User Accounts Problem

Discussion in 'Software' started by Shang, Apr 8, 2004.

  1. Shang

    Shang Private E-2

    OK, now I'm -extremely- frustrated and even more frustrated because I just wrote a huge thread and when I hit post it said I wasn't logged in and now I have to retype the whole thing from scratch. (edit: if you think this post is long you should have seen the other one :p)

    Here goes; Windows XP pro Service Pack 1, version 2002; 512 mb of pc2100 ram; 2.53 ghz intel p4; HP Brand

    The store; It all happened about 5 days ago, I turned my computer off one night, I turned it on the next morning and I got a black screen, I pulled the plug (the only way I could turn it off) and I got an error saying "Windows could not start because the following file is missing or corrupt \WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\CONFIG\SYSTEM

    You can attempt to repair this file by starting windows setup using the original Setup Cd-rom (which I didn't have because I never got one from Bestbuy when I bought the Computer) Select "r" at the first screen to start repair.

    When I select "r" it "restarted" and nothing else, so I pop in my windows xp pro CD (from my other comp) and try to repair; it didn't work. So I decide to re-install.

    Once re-installed I am asked to make a username and specify all them configurables that they ask for. Thats when I think "Houston we have a problem"

    I make the name "Eddie" which is the only one I ever had on this computer since I was the only person that ever used it.

    Once I am logged in I notice, oh crap... all my desktop is gone... all my programs are gone... what in gods name did I do. (Furthermore, not many of my programs worked)

    But then I get the idea to look around, since I noticed most of my C drive is still full so I doubt the files got deleted. Apon further investigation I find C:\Documents and Settings has the user account "Owner" I open it up and find all my files and desktop etc. Praise the lord! Owner was the name I always used even tho I had the name "Eddie" I used "Owner" because that way I didn't have to wait for the windows "log on" screen to click a name because I had no password since no one else used my comp it was a waste of time, by having only "Owner" (Administrator) on I could just boot right up into windows.

    My question/problem is how do I log on the username/account "Owner", when I go to Control Panel -> User Account; Owner isn't an option only Eddie (Administrator), Asp.Net, and Guest Account (which is off) are my options.

    Should I possibly make a new Account named "owner" to be just like old times or would I have lose all the settings and files associated with it.

    Thanks for your any help or insight or suggestions you may have. :)
     
    Last edited: Apr 8, 2004
  2. alanc

    alanc MajorGeek

    Actually the safe mode caveat only applies to XP Home, in Pro you have to disable Simple File Sharing.
     
  3. Shang

    Shang Private E-2

    I don't think taking ownership has anything to do with it, but I've been working on getting all my programs working again so basically my objectives are


    1) Get Norton Internet Security 2004 working again without having to buy a second copy.

    2) Get my Audio to work (I get no sound and the speakers I bought didn't come with a CD to install the device drivers and for some reason XP pro isn't detecting them, I still hear system beeps once in a while)

    3) Finally, Get rid of this little "Log on box" that pops up... I mean I have to put in a username and a password but I don't have any password specified so I just have to hit OK, waste of time.

    Any help would be appreciated. :)
     
  4. General_Lee_Stoned

    General_Lee_Stoned BuZZed Lightyear

    Just Humour me, can you go to the logon screen and hit CTRL-ALT-DEL twice and then try to sign in as owner at the box
    This may be irrelevant if ive misunderstood what youve posted

    If not can you access the files from your previous account, as you could then import your settings to your new account

    As for your programs you may very well have to take ownership of these if you want them back

    Does your sound card (or onboard) show up in device manager with little yellow triangles
     
  5. Shang

    Shang Private E-2

    OK I can't log in as Owner but I have access to the files so its gravy, I still have no sound, if I go to control panel -> sounds and audio devices -> hardware it says everything is working properly.... if I go to the "audio" tab no playback devices are listed. So I need to get rid of the "log on" box and I need to get sound to work, everything else is cool.
     
