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Pc logs on then off again

Last answer on Sep 21, 2009 10:31:57 am BST rolla, on Oct 3, 2008 12:21:12 pm BST 
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Hello, my pc keeps saving all the settings then goes back to the log on screen when i try to turn it on,my desk top appears but no icons then the pc says saving all settings then goes back to log in screen,ive tried it in safe mode but does the same ..any help out there please
cheers rolla

Configuration: Windows XP
Internet Explorer 7.0

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1

griever09, on Oct 3, 2008 1:45:06 pm BST
  • +1

This is a case of a corrupted registry, there is no way that this can be resolved by just doing any repair since windows will not start anymore because the registry key for the logon has been either deleted or corrupted, reinstall windows.

   
Reply to griever09

2

rolla, on Oct 4, 2008 1:03:01 pm BST
  • +2

Hi,ive tried to reinstall windows but it wont read the disc just keeps saving settings then taking me back to log on screen
any ideas????
cheers

   
Reply to rolla

52

Othgrod, on Apr 5, 2009 11:12:36 pm BST
  • +4

All over the net, people say COPY USERINIT.EXE WSAUPDATER.EXE will fix the logon problem. It probably fixes alot of computers BUT IF IT DOESNT FIX THE LOGON PROBLEM FOR YOU, Read PRBatman's message about changing the drive letter to the CD drive (D or E), etc, it worked for me when nothing else would.

   
Reply to Othgrod

3

rolla, on Oct 4, 2008 4:42:47 pm BST
  • +14

Hi all, thanks for the help but i finally cracked it yeeeeeeeeeeeeeha
thanks again
rollarizla

   
Reply to rolla

4

hapless, on Oct 5, 2008 5:15:42 pm BST
  • +2

Can you share how you sorted your windows log-on log-off problem? I am having the same and it is driving me crazy

   
Reply to hapless

75

Nagarajan, on Apr 29, 2009 2:07:03 pm BST

I have quoted below your query from Kioskea, back in Oct. 2008.

"Hello, my pc keeps saving all the settings then goes back to the log on screen when i try to turn it on,my desk top appears but no icons then the pc says saving all settings then goes back to log in screen,ive tried it in safe mode but does the same ..any help out there please
cheers rolla

Configuration: Windows XP
Internet Explorer 7.0"


Can you please let me know hoe you ficed the problem ?

I am having the same problem now.

Thanks.

- R. Nagarajan

   
Reply to Nagarajan

76

PRBatman, on May 1, 2009 6:31:10 am BST

Najaran,

Please carefully read all my different replies with suggestions and solutions in this thread, I am sure that you will solve your problem. Good luck.

PRBatman

   
Reply to PRBatman

5

link, on Oct 20, 2008 11:29:18 am BST
  • +26

Im having the exact same problem as you, i'd like to know how you fixed it. >.< without reformating the computer, any help or tips would be greatly appreciated, thanks.

   
Reply to link

6

jules, on Oct 26, 2008 4:51:32 pm GMT
  • +1

You must reinstlall windows,but you must format your hard drive 1st ,deleting everything including old instalation of windows xp.do not in stall on top.

   
Reply to jules

103

Momo, on Jul 4, 2009 3:24:02 am BST
  • +1

How do I do that? reformat and delete the OS. I reformatted and my husband MESSSED my computer up.. there's like two XP OS's and Windows... I want EVERY THING gone. I have the OS Reinstallation CD.. I hope that doesn't need a Key because I don't have that... I have the drivers, utilities and app's CD. But I'm afraid to try it my self after what happened to my computer when my husband did it!

So how do I reformat step by step...

I have so many corrupted files and registry errors. It takes me like... forever to do anything on it and I seem to be installing all the time.. it keeps asking me to install this and that.. drivers for stuff that are no longer there. anyways if you can help me that would be GREAT! It was slow and stuff before.. so I reformated it... now its REALLLY worse. My husband had like the OS on a cd..... Moved programs to the external and I think he missed parts of it or something. And If I dont have the registration for it.. how do I get it?

   
Reply to Momo

7

billy, on Oct 30, 2008 5:32:12 pm GMT

I am having the same problem with XP Pro. I went through a major hassle reinstalling the OS, only to have the same thing happen in less than a hour. I just discovered that my "C" drive Is renaming itself "D".

   
Reply to billy

8

JD, on Jan 12, 2009 12:01:14 am GMT
  • +1

Billy-

How did you fix?

Thanks for helping

   
Reply to JD

24

crystal, on Mar 16, 2009 11:25:13 pm GMT
  • +1

Yes my computer is doing the same will you please send me how do fix it step by step thank you

   
Reply to crystal

28

PRBatman, on Mar 19, 2009 5:37:52 pm GMT
  • +26

Hello Crystal, I'm posting the solution here for you again.

SOLUTION: This solution might or might not work for everyone but it did for me. (I am assuming that your Windows installation is in C:\Windows) Enter to your Windows emergency recovery console via ur boot menu. If you dont have it, then you need to boot with your Windows CD. To do that, some bioses let you press [F8] when u see the post screen to pick boot media or just go into Bios and change boot order so you boot from the CD first. Once you get to the first menu, press R for recovery console. Pick the OS you want to boot in (usually C:\windows), and enter your administrator password. If you don't have one or can't remember if you do, just hit [enter]. Then, once you get the C:\Windows> prompt, (I am assuming that your CD drive is letter E, but change to your CD drive letter accordingly) type:"EXPAND E:\i386\userinit.ex_ C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM32" without the quotes and it doesn't have to be in caps. This should put a fresh copy of userinit.exe into your windows installation. After this just type EXIT and hit [enter] and you will reboot automatically and hopefully you will be on your way back to your precious desktop >;)

I hope this info helps some people. Thanks for your attention. PRBatman

   
Reply to PRBatman

35

popsac, on Mar 24, 2009 3:48:19 pm GMT
  • +1

PRBatman, You are the man! Thanks!

   
Reply to popsac

44

Shanky, on Mar 28, 2009 5:53:50 am GMT
  • +2

Thanx buddy......................i was facingthe same prob..........
& from ur idea i got a different idea...........helped me alot.

   
Reply to Shanky

49

Raja, on Apr 2, 2009 2:04:13 am BST
  • +1

Hi,

I was about to format my computer HDD and also wondering how to take back-up for all my important data which are more than 160GB.

I got your fix and tried... within five minutes it has been resolved....

Thanks a lot... "Your solution is extremely helpful"...

CHEERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Raja

   
Reply to Raja

50

Othgrod, on Apr 3, 2009 1:32:16 am BST
  • +2

Thank you PRBatman. Anyone out there who has had the automatic log off problem with windows XP (put in your password and are logged off right away) and have tried the "copy userinit.exe wsaupdater.exe" fix to no avail, try this one from PRBatman. Make sure you put a space between the "ex_ and the C. " Thanks again.

   
Reply to Othgrod

51

Raja, on Apr 4, 2009 1:49:04 am BST

Hi,

I have tried with your fix and got it resolved on Thrsday(04/02/09). After working a while, logged off.

Again turned on my PC, got the same issue....unable to logon.

Tried the same solution.. still luck.. (deleted userinit.exe, renamed it...NO LUCK)

how do i proceed now?

With Regards,

Raja

   
Reply to Raja

53

PRBatman, on Apr 6, 2009 6:07:22 am BST

Hello Raja,

It seems to me that if you were able to solve your problem and now you have it again, you might have a case of a virus/trojan infection.

   
Reply to PRBatman

54

PRBatman, on Apr 6, 2009 7:07:12 am BST

Hello Raja,

It seems to me that if you were able to solve your problem and now you have it again, you might have a case of a virus/trojan infection. I know because I have been through it. Some trojans only infect your .EXE files in your computer, so what could be happening is that when your anti-virus program detects that your userinit.exe is infected, it moves it to quarantine or it deletes it. So then, you have the same login problem all over again. It is the only thing that I can think of right now.

A trojan like the non-destructive but infamous W32.Virut.## (the ## is for the version or mutation) is estimated to have infected up to 30% of the PC's in the world and half of the people don't even know it. My Grisoft AVG antivirus didn't even see it when I got infected with it last February. This trojan will infect all of the .exe and .scr files in your computer faster than a common cold in a day care center. So even if you place a fresh copy of any .exe from a CD back into your hard disk, IT WILL GET INFECTED AGAIN. When the .exe's get infected they place a rootkit inside NTDLL.DLL to modify its coding to take control of all the network section of your computer and make it dial some bogus servers owned by the creator of the virus somewhere in China. That way the hacker will zombify your computer and take control over it and theoretically have access to all the information stored inside.

I recommend you download and install the best free Anti-virus software out there that effectively detects W32.Virut.##, Avira AntiVir goto www.free-av.com. Goto options first, pick to use smart detection, set heuristics to medium or high, pick to run all the recommended extensions, all recommended disk areas, compressed files, etc. Put in the Automatic test to quarantine. This will remove the infected files but will give you the option to put any back where it belongs in case is an important file for Windows to work. Also run the RootKit finder test.

