CAUSE
This problem occurs if all the following conditions are true:
- More than one removable disk drive is connected to the computer.
- The removable disk drive that you want to select was not connected when you turned on the computer.
- You do not use the Windows XP Welcome screen to log on the computer. For example, you press CTRL+ALT+DELETE to log on the computer.
- You press CTRL+ALT+DELETE to start the Forgotten Password Wizard, or you try to log on to the computer and then start the Password Reset Wizard.
This problem occurs because the Windows Shell Common DLL component (Shell32.dll) stops disk drive information from correctly displaying the first time that information is requested. This information is required for the disk drive to display on the Windows desktop.
RESOLUTION
Hotfix information
A supported hotfix is now available from Microsoft, but it is only intended to correct the problem that is described in this article. Only apply it to systems that are experiencing this specific problem. This hotfix may receive additional testing. Therefore, if you are not severely affected by this problem, we recommend that you wait for the next Windows XP service pack that contains this hotfix.
To resolve this problem immediately, contact Microsoft Product Support Services to obtain the hotfix. For a complete list of Microsoft Product Support Services telephone numbers and information about support costs, visit the following Microsoft Web site:
Note In special cases, charges that are ordinarily incurred for support calls may be canceled if a Microsoft Support Professional determines that a specific update will resolve your problem. The usual support costs will apply to additional support questions and issues that do not qualify for the specific update in question.
Prerequisites
To apply this hotfix, you must have Microsoft Windows XP Service Pack 2 (SP2) installed.
For more information, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
322389
How to obtain the latest Windows XP service pack
We recommend that you also apply the hotfix that is mentioned in the following Knowledge Base article:
894686 The Forgotten Password Wizard incorrectly backs up your password to the C drive, or you receive a "This disk is not a password reset disk" error message when you try to use the Password Reset Wizard to reset your password in Windows XP
Hotfix replacement information
This hotfix does not replace any other hotfixes.
File information
The English version of this hotfix has the file attributes (or later file attributes) that are listed in the following table. The dates and times for these files are listed in Coordinated Universal Time (UTC). When you view the file information, it is converted to local time. To find the difference between UTC and local time, use the
Time Zone tab in the Date and Time tool in Control Panel.
Date Time Version Size File name
---------------------------------------------------------
01-Sep-2005 01:44 6.0.2900.2751 8,452,608 Shell32.dll
WORKAROUND
You may be able to work around this problem by using one of the following methods:
Method 1: Restart the computer
Restart the computer with the removable disk drives connected. Then, try to back up or restore your password.
Method 2: Restart the Forgotten Password Wizard or the Password Reset Wizard
Quit and then restart the Forgotten Password Wizard or the Password Reset Wizard. One or more of the removable disk drives may then appear in the wizard.
Note You may have to restart the wizard one time for each removable disk drive that is connected.
Method 3: Start the Forgotten Password Wizard from Control Panel
Do not press CTRL+ALT+DELETE to start the Forgotten Password Wizard. Instead, use the User Accounts Control Panel item to start the wizard. To do this, follow these steps:
- Click Start, click Run, type control userpasswords, and then click OK.
- Click the account whose password you want to change, and then click Prevent a forgotten password.