Unusual login problem. Accounts gone?

[Guest]

An XP Pro system, configured in workgroup mode, with one user account. The
system worked fine for a month, and now is impossible to login to. The system
boots normally, with no errors, and stops at the usual login splash screen.
Usually, the single user account icon is visible in the center of the screen,
and the user clicks it to enter their password and login. Now, no user
accounts are presented to choose from. Invoking the login dialog via
Crtl+Alt+Del works, but both the user account and the Administrator account
passswords aren't recognized. It shuts down without error.

I've tried Safe Mode and "Last known good registry" to no avail. I tried
removing the wireless nic in case there was some unusual networking issue, to
no satisfaction. It seems as if all the accounts were disabled. The only
obvious event that preceeded this was a move from one home to another.
Working fine in the old home, and now doesn't in the new one. The homes are
only a mile apart, so the system didn't see much abuse in transit.

If anyone has any ideas, I'd appreciate them. I'd rather fix the problem
than have to reinstall XP.

 

[Peter Howarth]

Hi,

Can't recall what they're called or where I got mine from (it's at work at
the moment) but there are bootable floppy/cd's that you can download, which
will query the user list hidden deep within windows. They will tell you the
existing user(s) which windows thinks exist. Some will allow you to reset
the password of user(s).

I'm not an expert on this, but we did this at work for a laptop; my colleage
reinstalled windows on it, set an admin password but must have somehow
mistyped it both times. Rather than reinstall windows (we were working to a
deadline) we managed to reset the admin password to '' (nothing) from the
bootdisk then log in and continue.

hth.

Peter.

 

[Guest]

Can't recall what they're called or where I got mine from (it's at work at
the moment) but there are bootable floppy/cd's that you can download, which
will query the user list hidden deep within windows. They will tell you the
existing user(s) which windows thinks exist. Some will allow you to reset
the password of user(s).

Yeah. I just tried one - a linux based tool - and it claims it cannot find
any usernames in the registry, as I suspected. How the hell do all the user
accounts disappear from a system? I'm guessing a virus/trojan of some kind.
It's looking like I'll be reinstalling Windows...

 

[Guest]

I figured it out. Apparently the SAM file was corrupt. Fortunately, I had an
old SBS2000 install CD handy, so I could get to a command prompt and fix it.
The XP disc required a password for an Administrator account that didn't
exist.