If you do have this trojan, then you have 2 options: either you reformat your drive and reinstall Windows and all your programs, or if you are like me, where reformatting is NOT an option, you have to use another tool to cure the infection. The program is called DrWeb Cure-It; sorry I don't have a link for your at this moment, but you can search for it in Yahoo. This program is not a cure-all but it is the only program I have found in the world that cures around 85% of the files infected by W32.Virut.##. It is not recommended to run it from the infected hard disk. Instead, you should make a Universal Boot CD for Windows XP and include the DrWeb Cure-It when you burn the disk. Another choice would be to use the UBCD for Windows XP and then run the DrWeb Cure-It from a pen drive. The idea is to isolate the hard disk so the infection doesn't keep spreading. The hard drive becomes sort of a slave drive. After you run DrWeb Cure-iT for the whole drive, turn off the computer totally for 10 seconds, including turning the power supply switch off on the back or unplugging it from the wall. This trojan is known to reside in memory and survive a reboot and even survive more than 5 seconds after turning off the computer (I know, it sounds like a science fiction/SkyNet sort of thing, lol). After that, boot in to UBCD again and do a second scan again of all the hard disk to make sure it is totally clean.

I hope this info helps you in case of an infection, if not, then I hope it helps other people out there who might not be aware of what is happening to their precious machine. Thanks for the attention.

PRBatman

   
Reply to PRBatman

57

vic, on Apr 9, 2009 6:36:53 am BST

Hi this is going to sound weird but i have this problem and i saw ur solution but am havin trouble gettn to recovery console im actually typing using a ps3 if u could call my cell and help me i can pay u i have my newborns photos on my drive and cant afford to reformat please call me anytime so u can walk me through (310)967-9362 ask 4 victor PLEASE PLZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ HELP ME

   
Reply to vic

58

PRBatman, on Apr 9, 2009 11:39:43 am BST

Hello Vic,

Just read all my replies in this post; you will find the answer. You can use F8 when the computer boots, since u might have the recovery console already installed in your hard drive, you can use a Windows CD; if your is damaged or you don't have one you can have someone lend you one. Just read everything carefully and follow the steps. As a last resort, you can always put your disk in another computer and get your data and photos out.

Good Luck,

PRBatman

   
Reply to PRBatman

60

Victor, on Apr 12, 2009 12:12:20 am BST

I have the recovery console cd however it says access denied what do i do i followed ur solution

   
Reply to Victor

63

Victor Valentine, on Apr 12, 2009 6:11:40 am BST

First Off Thank You All For Trying To Help, And You Did.
This has been a real pain in my arse, For Almost 3 Days Now,

After Having Read All The Solutions, Which all are alike,
Like Most of you, Getting "ACCESS DENIED" When Trying To Copy "userinit file" to my c: drive.
I became frustrated and only surfed the internet longer and longer, using various keywords, which are many that described my situation.

To only come back to the same solution, Scatters through out the net.

Also, The 2nd solution i read, Which had something to do with " = AllowallPaths = true "
Which also didnt work, Which made matters worste.

Because that couldnt be edited unless, You could access your desktop, Which in this case Well....you obviously cannot.

Having of banging my head around and thinking about how bad life really was without a computer for a few days, I desprately kept searching to only find one solution that actually worked for me.

Winternals ERD Commander,
I used the 2005 version. But you can use anyone.

I burned the iso image of it, Using ImgBurn

It's automatically bootable, Then i poped in my drive,
and waited for the program to guide me through.

When your server or workstation wonÃĒïŋ―ïŋ―t boot, you need ERD Commander 2007. ERD Commander 2007 boots dead systems directly from CD into a Windows-like repair environment. YouÃĒïŋ―ïŋ―ll have full access to the dead systemÃĒïŋ―ïŋ―s volumes, so you can diagnose and repair problems using tools located on the ERD Commander 2007 Start menu. And youÃĒïŋ―ïŋ―ll have built-in network access to safely move data off of, or on to, the dead system. With ERD Commander 2007 you can repair a system quickly and easily, saving you time and rescuing your critical data.

more information about this program and a link to get it is at:

http://www.nilland.com/2008/05/28/winternals-erd-commander-2007.html

Anyways, What i did to fix my problem, well sort of... is

I got my mother in law's laptop, got my cruzer usb flash drive, copy the userinit file from that laptop

And booted up erd commander, opened the start menu and well... went to the c:/windows/system32 folder
and copied the new userinit file from that drive, to my corrupted drive, and i booted up the computer, and hey it went past the welcome screen, However the screen is black and i cant see my desktop

But after days of vain, this is a breeze, not a real problem, as well im typing now on my corrupted computer
best thing is, i had this no desktop problem before, and can fix it with no sweat, also, i can see all my precious important data, and save it

Which brings me to another point, Once u guys fix your problem, always do daily back ups, get dvds, 10 should be enough, or dvd-RW, and anytime u update things, or add new things to your pc, save it to a rewritable disc, save time and money, and your A##

now this may or may not be a solution, however it worked for me, and that for the record "is the craftiest virus ive seen yet"
and yes i mean crafty, Took some simple brains to do that, yet was so unexpectedly found.


Good luck, and this is not meant to mean any disrespect or any judgement upon anyone's solution, in fact thank you, and good job, this site is awsome, also

i encourage you all to try every solution, because all pc's are infected diffrently.

just know YOU DONT ALWAYS HAVE TO DELEATE OR REFORMAT YOUR HARD DRIVE, BECAUSE OF AN ANNOYING VIRUS, think of this as a challenge, and CHALLENGE THE VIRUS, FIGHT IT! and at last CONQUER it!!

Petty HaXoRs1337 Are just foolish children at heart, Begging out for attention, They dont realize they can seriously ruin a person's life, Lots of people have important things on there computers, Even though i do to, i believe we shouldnt rely on computers to do everything for us, its as vulnerable as a glass of water, on a cold day, in an opera hall.

GOOD LUCK, GREAT SITE, SOLUTION FOUND******* THANK YOU ALL****** GOD BLESS!!

   
Reply to Victor Valentine

65

PRBatman, on Apr 14, 2009 4:45:37 am BST

Victor,

I am happy that you finally found the solution. But I have to tell you that the access denied problem might have been that you were probably entering the command incorrectly. You have to leave a space before and after the = sign. There is nothing to edit in the desktop and obviously you cannot access it. When you enter the Recovery console, you only get default access to C:\Windows> and to D: or E: whichever is your CD drive. If you want to access other paths than those, you have to use the Set AllowAllPaths = True to allow access to the whole drive. If you would have followed exactly all the different alternatives that I give, you should have been able to solve it one way or the other. Good luck.

PRBatman

   
Reply to PRBatman

66

Victor Valentine, on Apr 14, 2009 4:56:17 am BST

No i actually did follow all your solution's, Nothing worked.
I entered each command, Carefully and Correct.

And i already knew about the space between =
I have read every single reply in this topic, As well as everybody else who is desprate for a solution.

I Entered the commands, Everyway possible, To make sure i didnt enter it wrong.
ERD commander, Built me a mini desktop, Which allowed me to enter into my windows folder,
And from there i replaced the exe, with a fresh one from my flash drive,

When done, i got past the welcome screen, Where i was then stuck with a blank desktop
I then resolved that, just about an hour ago, by deleating an internet explorer exe in a registry.

It shouldnt have been there, I also found the solution on this site, IT worked like a charm
For days i have been struggling, Reading your solutions, and replies, Over and over and over...

There is no way, i couldnt comprehend that correctly, Trust me.

Even with my desktop back,. i edited the registry to allow copying and what not, via recovery console,
Just to be safe, for the future,

It still doesnt work
I typed gpedit, to save new settings, entered console, set AllowAllPaths = True

"access denied" , i gave up, and did give up, its useless
and for windows to make this that difficult, and almost impossible to edit, when a computer wont boot
just pisses me off.

So thank you, however you misunderstood and prejudged me, i did do everything correctly, and then some.
And i appreciate, all your kind help, and your solutions, your knowledge, impresses me.

Vic

   
Reply to Victor Valentine

102

imran, on Jun 27, 2009 8:56:08 am BST

Hey man i have got the same no desktop problem how did u fix that please send me reply

   
Reply to imran

85

mooge, on May 7, 2009 7:57:42 pm BST

Thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthan­kyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyou­thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthan­kyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyou­thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthan­kyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyou­thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthan­kyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyou­thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthan­kyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyou­thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthan­kyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyou­thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthan­kyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyou­thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthan­kyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyou­thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthan­kyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyou­thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthan­kyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyou­thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthan­kyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyou­thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthan­kyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyou­thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthan­kyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyou­thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthan­kyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyou­thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthan­kyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyou­thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthan­kyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyou­thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthan­kyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyou­thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthan­kyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyou­thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthan­kyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyou­thankyou

   
Reply to mooge

95

zorch1969, on May 23, 2009 1:57:58 am BST

I have followed all of the steps, but have the following message come up when using the "SET" command...

"The SET command is currently disabled. The SET command is an optional recovery console command that can only be enabled by using the security configuration and analysis snap-in"

Cna you help with this?

Thanks,

Zorch1969

   
Reply to zorch1969

97

Rob, on Jun 7, 2009 2:55:31 pm BST

Hi ive seen your posts and im having the same problem.

I bought my computer with windows xp already on

when i run the xp cd it asks me for my administrator password but i dont know it
then when i click enter without putting a password after 3 hits, it restarts my pc

i cant run the recovery without the password and i cant log in cause it just logs be right back out again

any suggestions

Thanks
Rob

   
Reply to Rob

98

Suren, on Jun 11, 2009 4:54:04 am BST

Thank u.. its very helpful solution... thank you..

