Windows XP Home, Missing User accounts on Log in

[Guest]

I have a dilly of a problem. I cannont get access to my PC due to my missing
user accounts on the Start up. When windows boots, in the morning, and goes
to that blue welcome to windows screen, where you can choose Admin, and your
personal User accounts...thats where I cant go any further. There are simply
gone. I dont want to blame SP2, but I had just installed it about 10 days
priar. Ive tried BootCDs to repair my XP, no good...still need a user account
to log in. Ive tried, previous good configurations, no go......everything
else requires a user account.
Iam pretty good at keeping my PC clean of Ad-Adware and Viruses, so I dont
think that that is the reason of all this Guano. Any help would be so greatly
appreciated.

 

[Rich]

Try this:
When you get to the screen that now has no account login icons, carefully
press Ctrl-Alt-Del TWICE. That should bring up the old style Windows login
window. If you know the administrator account password, use that account.
If you can gain access, go to Control Panel, User Accounts, and see if your
old account is listed. If so, change the icon and change the password.
And, while your there, create a new user account with administrative rights
and NO password.

 

[Guest]

Rich, here's a related type of problem. Using XP Home on new machine. Upon
boot, I get only the old style login screen. I earlier had set up some
user accounts, mine being the only administrator. Using old login screen,
(using default "home" screen name and no password) I can get XP to load. I
then check User Accounts and only "home" shows, and, of course, it's a
limited account. Further, I gotta get in as administrator to do anything of
importance.

I did try, at the old login screen, variations of "administrator" and admin
for screen name and password, respectively, with no success. Also tried same
in safe mode, with no luck.

I do recall a phone support session with a Microsoft rep, who was able to
get me in as administrator under safe mode. Any ideas?

 

[Guest]

I have a simalar problem. My machine boots up to login like yours but I don't
have any other accounts. I can't get in to do anything. I clike to log on and
it logs right off again

 

[Rich]

If this is an OEM installation, only idea I can think of is:
At the login screen try Owner as the user, no password

As far as booting into Safe Mode, what login options are available when it
boots?

Unfortunately, Home edition limits user account creation to the Control
Panel applet or you could go into Computer Management like Professional.

 

[Rich]

As far as getting the Welcome screen with the icons, open Control Panel,
User Accounts. Click Change the way user log on and off. Then check Welcome
Screen.

If the system is trying to logon and continue boot, but turns around and
logs off, I've only been able to correct this with a Repair install.
I haven't researched it lately, but it may be a problem with the
winlogon.exe file. It's a system file. Sorry, but I don't have anything
further on that.

 

[Guest]

On booting in Safe Mode, it's the same old style login screen, with just the
user and password..no diff than a normal boot.

Anyway, I'll poke around some more and try your ideas. I'll let you and
Curole know if I get anywhere.

Thanks.

 

[Guest]

Tried using owner (& variants) to no avail, in both normal boot and Safe Mode.

I know there's gotta be a way to sneak in some back door to get
reestablished as an administrator, but I can't figure it out. Maybe I'll try
spending $ with the Microsoft techs.

 

[Ricky]

Try booting in safe mode with command prompt. Type in control
userpasswords2.

 

[Ricky]

It should look like this..
control userpasswords2

 

[Guest]

Thanks. I'll give it a try.

It should look like this..
control userpasswords2