Recovery of Lost User Profile

G

Guest

My Windows XP Home Edition crashed recently and had to be repaired using the
original system CDs. Windows now works, but my original user profile is gone
and none of my programs are mapped (everything from Word and Excel to McAfee
and Skype - nothing will launch either from the desktop or through the Start
menu). All of my data is intact (but it is now buried several folders into
the Documents and Settings folder) as are all of the .exe files for installed
programs. Since the .exe files are intact, in theory, all of my programs
should be functional...

To correct this aberration, I attempted to locate the original user profile
by using Microsoft article no. 811151 ("How to copy data from a corrupted
user profile...") to see if I could locate the original profile to copy it
into a new one. My thought is if I can restore the old profile that the
programs and customizations to the PC would return to normal. Unfortunately,
only the newly created profiles are in the Documents and Settings folder.

My question is this: is there any way I can locate and restore the lost
profile? Or if the profile is lost in the great Microsoft abyss, is there a
way to restore all program files without individually re-installing each
application?

Before I gave up and began to rebuild the computer, I wanted to check to see
if there was a more direct - and easier- workaround. Would appreciate any
insights...
 
E

Eric

It looks as if the reinstallation, the type of which you didn't
specify, has installed a fresh version of the Registry, which would
require you to reinstall all of your programs and create a new user
Account.

However, have you tried using System Restore to restore a restore point
that predates the problem? Doing that would restore the Registry to the
state it was in on the date on which the restore point was created.

Otherwise, it looks as if you have screwed things up to the point where
you will have to reinstall your apps, etc.

Eric,
PC Buyer Beware!
http://www.pcbuyerbeware.co.uk/
 
G

Guest

I appreciate your honesty. And I expected as much about screwing things up
beyond repair...

The System Restore was one of the first things I tried. According to my PC,
unfortunately, time began when the new install was done so this was not a
viable solution. Then I looked to the route of locating the prior user
profile, but as stated in my initial post, this failed, too.

I was hopeful there was some sort of "magic bullet" to turn back time to a
fully functioning PC. Looks like I will spend my evening re-installing every
application on my PC. Fun times.
 
G

Guest

John Try this. Login as admin, go to my computer, right click, left
properties, click advance, click settings next to user profiles, copy the
profile from the old profile to your new. BEFORE you start create a restore
point. After the copy reboot.

Good Luck

PS. You did not state why your PC crashed.
 
G

Guest

I will try that tonight to see if I can locate the old profile using your
proposal.

The crash of XP Home Edition was brought on by the dreaded corrupted
registry - there must have been some sort of power aberration when it was
last shut down. I followed the instructions from Microsoft article 307545,
but it failed to resolve the issue. It kept getting hung up after the first
step of the instructions. By running the Gateway repair application after
this failure, it forced my hand to partially re-install Windows. That is how
I am in this mess in the first place.

Still not sure why all of the applications - especially the Windows apps -
are not mapped properly, even with a newly created user profile. Seems like
at least Word, Excel etc. would still be fully functional.

Thanks for the advice.
 
G

Guest

Nope; did not work... Only the newly created profile appeared. I think I am
screwed.

Thanks for the suggestion, though.
 
G

Guest

So if you go into Windows Explorer under docs&settings besides the admin and
your current profile, are their any others?
 
G

Guest

Also try it in safe mode.

Johnny Kirsch said:
Nope; did not work... Only the newly created profile appeared. I think I am
screwed.

Thanks for the suggestion, though.
 

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