   
Reply to Suren

9

Mr.Antivirus, on Jan 14, 2009 5:15:33 pm GMT

Hi I agree that the only way to fix this is to format and reinstall. If possible save your data using another pc. As far as your hard drive renaming itself to d: more than likely you have a smartcard device or media reader that takes a drive letter. It is best to uninstall these devices and other hard drives before you format and install xp / vista. The installer for xp has a tendancy to put volume information on both hard drives, and may choose odd drive letters for the main drive when these guys are present.

Good day

   
Reply to Mr.Antivirus

10

kkbking, on Feb 15, 2009 6:52:02 pm GMT

When i go to reinstall windows xp it says could not find hard disk driver(or some thing like that) i need help thx

   
Reply to kkbking

64

Victor Valentine, on Apr 12, 2009 6:16:19 am BST

I DONT AGREE WITH MR ANTIVIRUS

(: SORRY tHAT'S JUST NOT TRUE"

   
Reply to Victor Valentine

11

savanna, on Feb 16, 2009 1:48:01 am GMT

I have the same problem but i dont have the windows to do that with please helpp mee! my dad will kill me if i dont get it fixed!!!!!!

   
Reply to savanna

12

cadavra, on Feb 18, 2009 5:48:34 pm GMT

Download ERD Commander, burn it, boot to it, and follow instruction number 1.

1:
Click Start, Run and type REGEDIT. Navigate to:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \ SOFTWARE \ Microsoft \ WindowsNT \ CurrentVersion \ Winlogon

In the right-pane, change the value of Userinit to "C:\WINDOWS\system32\userinit.exe,"

Type the above value exactly as given, including the comma - exclude the quotes. Also, change the path to userinit.exe appropriately if Windows is installed in a different drive.

Close Registry Editor and restart Windows. The Quick Launch settings should be retained now.


If the issue persists, download recovery console (http://www.thecomputerparamedic.com/files/rc.iso) burn it, boot to it, and follow the instructions below.

2:
Enter the Recovery Console

Boot the system using the Windows XP CD-ROM. In the first screen when the Setup begins, read the instructions press "R" (in the first screen) enter the Recovery Console. Type-in the built-in Administrator password to enter the Console. You'll see the prompt reading C:\Windows (Or any other drive-letter where you've installed XP)

Type the following command and press Enter.

CD SYSTEM32
(If that does not work, try CHDIR SYSTEM32)

COPY USERINIT.EXE WSAUPDATER.EXE

Quit Recovery Console by typing EXIT and restart Windows.

You'll be able to login successfully as you've created the wsaupdater.exe file (now, a copy of userinit.exe)


Enjoy

   
Reply to cadavra

13

admiral, on Feb 21, 2009 10:09:29 pm GMT

Can I reinstall windows XP and still save my data.
If not haow can I do it?

   
Reply to admiral

14

pioneer, on Feb 24, 2009 9:53:28 am GMT

In fact the only way to instal windows without loosing your data is not recommended bu microsoft itself that is by instal afresh(new) vesion of windows in another drive or in a new folder in the same drive containing old windows so you should choose not to format the drive(keep current)

   
Reply to pioneer

15

crage, on Feb 25, 2009 4:01:16 pm GMT

I had the same issue on a client's pc (windows xp pro)
read this and a microsoft thread
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/555648

i ended up accessing their hdd using a usb adapter on my machine (also windows xp pro) and replacing the userinit.exe in c:\windows\system32 (actually mine wasnt a replace it was an add because the userinit.exe was missing)
you can expand from the xp disk if you have it and use it to boot to recovery console but for reasons unknown this method was not letting me expand the file

anyways after i added the file in a put the hdd back in their pc and it booted to windows first try and had no other (related) issues

   
Reply to crage

62

victor, on Apr 12, 2009 1:10:23 am BST

I have tried everyones solution on this site and across the net, and when entering commands to replace the files i recieve access is denied, and when using the set allallpaths = true i get a message saying its disabled, and i cannot enable this function specifically because i cannnot access m desktop which makes matters worste, however

ur solution seem to be related to mine, correct?
u couldnt replace any files, u could get any access

so how can i go about this, keep in mind, format is not an option, i have to many critical files

please help me, if i give u my phone number can u help me?
c
310-967-9362
victor,

this means the world to me, my years of work are on this pc, and my familys documents, photos, etc

i will pay money if u want! please help!

   
Reply to victor

21

whobdis, on Mar 14, 2009 11:43:55 am GMT

Thanks a bunch for the help..I've been on so many sites looking for help
it's ridiculous. My registry was ok but it pointed me in the right direction.
My userinit was gone (virus). Copied one from my laptop and it works.
The ER Commander is valuable.

   
Reply to whobdis

16

PRBatman, on Feb 27, 2009 9:34:49 pm GMT
  • +3

Hello all,

I had the same problem today when I did a repair installation with my Windows XP SP1 disk. My computer was badly infected this week by a rootkit amongst other crap. I still had explorer.exe, userinit.exe and spoolsv.exe infected according to Combofix. So I decided to delete them from the repair console and let the repair installation put them back in. When I put my windows XP setup disk in, it did not recognize that it had a Windows installation on the hard disk. So I figured that it needed explorer.exe at least to recognize this fact. I expanded the file from the Windows CD through Emergency Repair console and put it back in C:\Windows.

Ok, everything fine so far, I did get the repair Windows installation option in setup and proceeded with it. Now, here is where the problem comes. After it finished installing, it did not ask me to register Windows again apparently since it was a repair, but when it tried to enter the desktop, it kicked me back to log-in screen. >:( So then, I remembered that I had deleted userinit.exe, which is needed to let the user into Windows, since in the past I had a similar situation where it got corrupted and I had to put it back in where it belongs. The point is: if userinit.exe gets deleted or corrupted it can cause this problem in certain situations. There is no need to format or do a full fresh installation of Windows where you lose your precious programs or at least all your shortcuts to your programs.

SOLUTION: This solution might or might not work for everyone but it did for me. (I am assuming that your Windows installation is in C:\Windows) Enter to your Windows emergency recovery console via ur boot menu. If you dont have it, then you need to boot with your Windows CD. To do that, some bioses let you press [F8] when u see the post screen to pick boot media or just go into Bios and change boot order so you boot from the CD first. Once you get to the first menu, press R for recovery console. Pick the OS you want to boot in (usually C:\windows), and enter your administrator password. If you don't have one or can't remember if you do, just hit [enter]. Then, once you get the C:\Windows prompt, type: CD SYSTEM32 and hit [enter]; you should now be in C:\Windows\System32>. Next, type D: or E: or whichever is the letter for your CD drive where the Windows XP disk is located. Once there, (let's assume is E:) type: CD I386 and hit [enter]; you should now be in E:\I386>. Now type: EXPAND userinit.ex_ C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM32 and hit [enter]. This should put a fresh copy of userinit.exe on your windows installation. After this just type EXIT and hit [enter] and you will reboot automatically and hopefully you will be on your way back to your precious desktop >;)

I hope this info helps some people. Thanks for your attention. PRBatman

P.S. btw, I recommend to download this fantastic program ComboFix and run it on your computer, it will get rid of most spywares, virii, worms, trojans, and rootkits known to date; its free, but read instructions prior to using it and even if you are clean, it will at least install the Windows recovery console as a boot selection in your hard disk in case you don' t have it.

   
Reply to PRBatman

18

grateful, on Mar 5, 2009 4:22:54 am GMT

Thanks a lot. logged into my pc again and it worked like a dream! so grateful for your help. Please keep on doing such great things

   
Reply to grateful

19

nights, on Mar 5, 2009 5:36:36 pm GMT

Please where do I find one of those disk? I dont have one and My computer doing the same thing..I know its a wicked virus. The bad thing is I can see my HD data using 2 HDs but my documents is password protected so it wouldnt let me see my pictures which is the thing I fear the most losing..PLEASE HELP!!

   
Reply to nights

20

Nights, on Mar 10, 2009 5:29:29 pm GMT
  • +1

YAY!!! thank you so very much. My userinit.exe was deleted by my anti virus scan. I use 2 HD's and I searched for it in windows folder and nothing appeared so I just drag the userinit.exe from my old HD and put it on the one with the problem and sign on..now I'm on once again!!! THANX A MILLION! your tip and help save my pictures and all my personal info.

P.S. when you drag things from one HD to another its makes a duplicate and puts that one on the other HD. So no worries when you do that. Your old HD will still have the original it on.

   
Reply to Nights

22

tanya, on Mar 15, 2009 12:36:54 pm GMT

hey i am getting the same problem .. was trying to use your tip using CD 1386 but it cannot find the file or directory specified
cant go further than after changing the cd drive it's not doing anything further when i enter cd 1386
please help !!

   
Reply to tanya

23

PRBatman, on Mar 16, 2009 5:03:39 pm GMT

Hello Tanya:

I am assuming that you got inside the recovery console after pressing R.

First, are you able to switch to your CD (D:, E:, F: drive) ?

Second, once you are in the main folder of your CD drive it should look like "E:\>" without the quotes or D:\> or F:\>; whichever letter your CD/DVD drive is.

Third, to switch to the subfolder type "CD i386" without the quotes and a space in between. Also i noticed in your message you typed "CD 1386", notice is the letter i not a number 1

The other thing you can do if you are sure you have your windows CD inside your drive is to just try to expand it from C:\Windows> by typing the following which is a bit longer (i'm assuming again that your CD is letter E: so switch accordingly): "expand E:\i386\userinit.ex_ C:\windows\system32" without the quotes. If it asks you to overwrite type Y and that should put a fresh and healthy copy of userinit.exe back where it belongs.

