I broke the logon screen (tried to replace the system file.)


  1. Posts : 3
    MI
       #1

    I broke the logon screen (tried to replace the system file.)


    I hope this is the right category for this thread, apologies in advance if it's not.

    So I was trying to replace the logon screen's system file, "authui.dll" with a custom file, I broke my computer's logon screen in the process. There's just a blank screen with a cursor in place of the logon screen, so I can't log into the computer to do a system restore. I can't even log into safe mode.

    Maybe when I saw the lock icon on the system file I shouldn't have attempted to switch users just to test it.

    A clean install is not an option (Unless I can access all my files from another computer and save them to an external drive frist.), I have all my important files on this computer. I should've thought about this more thoroughly.

    I don't have a windows 7 disk for system repair, could I do it with a USB stick? (And would my files be safe?)

    I'm not sure what I should do here.

    Thanks!
      My Computer


  2. Posts : 19,383
    Windows 10 Pro x64 ; Xubuntu x64
       #2

    On another Windows 7 computer create a system repair disk using this guide:

    System Repair Disc - Create

    Then attempt a system repair on your computer using this guide:

    Startup Repair
      My Computer


  3. Posts : 3
    MI
    Thread Starter
       #3

    Thanks for the tip. Will my files be safe this way?
      My Computer


  4. Posts : 3
    MI
    Thread Starter
       #4

    Thanks for your help, I finally managed to create a USB from the proper Windows 7 install. But the normal Startup Repair that you suggested doesn't work with what I'm trying to repair. Here's what the guide said:

    "Startup Repair will not repair unbootable systems caused by the following issues:
    • Malfunctioning firmware and other hardware components
    • Problems with clean Windows installations or Windows upgrades (for example, from Windows XP to Windows Vista)
    • Windows logon errors
    • Viruses and malicious software"

    I have no idea how to use the command prompt so I would need specific instructions on how to fix the system files, specifically the "authui.dll" file that I broke, I know it's this file specifically because I was messing with it. Do you know how to do it?

    I would feel much safer being able to plug the hard drive into my desktop and extract my important files from the drive then doing a fresh install. Especially because using the command prompt was one of the reasons I broke my operating system in the first place. (I have no knowledge of coding.) I tried plugging the drive into my desktop to do this, but I can't see the drive. How do I see the drive and it's files to extract them?

    Thanks for the help.
      My Computer


 

  Related Discussions
Our Sites
Site Links
About Us
Windows 7 Forums is an independent web site and has not been authorized, sponsored, or otherwise approved by Microsoft Corporation. "Windows 7" and related materials are trademarks of Microsoft Corp.

© Designer Media Ltd
All times are GMT -5. The time now is 01:54.
Find Us