LOST PERSONAL SETTINGS UPON STARTUP

[Woody]

I have Windows XP and my notebook won't load my personal settings at startup.
I do not have any idea why this happened. When I try to boot up my computer
it stops at loading my personal settings and will not go from their. I can
start it in safe mode nut no personall settings are there. I have no way to
look at my documents, pictures or e-mail. Please advise.

Woody.

 

[Iceman]

I have Windows XP and my notebook won't load my personal settings at startup.
I do not have any idea why this happened. When I try to boot up my computer
it stops at loading my personal settings and will not go from their. I can
start it in safe mode nut no personall settings are there. I have no way to
look at my documents, pictures or e-mail. Please advise.

Your User profile may have become corrupt. Try to create a new profile and
then copy whatever data to the new one.

"How to Identify a Damaged User Profile and Create a New Profile"
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/811151

 

[Woody]

Iceman,

The first time this happened it said I have a disc error and then we were
able to fix the problem gping thru the safe mode. ...A few days later not
when I try to boot up it says cannot local personal settings and that the
file might be corrupt. If I take your advice and try to make a new user
profile will that hurt my chances of getting access to my personal
documents.......The disc error message was the problem to begin with...all
the computer will do now is load in the safe mode wiht no personal settings
of mine...What is the nexct step for me to get my personal settings bakc
suring normal login...

Thanks Woody.

 

[Patrick Keenan]

Iceman,

The first time this happened it said I have a disc error and then we were
able to fix the problem gping thru the safe mode. ...A few days later not
when I try to boot up it says cannot local personal settings and that the
file might be corrupt. If I take your advice and try to make a new user
profile will that hurt my chances of getting access to my personal
documents.......The disc error message was the problem to begin with...all
the computer will do now is load in the safe mode wiht no personal
settings
of mine...What is the nexct step for me to get my personal settings bakc
suring normal login...

Your profile (user account) is corrupting, possibly due to a physical disk
problem. That's what the error message is about.

Create a new profile, ie a new user account, and migrate your files to it.

But I would suggest that you get a new hard disk, as your current one is
showing signs of unreliability. Either clone your present disk to it, or
as a much better idea, do a new install to that disk and then attach your
old hard disk and migrate the documents, emails, addresses, etc. Settings
will have to be re-created.

HTH
-pk

 

[Woody]

Patrick,

What do you mean by getting a new hard disc. I have a HP Compaq NX6110
laptop. Not sure how to go about this....

Woody...

 

[Woody]

Patrick, I was able to create a new user profile. But I am having trouble
getting my e-mail addresses and messages over to my new profile. How to do I
get my previous files and folders from my outlook express into my new
profile? When I did the search for the *.dbx. files in the search mode
nothing came up...

Please help..

Woody...

 

[Woody]

Patrick,

Do i have to create and set up outlook express in the new user profile
again. When I click on outlook express it says I have to set it up as if my
computer was new.

Woody

 

[Patrick Keenan]

Patrick,

What do you mean by getting a new hard disc. I have a HP Compaq NX6110
laptop. Not sure how to go about this....

I mean exactly what I said.

Laptop drives are not difficult to replace. All you have to know is
whether the drive is IDE or SATA. It seems that your system likely came
with an IDE drive, so you just have to get another IDE drive.

As to retrieving the files from the old drive, also get an external case or
adapter for the old drive; these start around $15 and you can later attach
that drive and simply copy the files over.

HTH
-pk

 

[Patrick Keenan]

Patrick,

Do i have to create and set up outlook express in the new user profile
again. When I click on outlook express it says I have to set it up as if
my
computer was new.

Yep. Then you will import the files from the old profile, which are in
folders that are ever-so-helpfully set to hidden.

Turn on the display of hidden and system files and folders in Explorer, then
do a search for the .dbx files in a search utility such as Agent Ransack.

HTH
-pk

 

[Patrick Keenan]

Patrick, I was able to create a new user profile. But I am having trouble
getting my e-mail addresses and messages over to my new profile. How to do
I
get my previous files and folders from my outlook express into my new
profile? When I did the search for the *.dbx. files in the search mode
nothing came up...

That's because their location is in a system/hidden folder. See other
reply.

As well, the addresses are in a completely different location that's also
hidden, so after you've turned on the display of system and hidden folders,
also search for *.wab.

Start making backups now. If the problem comes back, just get a new disk
as yours is progressively failing.

HTH
-pk