Hope this help. Good luck!

PRBatman

   
Reply to PRBatman

25

kevin, on Mar 18, 2009 3:59:38 am GMT

Hi i can follow all the steps but after i type in to expand userinit.exe it says that my access is denied. can you help?

   
Reply to kevin

30

PRBatman, on Mar 19, 2009 6:26:38 pm GMT

Hello Kevin,

That is weird because if you have administrator rights it should let you copy from CD. That usually happens when you try to copy from another folder other than C:\windows or your CD drives. I assume that you were able to log into the Recovery Console. Anyhow, first of all try to do it from C:\windows>_ (i will be assuming that your CD drive letter is E:, switch accordingly to D: or F: and that you have your windows CD inside the drive already). Type:

EXPAND E:\i386\userinit.ex_ C:\windows\system32

Please notice that it is .ex_ NOT .exe and there is a space between _ and C.

If you still get an access denied message enter the following command on C:\Windows>_ prompt:

SET AllowAllPaths = True (leave a space before and after the equal sign)

Then try the EXPAND command once again. Hope this helps. Good Luck!

   
Reply to PRBatman

32

kevin, on Mar 19, 2009 11:27:36 pm GMT

Wow that fixed it. thank you so much! i really appreciate all the help

   
Reply to kevin

61

victor, on Apr 12, 2009 12:42:02 am BST

I HAVE TRIED EVERYBODYS SOLUTIONS HERE, I JUST KEEP GETTING ACCESS DENIED, FIRST OFF I DONT HAVE A PASSWORD TO BEGIN WITH, 2ND, IT NEVER ASKED ME FOR ONE, 3RD
I SET THE COMMAND, SET ALLOW ALL PATHS = TRUE , BLAH, I HAVE REALLY IMPORTANT FILES, OVER 30ESGB THAT I NEED, AND CANNOT AFFORD TO FORMAT MY COMPUTER, THERE HAS TO BE A WAY, FOR EVERY PROBLEM THERE IS A SOLUTION, IT MIGHT NOT BE EASY, BUT THERE IS A FIX, AND I NEED THE FIX,

WHAT CAN I DO, TO GET AROUND THIS ACCESS DENIED, OR THE SET COMMAND IS CURRENTLY DISABLED, I CANT GO INTO ANY SERVICES.MSC, OR MSCONFIG, TO FIX OR CHANGE ANY SETTINGS, SO WHY THE HACK DOES WINDOWS DO THIS? IT GETS ME SO ANGRY, ITS MY PC, AND I SHOULD BE ABLE TO ACCESS IT, ITS FUNNY HOW THEY SELL A PC, WITH LIMITED ACCESS, IM SO ANGRY,

PLEASE HELP ME MAN, U HAVE NO IDEA WHAT KIND OF FILES I CAN LOSE, IF THIS SOLUTION DOESNT WORK


ARRR

\ARRRR!

   
Reply to victor

43

Betty, on Mar 26, 2009 7:39:15 pm GMT

Okay, so I got landed with fixing this very nasty virus on my hubbie's PC... and have spent much time cruising around the internet for good advice on a fix. MANY, MANY thanks PRBatman for your excellent advice and guidance!! 10/10.

   
Reply to Betty

17

tykjen, on Mar 4, 2009 10:46:45 am GMT

Thanks a bunch PRBateman, made my month with that tip.

   
Reply to tykjen

26

colasus, on Mar 18, 2009 6:50:24 pm GMT

I did everything you guys have said and im still getting an error message. When I type CD I386 after E:, it says cd not in drive or can't read from disk, one or the other can't remember im at work now. Also when I try to type the long quotes with the userinit.exe, it says file not found. Can you guys help me out?

   
Reply to colasus

27

colasus, on Mar 18, 2009 6:51:51 pm GMT

Sorry forgot to say i tried every other drive as well, D:, F:, and the same thing kept popping up

   
Reply to colasus

31

PRBatman, on Mar 19, 2009 6:58:32 pm GMT

Hello again Colasus:

I would like to point out that it is not .EXE it is .EX_ otherwise you will get a "file not found" message.

If you are able to switch to E: but you can't switch to cd i386 or get a "can't read from disk" error, then your drive lens could be dirty or your Windows CD could be damaged.

A second option for people who can't read from their CD drives or their Windows disk is damaged or they have a computer like an HP or Compaq that has the Windows pre-installed, is to get userinit.exe from within the same C:\Windows> folder, since Windows keeps its own backup copies when installing and upgrading Service Packs, etc. The only problem with this method is that those copies might be also be infected if you have or had a virus infection in your computer, as some trojans affect only .EXE files. Do this at your own risk and as a last resort to get into windows. The best way is to get a fresh copy of userinit.exe from a Windows CD-ROM; it can be from a borrowed one from a friend or neighbor even. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.

Once inside the Recovery Console from C:\Windows>_ prompt type:

COPY C:\Windows\ServicePackFiles\i386\userinit.exe C:\Windows\System32

if that doesn't work (meaning that the file was not found) try:

COPY C:\Windows\System32\DLLcache\userinit.exe C:\Windows\System32

and if that still doesn't work (still not found), try:

COPY C:\Windows\$NtServicePackUninstall$\userinit.exe C:\Windows\System32

Always leave a space between .EXE and C: And this time it IS .EXE not .EX_

Hope that helps more people having trouble to find this file. PRBatman

   
Reply to PRBatman

37

Galabobo, on Mar 25, 2009 10:59:11 am GMT

PRBATMAN, You are the man. I got my notebook to work. Thanks to your genious brian. I have also saved all the itunes music library. I cannot thank you eneough. You are the man!!!

   
Reply to Galabobo

45

EZ does it, on Mar 29, 2009 2:00:00 am BST

THANKS you saved me from a new install. you are the fn man thanks. The second one worked for me. I have a HP Compaq 6510Q

   
Reply to EZ does it

29

PRBatman, on Mar 19, 2009 5:46:06 pm GMT

Hello,

If that happens then your CD drive is not E:, try using D: or F:. But you really don't need to navigate to the CD in order to put a copy of userinit in your hard drive. Just type: "EXPAND E:\i386\userinit.ex_ C:\windows\system32" without the quotes and just change the letter to D: or F: if it doesn't work with E:, then type EXIT and the computer will reboot immediately.

Hope that helps. PRBatman

   
Reply to PRBatman

33

colasus, on Mar 20, 2009 1:27:13 am GMT

Hey Batman,

thanks for all your help but its still not working. Im getting these messages:

"The System Cannot Find the file specified"

and

"There is no floppy disk or CD in the drive"

I've got the Windows CD in and it works, along with any other CD so i dont understand that. Any other suggestions? If i reinstall windows will it delete everything?

   
Reply to colasus

34

Cathy, on Mar 20, 2009 9:27:59 am GMT
  • +1

Hello,
I seem to have the same issue with re-looping windows login screen not allowing me to my desktop (i think due to Antivirus 2008). I keep trying to reboot with Windows CD from F11 screen, but i get the same windows login screen and no prompt from the CD. When i attempt to login i get a short look at the desktop, then i get bumped back to the login screen as automatically logoff. I can not start in safe mode, can not do system restore (back to same windows login screen), and can not get into a Command screen because i can not login. Is there something i can download, burn and reboot with to help me?
Please Help!!!
Thank you
Cathy

   
Reply to Cathy

41

PRBatman, on Mar 26, 2009 3:38:34 am GMT

Hello Cathy,

Depending on your computer brand, the boot menu is accessed differently. Usually, all brand-name computers will boot up from the CD/DVD-ROM when they detect that is inside the drive. Computers like HP and Compaq can be forced to be booted from any drive when you press [ESC] really quick when you get the boot up screen for about 2 seconds where you also get the choice to press F10 for the BIOS setup. Other computers may use F1, F11, F8, etc. It all depends on the brand or if they are home-made clone PC's.

Anyhow if you can't still get to boot from the Windows CD, then your other choice is to enter your Motherboard BIOS when turning on the computer, by usually pressing, F10, F1, [DEL], [CTRL-DEL], etc. Look into your computer's manual to see how to get into the BIOS. Once in there, look for the option to change the booting order of your Hard and CD drives. Make the CD/DVD the first, second your hard drive or another CD/DVD drive and third your hard drive if you had 2 CD/DVD's drives. That will force the computer to boot from the CD/DVD driver first.

I have to also bring to your attention that when you boot from the Windows CD, you get a message on top of the screen saying: "Please press any key to boot from the Windows Setup CD....." If you don't press anything in about 5 seconds, Windows will not load the setup and will skip to the normal boot-up sequence from the hard disk. That might be why you always go back to the normal boot-up process and log-in screen.

If you do get into the recovery console, then look to my previous posts again so you do the rest of the process to restore the userinit.exe.

Good luck !