  6. General_Lee_Stoned

    General_Lee_Stoned BuZZed Lightyear

    OK your getting there m8, if im understanding your post correctly go to control panel users, from there you can change the way users log on, you can disable the log-on screen from there

    As for your sound, i think you will need to re-install the drivers under your new account, can you list what exact make/model of Audio you are using
    If you dont know this, download this program to get the info you need
    http://www.majorgeeks.com/download181.html
     
  7. Shang

    Shang Private E-2

    Where can I DL the drivers I need?
     
  8. highly_volatile

    highly_volatile Private First Class

    Have you downloaded Aida 32 ? that will tell you the make of your sound card . once you know that you can download them from thier web site
     
  9. SportsNut

    SportsNut Corporal

    My sister bought an HP from Bestbuy and when she went to add/remove to uninstall the Norton, which is a "trial" version, the computer wouldn't reboot. It was locked up. She used the HP repair that comes with it and that didn't work.


    So I went over and put XP pro on it (it had Win Home) and everything worked but the sound. It has embedded sound. I downloaded new drivers but the sound refused to work. I finally just went and bought a sound card, popped it in, it worked, and no problems since.

    I hope downloading new drivers for the sound works for you but if it doesn't, you can always go buy a card to put in there.
     
  10. Shang

    Shang Private E-2

    This is what AIDA32 says under PCI/PNP audio

    Intel 82801DB(M) ICH4(-M) - AC'97 Audio Controller [A-1] PCI


    Is that it?
     
  11. General_Lee_Stoned

    General_Lee_Stoned BuZZed Lightyear

  12. highly_volatile

    highly_volatile Private First Class

  13. Shang

    Shang Private E-2

  14. General_Lee_Stoned

    General_Lee_Stoned BuZZed Lightyear

    Thats just the sub heading
    the file you want is underneath ;)
     
  15. highly_volatile

    highly_volatile Private First Class

    look for this

    ALC100 / ALC 201A AC 97 Codec Driver
     
  16. Shang

    Shang Private E-2

    Well, turns out, it worked and my sound is back, although very scratchy, I guess its better than nothing. ;)

    Thanks guys, now I have to figure out why norton isn't working since I activated it.
     
  17. General_Lee_Stoned

    General_Lee_Stoned BuZZed Lightyear

    As for the sound you may need to play around with the settings etc but im glad its back thought that would be the last of your problems guess not LOL

    Ok whats wrong with your Norton
     
  18. Shang

    Shang Private E-2

    LOL <3

    Well, I went to best buy and spent 200 bills on some speakers and no more scratchy

    I got rid of the log on screen... I'm gonna re-install norton and see if it helps
     
  19. General_Lee_Stoned

    General_Lee_Stoned BuZZed Lightyear

    okay buddy
    looks like weve solved most of your problems then :)

    let us know how the re-install works out
     
  20. Shang

    Shang Private E-2

    I've given up on Norton, I downloaded Avast! and it was a complete waste of life... There should be a warning to let people know that it WILL crash windows XP systems... I was able to boot in safemode and uninstall it...

    Hmm, maybe McAfee or AVG?
     
  21. Shang

    Shang Private E-2

    Oh my lord, I just booted the computer up and got the same error message from hell.


    How do I repair windows using the CD? if I put the CD in and go to the "recovery console" there is a black and white screen and it says C:\WINDOWS> [I need to know what to put here]

    Or is there another way to repair it?
     
  22. Shang

    Shang Private E-2

    You're right Robo, but alot of people had the same problem, http://download.com.com/3302-2239_4-10261831.html?pn=1&fb=2

    But back to this dang error,

    I booted my computer up and got the same error

    Windows could not start because the following file is missing or corrupt:
    \WINDOWS\system32\config\SYSTEM

    You can attempt to repair this file by starting Windows Setup using the original Setup CD-ROM
    Select 'r' at the first screen to start repair.


    Now I have my CD, once I get to the repair screen I see a little thing that says C:\Windows>

    I don't know what to do from there. [​IMG]

    Once this is figured out I'm going to have to download every Anti Virus/Trojan that I can find to get rid of what ever is causing this. (If that is what is causing this)
     
  23. General_Lee_Stoned

    General_Lee_Stoned BuZZed Lightyear

  24. Shang

    Shang Private E-2

    Your the man General... only I've been talking to this guy and he was telling me some stuff to fix it and I think something got made worse.

