User account corrupted, administrator account not accessible

[tiggerna]

My Windows7 suddenly displayed a default desktop. I then did an unsuccessful system restore, tried the undo and got stuck.

From there on, when I want to log in I end up at the error message "The user profile service failed the logon. User profile cannot be loaded".

I tried to activate the administrator account by using "net user administrator /active:yes". The command executes, but administrator never shows up on the login screen.

I cannot start Windows 7 in safe mode. A few seconds after the safe mode login screen appears the computer restarts automatically. No administrator account is listed here either.

I tried kb/947215, but only S-1-5-18, 19 and 20 show up (regedit from the command prompt, since I cannot log into Windows 7 in any mode.

The startup repair doesn't find a fault. What now? I want to avoid a clean install, if at all possible...

 

[seavixen32]

You could try a Repair Install: http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/3413-repair-install.html

 

[tiggerna]

Cannot log into Windows

The instructions start with
Step 1: Start Windows 7, long into an administrator account.
I can't do that.

I tried creating a new administrator account with net user /add useraccount. The account shows up when I run a subsequent net user query, but when I restart it is gone.

 

[seavixen32]

In the absence of any other ideas, a clean install may be your only option.

 

[tiggerna]

If I could somehow get Windows started, my options would increase tenfold. I have an old backup of the registry, I wonder what would happen if I recreated the
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\ProfileList\S-1-5-21-xxx
registry key.

 

[boohbah]

this is easily solved following the tutorial below, thanks to brink who saved my bacon with it a few months back.


User Profile Service failed the logon. User profile cannot be loaded. - Windows 7 Forums

 

[seavixen32]

Thanks for posting the link Julian, it's a fix I wasn't aware of.

 

[tiggerna]

Nope, I can't log in

Hey guys
Thanks for trying, but this is also not going to fly. I can't get into safe mode (for one or other reason the computer reboots before logging on), and even then I don't have the option of using an administrator account.
I can use regedit form the command prompt when using a repair disc, but it doesn't list a long S-1-5 key.

 

[boohbah]

mmm , tricky one this .
can you do a repair install, it will save your user folder to windows old, then you could move the contents back over to your new user folder.

Repair Install - Windows 7 Forums

 

[Kara777]

Understood

Thank you for the instructions and I will follow them. Will post problem tomorrow.

 

[tiggerna]

Repair/Install won't work either

Because you have to be logged in to do a repair install.

I did, however, find a workable solution: Pay someone with a good grasp of Linux to fix the problem :shock: I don't know what he did, but apparently Linux offers repair tools that Windows doesn't, and that did the trick.

So this is just to say my problem was fixable, but not with the standard Windows 7 tools at my disposal coupled with my inexperience.

Thanks to everybody who tried to help, I appreciate your time.

 

[boohbah]

good to hear you have your system back,
now to find out how it happened so you dont repeat the fault

 

[seavixen32]

Delighted to hear your problem has been solved.

Time for us to brush up our knowledge of Linux perhaps?

 

[Kara777]

Thank you for the reply, but, I don't no anyone with the knowledge of Linux and I can't afford to do that. I am glad that you are up and running again though. I have tried everything that I have read here for 3 wks now and it seems that nothing works for me. I am really not knowledgeable enough to mess around in the registry. I am thouroughly frustrated with this mess.
I can't even use my Administrator's acct to fix anything. Any other idea? Appreciate the help and patience with a novice.

 

[writhziden]

Kara777, perhaps if you start your own thread and give all details of your situation, someone will be able to better help you. It gets confusing trying to help multiple people within the same thread...