PRBatman

   
Reply to PRBatman

42

PRBatman, on Mar 26, 2009 3:55:46 am GMT

Hello Colasus,

I have several questions: Can you get into the Windows recovery console? Did you try the last resort method to copy the file from the hard disk itself using one of the 3 different locations I gave you? Here are the instructions again:

Once inside the Recovery Console from C:\Windows>_ prompt type:

COPY C:\Windows\ServicePackFiles\i386\userinit.exe C:\Windows\System32

if that doesn't work (meaning that the file was not found) try:

COPY C:\Windows\System32\DLLcache\userinit.exe C:\Windows\System32

and if that still doesn't work (still not found), try:

COPY C:\Windows\$NtServicePackUninstall$\userinit.exe C:\Windows\System32

Always leave a space between .EXE and C: And this time it IS .EXE not .EX_

If none of these 3 work, then you must copy the file from the Windows CD. Try changing the Windows CD to another CD drive if you have more than one. If you suspect that the CD is damaged, get one from a friend or neighbor and try copying the file again. Here is the command again:

EXPAND E:\i386\userinit.ex_ C:\windows\system32

Remember to change letter E: for D: or F: or G: depending on which is your CD/DVD drive. I have to point out that if you use virtual drives with software like Alcohol or Daemon tools, your CD/DVD drives could be further down the alphabet like letter H:, I:, J:, K:, etc.

I hope you can solve your problem,

Good Luck !

PRBatman

   
Reply to PRBatman

36

citizenx, on Mar 24, 2009 5:41:17 pm GMT

When i use the expand userinit... i get an "access is denied"
help?
thanks

   
Reply to citizenx

38

melling, on Mar 25, 2009 7:36:49 pm GMT

"enter your administrator password. If you don't have one or can't remember if you do, just hit [enter]." when i get to ths point it says password invalid(when i press enter), i do this 3 times it says invalid password has been entered 3 times windows will restart. anyone else have the same problem?

   
Reply to melling

39

PRBatman, on Mar 26, 2009 3:08:24 am GMT

Hello Melling,

That means that you DO have an administrator password. It needs the same administrator password that you use to get into Windows when you log in as administrator. Try using that password. If you don't remember it or you still can't get in, then you are going to have to search for a method or program in the internet to reset that password so you can get in without it into the Recovery Console.

Also when you are booting up the computer keep hitting F8 to go to the Windows Boot Menu to see if you have the Recovery Console already installed in the hard disk so you dont need to use the Windows CD. Usually when you use the Recovery Console from the hard drive, you don't need a password.

Good luck!

PRBatman

   
Reply to PRBatman

40

PRBatman, on Mar 26, 2009 3:12:18 am GMT

Hello Citizenx,

Type:

EXPAND E:\i386\userinit.ex_ C:\windows\system32

Please notice that it is .ex_ NOT .exe and there is a space between _ and C.

If you get an access denied message enter the following command on C:\Windows>_ prompt:

SET AllowAllPaths = True (leave a space before and after the equal sign)

Then try the EXPAND command above again.

Good luck !


PRBatman

   
Reply to PRBatman

46

bry, on Mar 30, 2009 3:39:05 am BST

Hey man,

I have the same problem. I do have the windows xp disc but my cd drive could not read any cd at all..So I went searching online and found a download from microsoft about floppy disk boot. I downloaded it to 6 floppy disks. It worked and everything but when I got to the recovery console command prompt typing those commands, I just got invalid action or not a specified file path bs..I am pretty sure there were no spelling or syntax errors...I cant even get to C:\windows\system32 directory...wtf help me plz if you have any solutions

   
Reply to bry

47

Spytalk, on Mar 30, 2009 10:52:20 am BST

Hello, first sorry to harp on a couple 'abstracts' but (1) never store your data in only one place and (2) never rely on only one windoze machine. It will really help you out if you can obtain a 2nd machine and cable-up your drive in question so it can be read as a data drive. The steps outlined above and throughout this thread will work, but you must have valid filesystem access to the drive in question, the drive where windows and/or userinit.exe is missing or corrupted. This can be accomplished best with a reliable boot cd such as ubcd4win, can be found via a google search. It can take the beginner or intermediate user quite some time to get a reliable bootcd configured and created correctly. The windows registry can then be edited 'remotely' i.e. can be tweaked while windows is not running on top of it. The filesystem can also be inspected manually i.e. c:\windows\system32\userinit.exe date/time filesize etc. I had to correct this problem on a couple machines this evening - was up all night - occurred because of a virus problem i.e. the av app "quarantined" i.e. deleted the infected userinit.exe and the best way turned out to handle fixing it all manually by accessing the drive as a data drive i.e. when windoze is not running on it. Read through the thread again if it will help, it takes quite a bit of familiarity to deal with this, as it is a very advanced circumstance. As described earlier in this thread, userinit.exe can be 'extracted' via specific steps from an xp media cd. Thanks to everyone who has contributed thus far.

   
Reply to Spytalk

48

PRBatman, on Mar 31, 2009 11:57:46 am BST
  • +1

Hello Bry,

If you get a "can't read from disk" error, then your drive lens could be dirty or your Windows CD could be damaged.

Depending on your computer brand, the boot menu is accessed differently. Usually, all brand-name computers will boot up from the CD/DVD-ROM when they detect that is inside the drive. Computers like HP and Compaq can be forced to be booted from any drive when you press [ESC] really quick when you get the boot up screen for about 2 seconds where you also get the choice to press F10 for the BIOS setup. Other computers may use F1, F11, F8, etc. It all depends on the brand or if they are home-made clone PC's.

Anyhow if you can't still get to boot from the Windows CD, then your other choice is to enter your Motherboard BIOS when turning on the computer, by usually pressing, F10, F1, [DEL], [CTRL-DEL], etc. Look into your computer's manual to see how to get into the BIOS. Once in there, look for the option to change the booting order of your Hard and CD drives. Make the CD/DVD the first, second your hard drive or another CD/DVD drive and third your hard drive if you had 2 CD/DVD's drives. That will force the computer to boot from the CD/DVD drive first.

I have to also bring to your attention that when you boot from the Windows CD, you get a message on top of the screen saying: "Please press any key to boot from the Windows Setup CD....." If you don't press anything in about 5 seconds, Windows will not load the setup and will skip to the normal boot-up sequence from the hard disk. That might be why you always go back to the normal boot-up process and log-in screen.

I assume that you were able to log into the Recovery Console. Anyhow, first of all try to do it from C:\windows>_ (i will be assuming that your CD drive letter is E:, switch accordingly to D: or F: and make sure that you have your windows CD inside the drive already).

Type:

EXPAND E:\i386\userinit.ex_ C:\windows\system32

Please notice that it is .ex_ NOT .exe and there is a space between _ and C. If you get an "access denied" message enter the following command on C:\Windows>_ prompt:

SET AllowAllPaths = True (leave a space before and after the equal sign), then try the EXPAND command once again.

A second option for people who can't read from their CD drives or their Windows disk is damaged or they have a computer like an HP or Compaq that has the Windows pre-installed and came with no Windows CD, is to get userinit.exe from the from within the same hard disk. It can be from the pre-installed recovery partition which is usually D: or it can be from within the C:\Windows> folder, since Windows keeps its own backup copies when installing and upgrading Service Packs, etc. The only problem with this method is that those copies might be also be infected if you have or had a virus infection in your computer, as some trojans affect only .EXE files. Do this at your own risk and as a last resort to get into windows. The best way is to get a fresh copy of userinit.exe from a Windows CD-ROM; it can even be a borrowed one from a friend or neighbor. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.

Once you are inside the Recovery Console at C:\Windows>_ , type this to give you access to all drives and folders:

SET AllowAllPaths = True (leave a space before and after the equal sign)

Then type:

COPY D:\i386\userinit.exe C:\Windows\System32

If that doesn't work (meaning that the file was not found) try:

EXPAND D:\i386\userinit.ex_ C:\Windows\System32

If that doesn't work (meaning that the file was not found) try:

COPY D:\i386\System32\userinit.exe C:\Windows\System32

If that doesn't work (meaning that the file was not found) try:

EXPAND D:\i386\System32\userinit.ex_ C:\Windows\System32

If that doesn't work (meaning that the file was not found) try:

COPY C:\Windows\ServicePackFiles\i386\userinit.exe C:\Windows\System32

if that doesn't work (meaning that the file was not found) try:

COPY C:\Windows\System32\DLLcache\userinit.exe C:\Windows\System32

and if that still doesn't work (still not found), try:

COPY C:\Windows\$NtServicePackUninstall$\userinit.exe C:\Windows\System32

Always leave a space between .EXE and C: And notice that sometimes is .EXE and sometimes .EX_

Hope that helps you and other people having trouble to find this file. By the way, the same method can be used to replace other important files for booting up Windows XP like explorer.exe, winlogon.exe, svchost.exe, spoolsv.exe, etc.

PRBatman

   
Reply to PRBatman

55

bry, on Apr 8, 2009 1:38:11 pm BST

Thanks PRBatman,

I just recently had my pc working...I am so relieved..sigh

Anyways I looked into my registry and there was this file called svchostw.exe
I searched online and found it was a trojan and deleted it. I wonder if it is the one that erased the userinit.exe file?

   
Reply to bry

56

lockstar, on Apr 8, 2009 7:37:13 pm BST

Hi,
I have put in a windows xp CD and booted from it but before i get the chance to go to the recovery console i get a message saying "INF file txtsetup.sif is corrupt or missing, status 12800 setup cannot continue. Press any key to exit".
Is there another way to get into the recovery console or any other solutions.

Cheers
Lockstar

   
Reply to lockstar

59

PRBatman, on Apr 9, 2009 11:43:34 am BST

Hello Lockstar,

This one is new to me; but what I can think of is that your CD might be scratched/damaged. Try getting someone to lend you another Windows CD. Also try pressing F8 when the computer is booting to see if you might have the Recovery console already installed.

