XP User Accounts open then immediately cycle closed

[David Ruoho]

How can I correct the issue of user accounts that will open normally then
immediately close without user action? It's as if the account cyles open
then closes. All except for one account. All accounts were created during
an XP Home clean install then upgraded to SP3. I converted 3 of 4 accounts
into limited accounts. The only account that opens and STAYS open is the one
account I left as an admin account. Even after removing the password from
each of the non- functional accounts, then re- assigning these 3 to admin
status-- they still open then immediately close. Any thoughts?

 

[Pegasus [MVP]]

How can I correct the issue of user accounts that will open normally then
immediately close without user action? It's as if the account cyles open
then closes. All except for one account. All accounts were created
during
an XP Home clean install then upgraded to SP3. I converted 3 of 4
accounts
into limited accounts. The only account that opens and STAYS open is the
one
account I left as an admin account. Even after removing the password from
each of the non- functional accounts, then re- assigning these 3 to admin
status-- they still open then immediately close. Any thoughts?

What exactly do you mean with "accounts close immediately"? Please be
specific!

 

[David Ruoho]

Whoops, Sorry. When I click on the photo to login the login begins normally.
I see a note that the settings are loading and then the desktop appears for 1
or 2 seconds then the user account logs off as if I had shut down or logged
off. except I didn't do anything.

 

[Pegasus [MVP]]

It was your choice of words that confused me. It's not actually your account
that gets closed but your logon session. The account remains intact.

About your actual problem: This is quite baffling. The phenomenon you
describe is well known: It is almost always caused by the file userinit.exe
being missing or by the registry reference to this file being incorrect.
Malware will do this sort of thing. However, the phenomenon affects all
accounts equally, Administrator or otherwise. You report that you can log on
as Administrator, hence my surprise.

I am now guessing. Maybe your account profiles, other than the
Administrator's profile, got corrupted. You could prove it by doing this:
1. Log on as Administrator.
2. Create a new account.
3. Log on under the new account.
Post the result, please.