    Now instead of getting that system error, I get almost into windows but then an error box comes up saying

    Isass.exe system error
    When trying to update a password, this return status indicates that the value provided as the current password is not correct

    It all started with him telling me

    Well the file was there...

    then he told me

    Me: Said "Access is denied."
    Him: copy c:\windows\repair\system c:\windows\system32\config
    Him: i think i had winnt instead of windows in my PM
    Me: copy c:\windows\repair\system c:\windows\system32\config
    Him: yeah
    Me: ok says... overwrite system? (Yes/No/All)
    Him: yes
    Me: 1 files copied.
    Him: that should do it
    Him: type exit
    (restarted again)
    Him: okay
    Him: we're gonna do something similar to what we did before
    Me: When trying to update a password, this return status indicates that the value provided as the current password is not correct
    Me: and keeps restarting
    Him: put the cd back in and go back to the repair console
    Me: ok
    Me: btw that was an isass.exe system error
    Him: copy c:\windows\repair\security c:\windows\system32\config
    Him: and
    Him: copy windows\repair\default c:\windows\system32\config
    Him: say yes when prompted to overwrite on both files
    Me: it asks for the administrator password
    Me: and i typed it in
    Me: and it said it was invalid
    Him: try a blank password
    Me: i did
    Me: it restarted after 3 wrong trys
    Me: so i'll try again when it gets back to prompt
    Me: its not working
    Him: your only other option is to boot up with the cd and then choose repair installation. it will run thru and do a 'repair installation' which will leave all your data and programs intact
    Him: beyond that, you're ****ed and will need to do a clean install
    Him: a virus usually causes this btw
    Me: ok I'll do a repair
    Him: it will search for previous installations and if it finds one (and it will), it will ask you if you want to repair this installation
    Me: OK says "Setup is coping files" so I guess thats that... once I'm in windows should I restore?
    Him: no
    Him: i'd run a virus checker just to be safe
    Me: thats the thing
    Me: it * up my norton
    Him: you can try a system restore but it may be confused by the repair and **** up your system even more
    Him: once the system comes back up, i'll help you look for the virus manually
    Me: just got that Isass message?
    Him: what's the exact message?
    Me: When trying to update a password, this return status indicates that the value provided as the current password is not correct
    Me: damn some one just told me to go to http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;307545
    Me: but i can't access my admin anymore
    Him: hang on
    Him: that article is basically what we did in the beginning
    Him: it may work now
    Me: but how can I get to the command prompt without the password working
    Him: boot with the cd and choose recovery console like before
    Me: yea
    Him: then do all the copy and delete steps from the article
    Me: as soon as I get into the recovery console I have 2 options... 1: D:\MiniNT and 2: C\windows
    Me: I got to put in a password
    Him: let me see if i can find this administrator password reset utility that i've used in the past....we can reset that password...
    Him: this might seem a bit overwhelming but bear with me
    Me: I'm trying bro
    Him: download this zip file (http://home.eunet.no/~pnordahl/ntpasswd/bd040116.zip). unzip it. a something.bin, rawrite2.exe and install.bat. put a floppy disk in your drive and double click on the install.bat. it will create a bootdisk that you will use on the broken computer
    Him: let me know when you've done this
    Me: ok lemme find a floppy
    Me: ok i clicked on install
    Me: said drive a
    Me: and now its writting stuff on it
    him: k
    Me: i think my cd drive is set to boot 1st so will it recognize this disk?
    Him: pull the cd out first
    Him: and lets see
    me: hmm just said controller has failed
    me: installation failed!
    me: press any key to continue
    him: which one said that? this computer or the broken one?
    me: this one
    him: well hell
    me: there looks to be stuff written on it tho
    him: try to boot the other computer with it
    me: ok its working so far
    me: boot failed: please change disks and pess a key to continue
    him: the floppy didn't work then
    him: well that shoots down the plan of changing the admin password
    him: the only other thing i can suggest right now is if you really want to save your data, you'll need to pull the hard drive out of the computer and put it into another computer that's running xp or win2k, copy the data to that computer for backup purposes, then reload xp from scratch on the broken computer
    me: I really only need to save 2 folders
    him: sorry i couldn't be more helpful
    him: what we've done usually fixes it but having a virus makes it a lot tougher
    me: How can I copy the HD to my other HD
    him: if you've never pulled a drive from one computer and put it in another before then you may want to get someone who has to help you
    him: that's really beyond the scope of what i can do over AIM
    me: I built this comp I'm on now
    me: But if I hook up that HD to this comp what will that accomplish?
    him: the drive will show up under windows explorer
    him: then you can just copy the folders from drive to drive
    him: just to clarify, you'll have two hard drives in this computer...the drive from the other computer will be a secondary drive
    me: once I have the files copied that I need how do I clean the virus HD
    him: just unplug the cdrom on this computer and plus the hard drive from the other computer into the cable the cdrom was on...the computer should detect it
    him: after you've copied the folders, put the hard drive back in the other computer and boot off the xp cd. you'll need to run setup. it will format the drive and install xp. that will remove the virus along with everyone else on the drive
    Me: So I guess thats all there is to it eh?