Good luck,

PRBatman

   
Reply to PRBatman

67

mhaskell, on Apr 14, 2009 8:17:02 pm BST

I'm having this same issue however after I have restore the userinit.exe file and reboot the computer it continue to login and the logout. Just before this issue I ran spybot and it said it could not remove a couple of items and that I need to reboot the computer. I wonder if spybot is removing the file each time I reboot?

Is it possible to edit the start up file to not start spyboot from recovery mode?

You help is greatly appreciated! It's been a long day with this system.
Mary

   
Reply to mhaskell

69

stummped, on Apr 19, 2009 10:21:57 pm BST

Hello PRBatman,

I'm pretty computer savvy. I build all my machines Fix them for friends etc. I'm working on a friends pc right now who has this same problem. He was surfing, got a virus, AVG popped up gave him the warning box to clean a virus. He said to clean, clean, clean, 8 times then cancled. well the problem was 19 different viruses. he only cleaned 8 allowed 11 to enter. computer won't boot. I walked him through it over the phone how to get into safe mode. etc we tried everything and as soon as he clicks on his image icon to enter windows. saves settings and back to welcome screen. we even tried restore mode last. So I told him to bring it to me. I can get into the bios. but nothing else. So I slave drived his hard drive in my pc "knowing the risk" but i was pretty confident in bitdefender 2009. anyway booted from my harddrive and ran a virus scan, it found 19 different trojans, bots, downloaders etc. that tried to attack my harddrive. quarantined and deleted. found 11 different ones in the scan on his hardrive heres some of the names (Genpack:trojan.downloader.zlob.acus), (genpack:trojan.generic.1177224), {Trojan.downloader.jlvr}
etc. Hope this may help someone else. anyway rescanned both hard drives at the same time found no viruses, but bitdefender 2009 says "Objects that were not scanned: 267 password protected files
here's a piece of the log file (although the log file don't fit too well in here)

Object Name Reason Final Status
F:\System Volume Information\_restore{202550A8-7A33-4BCA-9586-051D24DDBF8F}\RP5\A0000368.exe=]wise0018=]agentins.ini Password-protected Not scanned
F:\System Volume Information\_restore{202550A8-7A33-4BCA-9586-051D24DDBF8F}\RP5\A0000368.exe=]wise0018=]agntcons.vbs Password-protected Not scanned
F:\System Volume Information\_restore{202550A8-7A33-4BCA-9586-051D24DDBF8F}\RP5\A0000368.exe=]wise0018=]agntinst.htm Password-protected Not scanned

bit defender asks me for a password when it scans F:system volume info, I called my friend he gave me every password he's ever used, none of them work. Ive tried scanning with several anti virus engines nothing works, I know the virus is hiding in there waiting to replicate itself, but i cant get at it. I know about turning off system restore so while booted from my harddrive I turned off system restore on both my harddrive and his
Now if i right click on F:system volume information folder and select properties it says's 0 bytes
nothing in the folder but there is alot in the folder. I've gone through folder options and told it to not make private and show the files. etc still no access .
I then tried to put his hardrive back in his pc and boot same F"""""""""n problem lol
put it back in my pc run virus scan bingo finds virus again . it keeps replicating and can't get it out of F:system voume info folder. I also tried booting from xp cd into recovery mode and replacing userinit.ex file the way you said to do it, I have also read all the post's in here and it says access is not allowed. I even downloaded Windrstat and used it, Still says access is not allowed to system volume info folder. no luck in downloading erd commander since microsoft bought them please help I think you know alot more than me. thanks in advance

   
Reply to stummped

70

PRBatman, on Apr 20, 2009 5:58:03 am BST

Stummped:

A trojan like the non-destructive but infamous W32.Virut.## (the ## is for the version or mutation) is estimated to have infected up to 30% of the PC's in the world and half of the people don't even know it. My Grisoft AVG antivirus didn't even see it when I got infected with it last February. This trojan will infect all of the .exe and .scr files in your computer faster than a common cold in a day care center. So even if you place a fresh copy of any .exe from a CD back into your hard disk, IT WILL GET INFECTED AGAIN. When the .exe's get infected they place a rootkit inside NTDLL.DLL to modify its coding to take control of all the network section of your computer and make it dial some bogus servers owned by the creator of the virus somewhere in China. That way the hacker will zombify your computer and take control over it and theoretically have access to all the information stored inside.

I recommend you download and install the best free Anti-virus software out there that effectively detects W32.Virut.## and every virus and trojan out there: Avira AntiVir; goto www.free-av.com. Goto options first, pick to use smart detection, set heuristics to medium or high, pick to run all the recommended extensions, all recommended disk areas, compressed files, etc. Put in the Automatic test to quarantine. This will remove the infected files but will give you the option to put any back where it belongs in case is an important file for Windows to work. Also run the RootKit finder test.

It is not recommended to run Avira Antivir from the infected hard disk nor from your computer so you don't get infected also. Instead, you should make a Universal Boot CD for Windows XP (you didn't mention if your friend has Windows XP, but I'm assuming it is since you landed in this thread) and include the Avira Antivir when you burn the disk. Another choice would be to boot the UBCD for Windows XP and then run the Avira Antivir from a pen drive. The idea is to isolate the hard disk so the infection doesn't keep spreading. The hard drive becomes sort of a slave drive. After you run Avira for the whole drive, turn off the computer totally for 10 seconds, including turning the power supply switch off on the back or unplugging it from the wall. Some trojans are known to reside in memory and survive a reboot and even survive more than 5 seconds after turning off the computer (I know, it sounds like a science fiction/SkyNet sort of thing, lol). After that, boot in to UBCD again and do a second scan again of all the hard disk to make sure it is totally clean.

After this, you can try to extract again from the Windows XP CD userinit.ex_, svchost.ex_, explorer.ex_, winlogon.ex_, spoolsv.ex_ all to C:\Windows\System32>; if you get access denied enter: SET AllowAllPaths = TRUE at the prompt. (leave a space before and after the equal sign). Try to see if you can log in to Windows XP again. If you can't, then I recommend to do a repair install. Boot with the Windows XP CD, then don't enter the repair console. Press to install Windows, then press F8 to accept the EULA and then the #1 option should be to repair the current detected windows installation. Hopefully that should fix and replace most of the files that were deleted by the antivirus. That will not change any shortcuts or alter any of the programs installed in your friend's disk. But copy or expand the files I mentioned before anyhow prior to doing the repair installation because sometimes they dont get copied back into the disk automatically.

Hope this info works and you can get that computer going again. Good luck.

PRBatman

   
Reply to PRBatman

73

stummped, on Apr 21, 2009 4:14:10 pm BST

Thanks for the info, I'll let you know how it goes..

   
Reply to stummped

78

To Pop or Not to Pop, on May 3, 2009 9:07:59 pm BST

Mostly to PR Bateman. Others welcome.

I too am stuck at the Win XP blue screen, just before 'Welcome'. My computer never goes to the desktop and comes back.

I successffully copied userinit.exe on the bad computer to wsaupdater.exe - NO Change

I have successfully expanded userinit.ex on my slipstream SP2 Win XP CD to c:\windows\system32 - NO Change.

I copied userinit.exe from a good computer to the same system32 location on this bad computer. NO Change of Startup - still stuck at blue screen.

I had used an old Win 95 program - Cleansweep - and foolishly allowed Orphan Program (exe) cleanup. I suppose there may be other exe files that Win startup depends on and I must reinstall the entire xp?

BTW, many of the posts on the internet talked of seeing boot menus, but unable to select them. I learned that a PS2 Keyboard allows those menu choices, where the usb keyboard is dead to those initial startup choices.

   
Reply to To Pop or Not to Pop

79

PRBatman, on May 4, 2009 7:59:24 am BST

To pop or not to pop:

I suppose that the blue screen you are talking about is not the BSOD (blue screen of death). I am thinking that you are talking about the blue screen that says "Welcome" just before entering the log-in screen. This is a new one for me as I have never seen Windows XP getting stuck in precisely that screen. Anyhow, the userinit.exe solution is only in case you log into the windows desktop and then get expulsed back out to the log-in screen. That's probably why this solution is not working for you. Since you already tried several things, including an old Windows 95 program (that could have made things worse), I would recommend to do a Repair Install of Windows XP. You need your Windows XP CD or if your Windows came pre-installed then you need to run it from the hard disk.

To enter the pre-installed Windows Emergency recovery console in your hard disk, press F8 immediately when the computer is starting to access the Windows XP boot menu. If you will be accessing the Recovery Console from a CD, depending on your computer brand, the CD-drive will be accessed differently. Usually, all brand-name computers will boot up from the CD/DVD-ROM when they detect that is inside the drive. Computers like HP and Compaq can be forced to be booted from any drive when you press [ESC] really quick when you get the boot up screen for about 2 seconds where you also get the choice to press F10 for the BIOS setup. Other computers may use F1, F11, F8, etc. It all depends on the brand or if they are home-made clone PC's. If you can't make the computer boot from the CD, then you can just go into the BIOS and change the boot order so you force it to boot from the CD first. When the Windows CD is booting, don't forget to hit any key within 5 seconds when you get the "Press any key to boot from Windows CD" message or the computer will go back to the regular boot sequence.

