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    Strang Problem with XP User Profile

    Discussion in 'Windows OS and Software' started by sitontheedge, Nov 19, 2008.

  1. sitontheedge

    sitontheedge Notebook Geek

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    Yesterday I had a very strange error occur with the primary (only) user profile on my Sony Viao. I restarted the computer and attempted to log into my account and the computer hung so that I had to reboot. Trying again I got in, but found that all my user settings and personal files were gone.

    After some poking around and a bit of hyperventilation, I found that windows wasn't reading my settings from "Documents and Setting/John" (my username is John), but from "Documents and Settings/TEMP". Rebooting didn't solve the problem, but I finally fixed it by changing the relevant registry keys.

    My question is this: what could cause such a strange error and what can I do to keep it from happening again?
     
    sitontheedge, Nov 19, 2008
    #1
  2. Silas Awaketh

    Silas Awaketh Notebook Deity

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    EDIT: Dang, you've already fixed it. I don't know what caused mine, or your, problem, but it hasn't resurfaced yet for me.



    .
     
    Silas Awaketh, Nov 19, 2008
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  3. CyberVisions

    CyberVisions Martian Notebook Overlord

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    Are you updating XP using Auto Update?
     
    CyberVisions, Nov 19, 2008
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  4. sitontheedge

    sitontheedge Notebook Geek

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    Yes, I've installed all useful updates (my anti-virus package is up to date too and didn't find any problems, in case somebody wonders).
     
    sitontheedge, Nov 19, 2008
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  5. Shyster1

    Shyster1 Notebook Nobel Laureate

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    Sounds like, for one reason or another, the system hung while it was loading, and the hard shutdown you did left it with corrupted user profile files. When you booted up the second time and logged in, the system decided it couldn't use the corrupted file, so it went with the default user profile.
     
    Shyster1, Nov 19, 2008
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  6. sitontheedge

    sitontheedge Notebook Geek

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    That sounds quite plausible--though when I fixed the registry myself nothing else in my profile seems to have been corrupted. At any rate, the problem hasn't reoccurred, so perhaps this was just a fluke.
     
    sitontheedge, Nov 20, 2008
    #6
  7. stewie

    stewie What the deuce?

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    stewie, Nov 21, 2008
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