    So unless someone knows how I can change that administrator password I think I'm screwed:(

    ~Shang
     
  25. General_Lee_Stoned

    General_Lee_Stoned BuZZed Lightyear

    Well looks like the guy had the right intentions just skipped a few steps and messed up the logon
    Can you boot into safe made and log on as Administrator with no password or if your using Home edition try Owner or is it not booting at all

    Depending how desperately you want to fix this i would try reading the info here and trying the floppy boot hack
     
  26. Shang

    Shang Private E-2

    Isass.exe system error is destroying me, even if I boot in safemode I get it.

    I need a working floppy boot hack, the one listed in the log fubared up when I put it on the disk... its made for NT systems not xp :(

    I'll look around maybe you can help find one
     
  27. General_Lee_Stoned

    General_Lee_Stoned BuZZed Lightyear

    Last edited: Apr 11, 2004
  28. Shang

    Shang Private E-2

    I found a guy who had the same problem but he fixed it

    http://www.resellerratings.com/forum/t37455.html

    Other people later on in the thread fixed it by hooking it up to their other computer (which I could do) I just would need some help of course :D
    Anyone know a definate route I should take and want to go through it with me? :)

    I was thinking of going with this guy...

    [​IMG] heres how to fix taht annoying lsass.exe password error!!!
    [font=verdana, arial, helvetica]I had the same problem on my desktop, booting Windows XP. On boot, instead of the logon screen, I got a message box from lsass.exe saying, "When trying to update a password, this return status indicates that the value provided as the current password is not correct." Then the system would restart itself, and re-display the message, over and over.

    I was eventually able to recover as follows:

    1. I installed a second bootable drive in the PC and booted into it. Then the first (bad) drive (now labeled D[​IMG] was visible under Windows explorer.

    2. I copied all files from D:/Windows/repair into D:/Windows/System32/config , just press yes to all when asked if you want to replace files.

    3. The drive boots back to normal and i saw no problems with password issues.!!
    [/font]
     
  29. Shang

    Shang Private E-2

    OK I did what I listed above, I can now get into windows except everything is gone once again since I can only log on as "Administrator"


    I'm about to just clean the HD since I got the files off that I needed to get off.

    Should I wipe it or should I try to log on the other accounts?
     
  30. General_Lee_Stoned

    General_Lee_Stoned BuZZed Lightyear

    glad you got that bit done m8 :D

    I'm assuming you probably wiped out the old accounts, but you could try looking for them through windows explorer or at least the settings and if found you could transfer them to your new account

    If not after all the system files you've been messing with, might pay to just start afresh if you've pulled all the files you want to keep ;)
     
  31. Shang

    Shang Private E-2

    How can I get the internet to work on that comp? Its not working, like this page cannot be displayed no internet connection detected etc.

    Darn, my home network isn't on there either.

    I think I broke the internet!!! :D

    My router says its connected (wire and whatnot)
     
  32. General_Lee_Stoned

    General_Lee_Stoned BuZZed Lightyear

    unfortunately i think youve just messed up too many system configuration files looks like the nice clean install is on the cards
     
  33. Shang

    Shang Private E-2

    How do I wipe the HD?
     
  34. General_Lee_Stoned

    General_Lee_Stoned BuZZed Lightyear


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