Once you get in the Recovery Console, whether it was through your hard disk or your CD-drive, do not press R for the recovery console, let the CD preload all the drivers and virtual drive. When you get to the menu, select the choice to install windows, press F8 to accept the EULA, then you get to another menu; select to do a Repair Install of Windows. It should be the #1 option. This choice will not alter your programs or shortcuts in any way. If you select the other #2 option, it will do a fresh new installation of Windows, like when it was installed for the first time, and although it won't delete your programs, it will render them useless because all the shortcuts will be deleted. After you pick the repair option, follow the on-screen instructions. The full process should take about 30min. Remember to have your Windows XP registration Key or serial number ready since it will ask you for it.

Hope this solves your situation. Keep me posted. Good Luck :)

PRBatman

   
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80

To Pop or not to Pop, on May 5, 2009 3:14:29 pm BST

Correct on Pre-Welcome screen vs BSOD. I did the REPAIR install and that worked. I am back. All Programs are present and working. Thanks again!!

   
Reply to To Pop or not to Pop

89

Supadupapun, on May 15, 2009 1:42:44 am BST

Hello, PRBatman

I have used your method of replacing userinit.exe from the third method of taking it from the $nt uninstall...

but the problem is that when i do reboot the computer after I have replaced the userinit file it still seems to log me off as soon as i log in...

I have tried every method that you have mentioned and was wondering if you could help me with this problem??! Its reaaaaly starting to frustrate me!!!

Thanks in advance

   
Reply to Supadupapun

83

wolfhawk, on May 6, 2009 6:21:02 am BST

I have an HP laptop and my cd rom drive is unable to read disks. My AVG antivrus deleted my userinit.exe and now I cannot log on. I read through the earlier posts but didn't see anything that could help me out. Is there some way that I can get the userinit file replaced without the cd? I did manage to get a "clean" userinit file and I have it saved to a flash drive.

   
Reply to wolfhawk

86

PRBatman, on May 8, 2009 5:18:29 am BST

Wolfhawk,

If your AVG antivirus deleted your userinit.exe, then is very likely that you have a virus or trojan. There are other ways that you can copy the userinit.exe back to where it belongs from the same hard disk, but they may too be infected. Also if you could even get a frresh copy from a Windows CD it would probably get infected again and your antivirus would delete it again. Anyhow, whichever method you use to copy the userinit.exe back to where it belongs, you need to enter into the Repair Console. You might have the repair console already installed in your hard disk; just press F8 when the computer is booting so you get to the windows XP boot menu. Once you do, check to see if you have the Repair Console option, select it, press enter, and then press R to run it. Select your windows installation (usually C:\Windows_ ) and if you are asked for administrator password, just press enter if you don't use any password.

A second option for people who can't read from their CD drives or their Windows disk is damaged or they have a computer like an HP or Compaq that has the Windows pre-installed and came with no Windows CD, is to get userinit.exe from the from within the same hard disk. It can be from the pre-installed recovery partition which is usually D: or it can be from within the C:\Windows> folder, since Windows keeps its own backup copies when installing and upgrading Service Packs, etc. The only problem with this method is that those copies might be also be infected if you have or had a virus infection in your computer, as some trojans affect only .EXE files. Do this at your own risk and as a last resort to get into windows. The best way is to get a fresh copy of userinit.exe from a Windows CD-ROM; it can even be a borrowed one from a friend or neighbor. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.

Once you are inside the Recovery Console at C:\Windows>_ , type this to give you access to all drives and folders:

SET AllowAllPaths = True (leave a space before and after the equal sign)

Then type:

COPY C:\Windows\ServicePackFiles\i386\userinit.exe C:\Windows\System32

if that doesn't work (meaning that the file was not found) try:

COPY C:\Windows\System32\DLLcache\userinit.exe C:\Windows\System32

and if that still doesn't work (still not found), try:

COPY C:\Windows\$NtServicePackUninstall$\userinit.exe C:\Windows\System32

Always leave a space between .EXE and C:

Hope that helps you and other people having trouble to find this file. By the way, the same method can be used to replace other important files for booting up Windows XP like explorer.exe, winlogon.exe, svchost.exe, spoolsv.exe, etc.

I recommend anyhow that you do check your hard disk for trojans. A trojan like the non-destructive but infamous W32.Virut.## (the ## is for the version or mutation) is estimated to have infected up to 30% of the PC's in the world and half of the people don't even know it. My Grisoft AVG antivirus didn't even see it when I got infected with it last February. Maybe by now it is updated and yours detected it, but I'm not using AVG anymore; I am using a new, better and free one; keep reading below. This trojan will infect all of the .exe and .scr files in your computer faster than a common cold in a child day care center. So even if you place a fresh copy of any .exe from a CD back into your hard disk, IT WILL GET INFECTED AGAIN. When the .exe's get infected they place a rootkit inside NTDLL.DLL to modify its coding to take control of all the network section of your computer and make it dial some bogus servers owned by the creator of the virus somewhere in China. That way the hacker will zombify your computer and take control over it and theoretically have access to all the information stored inside.

I recommend you download and install the best free Anti-virus software out there that effectively detects W32.Virut.## and every virus and trojan out there: Avira AntiVir; goto www.free-av.com. Goto options first, pick to use smart detection, set heuristics to medium or high, pick to run all the recommended extensions, all recommended disk areas, compressed files, etc. Put in the Automatic test to quarantine. This will remove the infected files but will give you the option to put any back where it belongs in case is an important file for Windows to work. Also run the RootKit finder test.

It is not recommended to run Avira Antivir from the infected hard disk because it will get infected also. Instead, you should make a Universal Boot CD for Windows XP (you can search for it in Yahoo) and include the Avira Antivir when you burn the disk. Another choice would be to boot the UBCD for Windows XP and then run the Avira Antivir from a pen drive. The idea is to isolate the hard disk so the infection doesn't keep spreading. The hard drive becomes sort of a slave drive. After you run Avira for the whole drive, turn off the computer totally for 10 seconds, including turning the power supply switch off on the back or unplugging it from the wall. Some trojans are known to reside in memory and survive a reboot and even survive more than 5 seconds after turning off the computer (I know, it sounds like a science fiction/SkyNet sort of thing, lol). After that, boot in to UBCD again and do a second scan again of all the hard disk to make sure it is totally clean.

After this, you can try to extract again from your hard drive as I explained before, userinit.exe, svchost.exe, explorer.exe, winlogon.exe, spoolsv.exe all to C:\Windows\System32>; if you get access denied enter: SET AllowAllPaths = TRUE at the prompt. (leave a space before and after the equal sign). Try to see if you can log in to Windows XP again. If you can't, then I recommend to do a repair install. Boot with the Recovery Console, then don't enter press R. Press to install Windows, then press F8 to accept the EULA and then the #1 option should be to repair the current detected windows installation. Hopefully that should fix and replace most of the files that were deleted by the antivirus. That will not change any shortcuts or alter any of the programs installed in your friend's disk. But copy or expand the files I mentioned before anyhow prior to doing the repair installation because sometimes they dont get copied back into the disk automatically.

Hope this info works and you can get that computer going again. Good luck.

PRBatman

   
Reply to PRBatman

68

old_devil, on Apr 15, 2009 2:33:35 am BST

I too had this problem after I foolishly used Windows Live OneCare in an effort to remove some malware. Not only did OneCare fail to remove the threat completely but it scrambled my registry as part of its "Full Scan" (don't go there!!!!).

I tried all the solutions suggested around the Net without success (the loop can have various causes) but someone suggested using ERD Commander which gives you access to XP's system restore tool amongst other cool things.

I eventually tracked down a copy (try http://www.fullandfree.info/software/erd-commander-2005/ ), got into system restore, only to discover that OneCare had apparently destroyed all my restore points .... but miraculously it had created one of its own prior to wrecking my registry.

I restored to that point, rebooted and problem solved. Many thanks to the folks who suggested this solution - definitely give it a go before considering reinstalling XP.

   
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71

Can't fix Bodge!!, on Apr 20, 2009 6:09:42 pm BST

OK for all those who have these problems follow PRBatman's solution, alternately, if you have access to another computer who also has a spare IDE/SATA slot then this is what I propose, first makesure the 'friend' called Bob from now on has a variety of anitvirus/spyware/etc. programs as this could be a Virus/Trojan etc.. The reason for a variation is that there are viruses for tailoired for some antivirus software eg McAfee, I know as I've suffered from it in the past.

Anyway...

Put the HD on as a Slave for IDE and as the Last SATA possible for SATA drives. Next run both Anti Viruses (Note Windows defender can often detect virus software where AV cannot), get an new copy of all the relevent .dll files and all operators that are common to both Operating Systems a list can be found at the windows website I'll update with a URL at later date. Also export all the Microsoft and Windows registry files by using 'regedit' from the RUN function in windows. Once the .dll, ntldr, ntdetect, and operators files are copied over, put the hardrive back into your computer. Once up and running run the registry file and this will stop occurences of the same thing happening without a repeat infection.

***NOTE*** messing with the registry can be fatal to windows, deleting without knowing what it is affecting is moronic.

One last note, as and when you get a new computer, make sure you get a disc with the operating system and drivers on it and wipe the hard disk, re-install windows on a partition about 10- 20 GB and make this D:\ (make a small partition ~128MB for C:\ with notrhing on it) and other patitions for other uses eg games, pictures and movies, do not hold any information on the D:\ dirve that is not replaceable, this will make sure if you do need to wipe windows and start again you can without loosing everything. Also alot of amature viruses attack directly using C:\Windows\ as a start point, no directory no virus.

G'Luck

   
Reply to Can't fix Bodge!!

72

danwilkie, on Apr 20, 2009 8:33:36 pm BST

PRBatman - Thank you so much! Works like a charm! I think I love you.

