Can't log on, because "users" not listed at start up 1

[inhand]

My HP Laptop kept crashing whenever I loaded the new Java web plug in. Finally now, it won't let me log on. It boots to the screen "To begin, click your name" but lists no name. So it just sits there, until I click "Turn off computer." And it does turn off.

Any ideas?

Much thanks in advance!!!

Tudor

 

[Jonax]

Try pressing ctrl+alt+del twice at the login-screen to log in 'old-style'... This is not a bug - it's an undocumented feature...
;-)

 

[yerhead]

or you can always start in safe mode by pressing f8 just before boot,
and log in as administrator and make a new account

 

[inhand]

Thank you for your responses!

I tried the ctrl+alt+del twice, and it still can't get in: it prompted me with my long lost name, and it said I wasn't an authorized user. Also the safe mode, and after using the restore option, I still had trouble. Thank you so much for your thoughts!

 

[smah]

I suspect a corrupt or damaged user profile. How many regular user accounts did you have? Were you logging on as Administrator or some username? When starting in safe mode, is 'Administrator' listed?

 

[inhand]

I agree with you about the corruption.

I had a single user account and I'm afraid it's not showing "Administrator" in SAFE mode or normal mode either.

Any thoughts what to do about that? Do you think I can still access it from a network and try to undo the damage?


Thanks again!!!
Tudor

 

[wolluf]

inhand,

When you tried the double ctrl+alt+del did you actually type 'Administrator' in the user id box? It sounds from your post that the user id box was populated with your 'lost' user name - and you just tried that. As its a logon lox you can type what you like in the username (obviously put right password in for user nasme typed).

 

[uctxs]

If ctrl+alt+del didnt work for you and allow you to login as Administrator then you could have a corrupt user login file and or your user account has been locked out and the only way to unlock it is to be able to login as Administrator. If safe mode and ctrl+alt+del isnt working for you then a clean install is going to be your best bet.

 

[inhand]

I can type in Administrator in safe & normal mode using ctrl+alt+del x2, but I get the same message that I can't log on and that I should "retype my password" etc.

I guess this makes a good argument for having more than one account!

The reason I didn't have more than one account is - that for some reason - on this laptop it takes an eternity to copy the files for a new account - ridiculously long. And it swallows up over 1 gig! On a 40 gig laptop, that seems excessive. My other computers don't take 1/2 hour to setup a new account.

Well, if I have to do a clean install, I guess there's no easy way to return the computer to it's prior state without a system backup or reinstalling everything. What a grind.

I'd be curious to know what lengths people go to beyond data backup... I wish there was an easy way to protect just the system for this sort of thing, though I suppose application installs are almost as bad anyway, once you get past the patches, upgrades etc. So maybe backups are an "all or nothing" type of affair for them to make sense.

Thank you again everyone!

Tudor

 

[wolluf]

If you can get your hands on a full xp cd, you could try a repair installation, before you completely restor it. My personal backup preference is a second hard drive. This isn't as convienient with a laptop, but there are external usb drives available and if you have network connectivity, you could backup to a second drive on another computer. When backing up to any hard drive, my rule is that it must be a non operating system drive. That way, even if the os gets totaly hosed, the backup drive should be OK.

 

[smah]

btw, that last post was mixed up me.

 

[wolluf]

Smah,

We'll have to stop meeting like this!

Fingers crossed, we seem to have become unjoined at the hip again (I had a clearout too).