Cannot repair corrupted user profile

Smirnoff · External Since: May 22, 2004 Posts: 194

XP Pro, SP3

I am attempting to repair my (suspected) corrupted user profile using the
advice given in:

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/555473

I create a new user (administrator) and log out of my old administrator
account

I then log into the new account, wait for settings to load and then log out
again.

As instructed, I then log back into my old account, right click My
Computer>Properties>Advanced>User Profile (Settings).

However, when I select my old/current user profile in an attempt to "Copy
to" the new account, the button is greyed out (along with the Delete
button).

Advice please?

Don Phillipson · External Since: Jan 09, 2009 Posts: 56

"Smirnoff" wrote in message

> XP Pro, SP3
>
> I am attempting to repair my (suspected) corrupted user profile using the
> advice given in:
>
> http://support.microsoft.com/kb/555473
> . . .

This URL points to http://support.microsoft.com/kb/326688
which recommends System Restore. But a faster method
is (1) creating a new Username from scratch,
(2) copying to the new Username all configurations we want
to reuse,
(3) testing the new Username (i.e. logging out and logging in
to the new Username)
(4) deleting the old damaged user profile (or instead, to be
ultra-prudent, Moving the damaged profile to a special
folder / Discard, so its contents remain available for
reuse or contemplation as we wish.)

Under /Documents and Settings we find a subfolder for every
named user, and usually at least three others more such as
/ All Users
and (possibly)
/Administrator.

The simplest way to restore a damaged user configuration is to
create a new user and copy into it good settings from other
personalities, first those of
/All Users
(e.g. the contents of subfolders / Admin Tools, / Desktop and so on)
and then the contents of the same subfolders from any other user
whose configuration we want to replicate. EXPLORER.EXE (My
Computer) enables this only if configured to display all files;
non-MS tools like PowerDesk make the task a little easier becaus
more visible, e.g. showing two or more subfolders simultaneously.)

Then follow ## 3 and 4 above: -- but / System Restore is even
faster (if it has been set on, and we know the date of a prior
configuration that suits us perfectly.)

--
Don Phillipson
Carlsbad Springs
(Ottawa, Canada)

Smirnoff · External Since: May 22, 2004 Posts: 194

"Don Phillipson" wrote in message

> "Smirnoff" wrote in message
>
>
>> XP Pro, SP3
>>
>> I am attempting to repair my (suspected) corrupted user profile using the
>> advice given in:
>>
>> http://support.microsoft.com/kb/555473
>> . . .
>
> This URL points to http://support.microsoft.com/kb/326688
> which recommends System Restore. But a faster method
> is (1) creating a new Username from scratch,
> (2) copying to the new Username all configurations we want
> to reuse,
> (3) testing the new Username (i.e. logging out and logging in
> to the new Username)
> (4) deleting the old damaged user profile (or instead, to be
> ultra-prudent, Moving the damaged profile to a special
> folder / Discard, so its contents remain available for
> reuse or contemplation as we wish.)
>
> Under /Documents and Settings we find a subfolder for every
> named user, and usually at least three others more such as
> / All Users
> and (possibly)
> /Administrator.
>
> The simplest way to restore a damaged user configuration is to
> create a new user and copy into it good settings from other
> personalities, first those of
> /All Users
> (e.g. the contents of subfolders / Admin Tools, / Desktop and so on)
> and then the contents of the same subfolders from any other user
> whose configuration we want to replicate. EXPLORER.EXE (My
> Computer) enables this only if configured to display all files;
> non-MS tools like PowerDesk make the task a little easier becaus
> more visible, e.g. showing two or more subfolders simultaneously.)
>
> Then follow ## 3 and 4 above: -- but / System Restore is even
> faster (if it has been set on, and we know the date of a prior
> configuration that suits us perfectly.)
>
> --
> Don Phillipson
> Carlsbad Springs
> (Ottawa, Canada)
>
>
>
>

Thanks, I created another account and this enabled me to copy my user
profile to the original new account.

