No user logon icons at welcome screen. 1

[chienfat]

Hi guys,

I'm having problem with my laptop at home which runs XP Pro SP2. I can't login into windows XP as there's no user logon icons at the welcome screen. I've tried the following but no luck.

- CTRL+ALT+DEL twice to change to manual login (classic logon screen) but password is invalid. Even the administrator account doesn't seem to work. (In fact, all accounts are using a blank password).

- different startup selections via F8: safe mode, last known good config, etc.. but same thing, no user icons to click for logon.

- Recovery console, the administrator password not accepted. so can't proceed from there as well.

My last resort will be a re-format/install but there are files that I need. How can I get the files as I can't even get into windows/command prompt? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you.

 

[bcastner]

http://www.seanster.com/Super_WinPE/SuperWinPE1.htm

 

[captaincrunch00]

Where do you download that thing? I can't for the life of me find a link on that page.
Yes, a tool like that would be great, but where do you get it?

 

[bcastner]

Sorry, wrong version:

http://www.windowsubcd.com/index.htm

Knoppix would also serve:

http://www.knoppix.net/get.php

 

[chienfat]

thanks bcastner. will try windowsUBCD and see if it works.

 

[chienfat]

but what's actually went wrong with the missing logon icons? Was it virus or SP2? A search on the forum suggests that some are having the same problem (thread779-919937 & thread779-915098), but no clear explanation to this. any ideas? what are the altenative work-arounds besides re-format/install?

 

[bcastner]

Your SAM database has become corrupted.

If you could access recovery console you could try:

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;Q307545

and only recover the SAM. The WinUBCD or Knoppix I recommended will allow minor SAM edits, enough to allow a logon.

 

[chienfat]

Yes indeed. And that explains why recovery console probably won't help:

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/314058/EN-US/

"Also, if the Security Accounts Manager (SAM) database is missing or damaged, you cannot use the Windows Recovery Console because you cannot have correct authentication."

Microsoft suggests:

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;316751

 

[bcastner]

. If the filestore is FAT32, you can use a Win98 bootdisk to do the necessary copies of the SAM. You can download one if you do not have one:

http://1gighost.net/dosimgs/boot98sc.exe

. If the filestore is NTFS, boot from WinUBCD and use the Sala utility there to add a new entry in the SAM or edit the corruption on the Administrator account. Then you can use Recovery Console.

 

[bike1100]

I seem to have this sort of problem,
The winXP (+SP2) logon icons have been replaced with what i would describe as an old NT type logon window with blank password!
For me, this seems to have happened after I added protocol NETBEUI & NOVEL NETWARE to sortout a DLINK Print server problem, these protocols have now been removed, but, the XP logon icons have not returned. Anybody assist me on this please?

 

[chienfat]

hi bike1100,

have a look at these threads, might be helpful...

thread779-926482
thread779-861798
thread779-928207

 

[bike1100]

Thanks chienfat, that cured my problem now have the welcome screen and logon icons back.