Seriously though, thanks a lot.

Dan

   
Reply to danwilkie

74

Forg, on Apr 24, 2009 10:03:41 am BST

Just out of intressed is ur copy of windows real copy and actervated because if it is not it wont let you log in as microsoft wanna piss the pirates off.

if its not actervated my advise would be to get an external case for ur HDD and transfer ur docs over 2 a nother comp, then reformat ;)

   
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77

biggclea, on May 1, 2009 5:35:54 pm BST

Prbatman YOUNARE THEEEE MANNNNNN....GOOD LOOKIN...

   
Reply to biggclea

81

daniek, on May 5, 2009 6:35:09 pm BST

Hey PRBatman,

I did the fix COPY C:\Windows\$NtServicePackUninstall$\userinit.exe C:\Windows\System32 and it seemed to work. I got logged back into windows.
It looks like all the things on the computer was erased. would this effect that?

   
Reply to daniek

82

PRBatman, on May 6, 2009 5:24:34 am BST

Daniek,

I am happy that you got into your Windows desktop again, I know the feeling :) Regarding the userinit.exe file, that is just one file that you copied, you are not modifying anything else. I wouldn't be able to tell you why "things" in your computer might be erased. Please explain more; what are those "things" you mention? Are you missing full programs and folders, or are you just missing the shortcuts to those programs?

If you click on the shortcuts and Windows seems not able to find the program, then it is possible that your antivirus detected a trojan like the Win32.Virut## and then deleted all the infected files. This trojan happens to infect all .EXE files in your disk; so that's why your userinit.exe got deleted and probably most of the .EXE files that start your other programs also. That's why your programs will not start now; no executable to run. So your programs are still there, they are just missing the main .EXE file to run. If this is the case, then the only solution will be to install the programs again. But also a word of warning: If this situation with the trojan virus is what caused you not to be able to run your programs, that means that your computer may still be infected and when you reinstall them, their .EXE's will get infected again. Please read my explanation about the Win32.Virut## trojan and how to deal with it, in this post.

Hope this sheds some light into your problem and I also hope is not this nasty trojan; it is very hard to get rid of it. Good luck!

PRBatman

   
Reply to PRBatman

84

jm, on May 7, 2009 4:52:15 am BST

Plzzz help me to solved my probLEm.. My PC boots repeatedly,, and it has winlogon error,, i donīt want to pay for it and removed all my data on my PC.. help me,, i donīt have Windows CD so what should i do??? plz teach me clearly..

   
Reply to jm

87

PRBatman, on May 8, 2009 5:24:46 am BST
  • +1

JM,

Depending on your computer brand, the boot menu is accessed differently. Usually, all brand-name computers will boot up from the CD/DVD-ROM when they detect that is inside the drive. Computers like HP and Compaq can be forced to be booted from any drive when you press [ESC] really quick when you get the boot up screen for about 2 seconds where you also get the choice to press F10 for the BIOS setup. Other computers may use F1, F11, F8, etc. It all depends on the brand or if they are home-made clone PC's.

Anyhow if you can't still get to boot from the Windows CD, then your other choice is to enter your Motherboard BIOS when turning on the computer, by usually pressing, F10, F1, [DEL], [CTRL-DEL], etc. Look into your computer's manual to see how to get into the BIOS. Once in there, look for the option to change the booting order of your Hard and CD drives. Make the CD/DVD the first, second your hard drive or another CD/DVD drive and third your hard drive if you had 2 CD/DVD's drives. That will force the computer to boot from the CD/DVD drive first.

I have to also bring to your attention that when you boot from the Windows CD, you get a message on top of the screen saying: "Please press any key to boot from the Windows Setup CD....." If you don't press anything in about 5 seconds, Windows will not load the setup and will skip to the normal boot-up sequence from the hard disk. That might be why you always go back to the normal boot-up process and log-in screen.

I assume that you were able to log into the Recovery Console. Anyhow, first of all try to do it from C:\windows>_ (i will be assuming that your CD drive letter is E:, switch accordingly to D: or F: and make sure that you have your windows CD inside the drive already).

Type:

EXPAND E:\i386\userinit.ex_ C:\windows\system32

Please notice that it is .ex_ NOT .exe and there is a space between _ and C. If you get an "access denied" message enter the following command on C:\Windows>_ prompt:

SET AllowAllPaths = True (leave a space before and after the equal sign), then try the EXPAND command once again.

A second option for people who can't read from their CD drives or their Windows disk is damaged or they have a computer like an HP or Compaq that has the Windows pre-installed and came with no Windows CD, is to get userinit.exe from the from within the same hard disk. It can be from the pre-installed recovery partition which is usually D: or it can be from within the C:\Windows> folder, since Windows keeps its own backup copies when installing and upgrading Service Packs, etc. The only problem with this method is that those copies might be also be infected if you have or had a virus infection in your computer, as some trojans affect only .EXE files. Do this at your own risk and as a last resort to get into windows. The best way is to get a fresh copy of userinit.exe from a Windows CD-ROM; it can even be a borrowed one from a friend or neighbor. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.

Once you are inside the Recovery Console at C:\Windows>_ , type this to give you access to all drives and folders:

SET AllowAllPaths = True (leave a space before and after the equal sign)

Then type:

COPY D:\i386\userinit.exe C:\Windows\System32

If that doesn't work (meaning that the file was not found) try:

EXPAND D:\i386\userinit.ex_ C:\Windows\System32

If that doesn't work (meaning that the file was not found) try:

COPY D:\i386\System32\userinit.exe C:\Windows\System32

If that doesn't work (meaning that the file was not found) try:

EXPAND D:\i386\System32\userinit.ex_ C:\Windows\System32

If that doesn't work (meaning that the file was not found) try:

COPY C:\Windows\ServicePackFiles\i386\userinit.exe C:\Windows\System32

if that doesn't work (meaning that the file was not found) try:

COPY C:\Windows\System32\DLLcache\userinit.exe C:\Windows\System32

and if that still doesn't work (still not found), try:

COPY C:\Windows\$NtServicePackUninstall$\userinit.exe C:\Windows\System32

Always leave a space between .EXE and C: And notice that sometimes is .EXE and sometimes .EX_

By the way, the same method can be used to restore other important files for booting up Windows XP like explorer.exe, winlogon.exe, svchost.exe and spoolsv.exe. Hope you can get back into windows with these tips.
Good luck.

PRBatman

   
Reply to PRBatman

88

Fred, on May 10, 2009 1:50:19 am BST

I have the same issue but still have problems. Had no issue getting into recovery console. copied in version of userinit from xp cd. Still getting logged right back off. I have another pc that is similar and an enclosure disk that I'm using to view the contents of the bad/infected hard drive. registry entry for userinit looks fine. are there are other files i should check? thnx.

   
Reply to Fred

90

Supadupapun, on May 15, 2009 4:09:08 pm BST

Fred,

Im not computer experty but I have had the same problem for the last 2 days and did the same methods as u; recovery console, copied userinit.exe from various locations including XP boot disk but was still unable to login.

I finally managed to fix it by acquiring ERD Commander (you can buy it for a fee or try and download it off the net, which is what I did), and then used Magic ISO to create a boot disk, from there I just booted the system with ERD, used the interface to navigate to system restore and that fixed the problem for me.

Hope that helps mate.

   
Reply to Supadupapun

91

Fred, on May 18, 2009 9:59:45 pm BST

Thnx .... now my issue is tat I cannot find a trial version of ERD Commander to download ..... do you by chance have a link? Thnx.



Fred

   
Reply to Fred

92

MattSoldier, on May 21, 2009 9:05:03 am BST

Hey there, my CD drive seems not to be working, I'm unsure if it has been disabled or what the go is but it's not a hardware problem and I can't stay logged in to do anything about it.

If you can suggest anything, thank you.

   
Reply to MattSoldier

93

PRBatman, on May 22, 2009 3:43:04 am BST

Matt:

Check all my suggestions and possible solutions in this thread. I am sure you will find something that will help you. Good luck !

PRBatman

   
Reply to PRBatman

94

Zorch, on May 23, 2009 1:48:40 am BST

Hi there,

I have the same problem with the computer logging off right away and have followed your steps - I have one problem, when typing in the "SET" command the following pops up:

"The SET command is currently disabled> The SET command is an optional recovery console command that can only be enabled by using the security configuration and analysis snap in."

Any suggestions for this?

Any help greatly appreciated!!!

   
Reply to Zorch

96

i_hate_my_pc, on May 27, 2009 4:53:40 pm BST

Hi, I'm new here ,but have the same instant log off problem.

I can't log in while in safe mode nor with last good launch settings. I don't have the windows xp installation cd.

I do know the admin. password and i can get into that BIOS setup page by hitting f1 or f10 or one of those (i wasn't sure which one so i just hit all.)

After reading what seems like every forum on the internet regarding this subject it seems like there is no solution without owning the os install disk.

Thanks in advance.

   
Reply to i_hate_my_pc

99

April, on Jun 16, 2009 1:49:49 am BST

The only CD's I have are the partial recovery disks for windows xp ( four total) but I don't get the screen where it asks you for the drives. I Press the F8 or F2 to get to the BIOS menu but I don't see anything about booting from the drives. When I put the recovery cd's in, then press F8, it asks me for the "R" for the but only gives me two options to format ( delete) or create a backup disk. That's it. Can someone help me please.

   
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