Problems with XP Home Edition

[sid.fontenot550]

I have a user that has a PC at home with XP home addition. Last night as it was booting a dialog box came up with the message "cannot load user profile" and it shuts down. I am not familiar with XP at all and was wondering if you might have an answer?

[mjfarrell]

This might sugest that they need to apply ALL service patches to XP Home
and to whatever AutoDesk product you are running, as AutoDesk's products
are only LOGO compatible with XP home, that is the main reason for the
release and sale of AutoCAD 2004 (full XP compatibility)
Also verify that the user installed the application under the login you were
using an not Administrator, or the other way around.

The following is from Microsoft support:

CAUSE
This behavior can occur if the current user profile is damaged.
WORKAROUND
To work around this issue, create a new user profile. To do so, follow these steps:
Create a new user account that has the same rights and group memberships as the current user account with the damaged profile.
Log off the computer.
Log on to the computer by using the new user account that you created in step 1.
Log off the computer.
Log on to the computer as Administrator or with a user account that has administrative permissions.
Start Windows Explorer, and then locate the following folder
drive:\Documents and Settings

where drive is the drive on which Windows is installed.

The damaged user profile is contained in a folder that has the same name as the user account.
Copy the data that you want from the damaged user profile folder to the folder that has the name of the new user who you created in step 1.

NOTE: Make sure that all system files and hidden files are displayed in Windows Explorer before you copy the files.
Log off the computer.
Log on to the computer as the new user.
Confirm that the profile data was successfully copied from the damaged profile, and that you can start Word.
Log off the computer.
Log on to the computer as Administrator or with a user account that has administrative permissions.
Start Windows Explorer, locate and then right-click the following folder
drive:\Documents and Settings\UserProfile

where drive is the drive on which Windows is installed, and UserProfile is the name of the damaged user profile. Click Delete, and then click Yes to confirm the folder deletion.
Right-click the folder that contains the name of the new user who you created in step 1, and then click Rename.
Type the name of the user account that had the damaged user profile, and then press ENTER.
Log off Windows.
Log on to the computer by using the original user account that had the damaged profile.
MORE INFORMATION
For additional information about how to create a new user profile in Windows 2000, click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
305506 How to Identify a Damaged User Profile and Create a New Profile

For additional information about how to create a new user profile in Windows XP, click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
318011 Error Message: Windows Cannot Load Your Profile Because It May Be Corrupted

[sid.fontenot550]

Thanks for the reply, but what if he can not get back on the PC because after the error message appears the system shuts down?!?!?

[mjfarrell]

either boot windows to 'SAFE' mode and create a new user or....
there is a really handy LINUX boot disk out there that will
let you get at the user profiles and security hashes within XP
that might be of use to you.

[sid.fontenot550]

Okay. I will pass it along. Thanks.

[Ed Jobe]

You might also be able to get back in to xp using the following procedure.

To start the computer using the last known good configuration
Print these instructions before continuing. They will not be available after you shut down your computer in step 2.
Click Start, click Shut Down, and then, in the drop-down list, click Shut down.
In the Shut Down Windows dialog box, click Restart, and then click OK.
When you see the message Please select the operating system to start, press F8.
Use the arrow keys to highlight Last Known Good Configuration, and then press ENTER.
If you have a dual-boot or multiple-boot system, choose the installation that you need to access using the arrow keys, and then press ENTER.