cannot find
the path specified." It looks like the drive letter for
XP's system partition has changed and that is the problem.
I'm not sure there is anything I can do about that.
Click to expand...
*** What's your system drive? C:?
*** I had a similar case recently, and the system drive
*** ended up as L: instead of C:. I ran regedit, changed
*** a dozen references from L: to C:, and all was well.
 
Below -
-----Original Message-----
See below.


*** Correct.

Step 2. I assume you meant to delete only keys that
*** Not correct. You delete all of them - WinXP will recreate
*** them on the next boot. The removable devices do not
*** matter one way or another.

step 2.
*** Correct.

*** What's your system drive? C:?
*** I had a similar case recently, and the system drive
*** ended up as L: instead of C:. I ran regedit, changed
*** a dozen references from L: to C:, and all was well.
Click to expand...

It looks like the previous system drive was H:, because
that is what the registry for userint.exe was pointing to
before I couldn't log on. It's now F:.
Since H: is now just a CD drive, it would pretty easy to
find and change any reference to it in the Registry, other
that the obvious.
Thanks, I'll try that.
 
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