Apparently, you cannot copy a user profile when logged into that account
(the MS article did not explain that).

John John - MVP · External Since: Mar 06, 2009 Posts: 56

Smirnoff wrote:
> XP Pro, SP3
>
> I am attempting to repair my (suspected) corrupted user profile using
> the advice given in:
>
> http://support.microsoft.com/kb/555473
>
> I create a new user (administrator) and log out of my old administrator
> account
>
> I then log into the new account, wait for settings to load and then log
> out again.
>
> As instructed, I then log back into my old account, right click My
> Computer>Properties>Advanced>User Profile (Settings).
>
> However, when I select my old/current user profile in an attempt to
> "Copy to" the new account, the button is greyed out (along with the
> Delete button).
>
> Advice please?

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/811151
How to copy data from a corrupted user profile to a new profile in
Windows XP

John

sanjacstudent14 · External Since: Apr 02, 2010 Posts: 2

"Smirnoff" wrote:

> XP Pro, SP3
>
> I am attempting to repair my (suspected) corrupted user profile using the
> advice given in:
>
> http://support.microsoft.com/kb/555473
>
> I create a new user (administrator) and log out of my old administrator
> account
>
> I then log into the new account, wait for settings to load and then log out
> again.
>
> As instructed, I then log back into my old account, right click My
> Computer>Properties>Advanced>User Profile (Settings).
>
> However, when I select my old/current user profile in an attempt to "Copy
> to" the new account, the button is greyed out (along with the Delete
> button).
>
> Advice please?
>
>
> .
>

You may need to login as the admin through safe mode.

Create a New User Profile in Windows XP

1. Log in as admin or an account with admin permissions.
2. Select the windows START button and click CONTROL PANEL
3. Click USER ACCOUNTS
4. Select CREATE A NEW ACCOUNT. You may need to select pick a task first
5. Type in a new name for the account
6. Click create account and ensure it is an admin account.

Copy Files to the New User Profile

1. Log on as a user other than the user whose profile you are copying files
to or from.
2. In Windows Explorer, click Tools, click Folder Options, click the View
tab, click Show hidden files and folders, click to clear the Hide protected
operating system files check box, and then click OK.
3. Locate the C:\Documents and Settings\Old_Username folder, where C is the
drive on which Windows XP is installed, and Old_Username is the name of the
profile you want to copy user data from.
4. Press and hold down the CTRL key while you click each file and subfolder
in this folder, except the following files: Ntuser.dat, Ntuser.dat.log,
Ntuser.ini
5. On the Edit menu, click Copy.
6. Locate the C:\Documents and Settings\New_Username folder, where C is the
drive on which Windows XP is installed, and New_Username is the name of the
user profile that you created in the "Create a New User Profile" section.
7. On the Edit menu, click Paste.
8. Log off the computer, and then log on as the new user.

Sanix · External Since: Apr 11, 2010 Posts: 1

Use ReProfiler to repair the corrupted user profiles. I used it and was able
to repair two of my profile crashes:
http://www.technize.com/how-to-recover-corrupted-user-profiles-in-windows-2/

"Smirnoff" wrote:

> XP Pro, SP3
>
> I am attempting to repair my (suspected) corrupted user profile using the
> advice given in:
>
> http://support.microsoft.com/kb/555473
>
> I create a new user (administrator) and log out of my old administrator
> account
>
> I then log into the new account, wait for settings to load and then log out
> again.
>
> As instructed, I then log back into my old account, right click My
> Computer>Properties>Advanced>User Profile (Settings).
>
> However, when I select my old/current user profile in an attempt to "Copy
> to" the new account, the button is greyed out (along with the Delete
> button).
>
> Advice please?
>
>
> .
>

nanosani · External Since: Apr 11, 2010 Posts: 1

You can repair the user profile with ReProfiler. Read about it here:
http://tinyurl.com/y4g3nsc

It saved me with my two profile corruptions.

--
nanosani