Error Message: Unable to Log You on Because of an Account Restriction, Windows Could Not Find c:\windows\system32\migpwd.exe (316385)

Important This article contains information about modifying the registry. Before you modify the registry, make sure to back it up and make sure that you understand how to restore the registry if a problem occurs. For information about how to back up, restore, and edit the registry, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

256986 Description of the Microsoft Windows Registry

SYMPTOMS

When you start Microsoft Windows XP Professional or Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition, you may receive the following error messages:

Unable to log you on because of an account restriction

Windows could not find c:\windows\system32\migpwd.exe

CAUSE

This issue may occur because of a value in the registry is not valid and permits users to log on automatically as a member of the Administrators group. For example, it may not be possible to log on automatically as an administrator if the Administrator account has been set aside to be used in Safe mode when an Owner account is not available.

RESOLUTION

To resolve this issue, follow these steps.

WARNING: If you use Registry Editor incorrectly, you may cause serious problems that may require you to reinstall your operating system. Microsoft cannot guarantee that you can solve problems that result from using Registry Editor incorrectly. Use Registry Editor at your own risk.

Start Windows, and then log on to an account that is a member of the Administrators group.
Click Start, and then click Run.
In the Run dialog box, type regedit, and then click OK.
In Registry Editor, locate the following subkey:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\WindowsNT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon
In the right pane, click AutoAdminLogon under Name.
On the Edit menu, click Modify.
In the Edit String dialog box, type 0 in the Value data box, and then click OK.

Note If there is a DefaultPassword entry, make note of the value. You may need it to log on the system if it is set to a random password. The password will be listed in plain text, and is case-sensitive.
On the File menu, click Exit to quit Registry Editor.
Restart your computer.

MORE INFORMATION

For additional information about how to automatically log on to Windows, click the following article numbers to view the articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

310584 HOW TO: Enable Automatic Logon in Windows

290109 Error Message: Unable To Log You On Because Of An Account Restriction

For additional information about how to repair a corrupted registry, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

307545 How to Recover from a Corrupted Registry