Windows XP Problems if Your Profile Is Damaged (326688)
The information in this article applies to:
- Microsoft Windows XP Professional
- Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition
This article was previously published under Q326688 SYMPTOMS When you log on to your account, you may receive the
following error message: The system has recovered from a
serious error After you receive this error message, your documents
may be missing, and you may have to re-create your settings for Microsoft
Outlook, Microsoft Internet Explorer, and your Microsoft .NET
Passport. Note Your documents may still remain in the C:\Documents and
Settings\ old user name\My Documents folder, where
old user name is the name that you used for your
profile. CAUSE This issue may occur if your user profile is damaged. When
this occurs, Windows may create a new profile for you to use, but the new
profile does not reflect the "My Documents" folder that was used by the damaged
profile. Windows creates a new profile in the C:\Documents and
Settings\new user name folder, where
new user name is the name that Windows is now using
for your profile.RESOLUTION To resolve this issue:
- Locate your documents, and then back them up. Your
documents are in the C:\Documents and Settings\old user
name\My Documents folder.
- Locate your Favorites, and then back them up. Your
Favorites are in the C:\Documents and Settings\old user
name\Favorites folder.
- Click Start, point to All
Programs, point to Accessories, point to
System Tools, and then click System
Restore.
- In the Welcome to System Restore dialog
box, click Next.
- In the Select a Restore Point dialog box,
select a date on the calendar, and then select a restore point to restore your
computer to an earlier state.
- In the Confirm Restore Point selection
dialog box, confirm the selected restore point or the restoration. After you
confirm the selection, the restoration process starts, your computer restarts,
and you are prompted to log on.
- Log on to your usual user profile, and then confirm that
your computer has been restored correctly. If your computer has been restored
correctly, do not complete the remaining steps. If your computer has not been
restored correctly, go to the next step.
- Log off the computer, and then log on to the computer by
using the Administrator account, or an account with administrative
permissions.
Note The Administrator account is created automatically when you
install Windows XP. The Administrator account is the one you use when you first
set up a workstation or member server. You use this account before you create
an account for yourself. The Administrator account is a member of the
Administrators group on the workstation or member server. The Administrator
account can never be deleted, disabled, or removed from the Administrators
local group, ensuring that you never lock yourself out of the computer by
deleting or disabling all the administrative accounts. - Click Start, and then click
Control Panel.
- Click Performance and Maintenance, click
Administrative Tools, and then double-click Computer
Management.
- Important Before you continue with this step, make sure that you have
backed up your documents.
Right-click the damaged user account, and
then click Delete. - On the Action menu, click New
User.
- Type the appropriate information in the dialog box, and
then click to select or clear the following check boxes:
- User must change password at next
logon
- User cannot change password
- Password never expires
- Account is disabled
- Click Create, and then click
Close.
- Log off the computer, and then log on to the computer by
using the new account.
- Restore your documents and favorites from the backup you
made to the following folders
- C:\Documents and Settings\new user
name\My Documents
- C:\Documents and Settings\new user
name\Favorites
where new user name is the name
that Windows is now using for your profile. - Re-create your settings for Outlook, Internet Explorer, and
your .NET Passport.
STATUSMicrosoft
has confirmed that this is a problem in the Microsoft products that are listed
at the beginning of this article.
Modification Type: | Minor | Last Reviewed: | 4/29/2003 |
---|
Keywords: | kberrmsg kbprb KB326688 |
---|
|