Pc logs on then off again
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rolla
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4
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Thursday October 2, 2008
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October 4, 2008
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Oct 3, 2008 at 07:21 AM
Saifi - May 19, 2013 at 10:12 AM
Saifi - May 19, 2013 at 10:12 AM
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32 responses
Hello, 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
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
HELLO ALL, PART# 2 MESSAGE
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$\userinit.exe C:\Windows\System32
Always leave a space between .EXE and C: And this time it IS .EXE not .EX_
Hope that helps more people having trouble to find this file. PRBatman
If that happens then your CD drive is not E:, try using D: or F:. But you really don't need to navigate to the CD in order to put a copy of userinit in your hard drive. Just type: "EXPAND E:\i386\userinit.ex_ C:\windows\system32" without the quotes and just change the letter to D: or F: if it doesn't work with E:, then type EXIT and the computer will reboot immediately.
Hope that helps. PRBatman
Hello Colasus,
I have several questions: Can you get into the Windows recovery console? Did you try the last resort method to copy the file from the hard disk itself using one of the 3 different locations I gave you? Here are the instructions again:
Once inside the Recovery Console from C:\Windows>_ prompt type:
COPY C:\Windows\ServicePackFiles\i386\userinit.exe C:\Windows\System32
if that doesn't work (meaning that the file was not found) try:
COPY C:\Windows\System32\DLLcache\userinit.exe C:\Windows\System32
and if that still doesn't work (still not found), try:
COPY C:\Windows\$NtServicePackUninstall$\userinit.exe C:\Windows\System32
Always leave a space between .EXE and C: And this time it IS .EXE not .EX_
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
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
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
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
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
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
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_
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
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
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
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
Ultimately you have to take it to someone with the tools to fix this problem. Different Viruses do different things. One makes the OS logon then log off. Others will just want your credit card information. So With that in mind Take to someone that can do the problem solving. Never TAKE IT TO GEEK SQUAD. I'm telling you this for your own good. If you want all your pictures and files intact don't take it to them.
As it was posted before This link works I just used it today, and now I'm removing the virus that messed with the computer. I had to use ERD or Another Alternative OS to get into the regedit.
I cannot recommend you doing this yourself if you have not done regedit before. Please save yourself the hassle and take to a well known good PC TECH. (someone with morals)
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/troubleshoot/windows-server/user-profiles-and-logon/cannot-log-on-windows
As it was posted before This link works I just used it today, and now I'm removing the virus that messed with the computer. I had to use ERD or Another Alternative OS to get into the regedit.
I cannot recommend you doing this yourself if you have not done regedit before. Please save yourself the hassle and take to a well known good PC TECH. (someone with morals)
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/troubleshoot/windows-server/user-profiles-and-logon/cannot-log-on-windows
rolla
Posts
4
Registration date
Thursday October 2, 2008
Status
Member
Last seen
October 4, 2008
Oct 4, 2008 at 08:03 AM
Oct 4, 2008 at 08:03 AM
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
any ideas????
cheers
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.
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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.
As everyone else states, this is a userinit issue, possibly a corrupt reg issue but 99% of the time its a corrupt userinit.... expand it from the win cd <without typing the destination file name> and it will work.
Otherwise you have the option of going back and changing to older hive files.
Worst case scenario you have the option of installing windows over itself, as long as your hd doesn't have any issues this will work as well.
My point, and really the only reason I'm posting this at all, is because there is (almost) no such thing as an issue that REQUIRES a drive to be wiped and an OS to be reinstalled. If you bring your system to some one who tells you that you must do this, bring it to some one else.
I am an expert, I do do this type of work for a living and it bothers me when customers tell me they lost all of their children's pictures and this and that. All because some guy at a shop or some 20 year old kid working at geek squad told them they had to do it.
I'm not pretending or claiming to be the best out their, but in my 15 years of x86 experience I've ONLY wiped a system and reinstalled the OS when it was a specific customer request.
If any of you are having issues and need a hand (end users, or support mods here) please feel free to email me at Email Id removed for security
Thanks guys,
Aj
Otherwise you have the option of going back and changing to older hive files.
Worst case scenario you have the option of installing windows over itself, as long as your hd doesn't have any issues this will work as well.
My point, and really the only reason I'm posting this at all, is because there is (almost) no such thing as an issue that REQUIRES a drive to be wiped and an OS to be reinstalled. If you bring your system to some one who tells you that you must do this, bring it to some one else.
I am an expert, I do do this type of work for a living and it bothers me when customers tell me they lost all of their children's pictures and this and that. All because some guy at a shop or some 20 year old kid working at geek squad told them they had to do it.
I'm not pretending or claiming to be the best out their, but in my 15 years of x86 experience I've ONLY wiped a system and reinstalled the OS when it was a specific customer request.
If any of you are having issues and need a hand (end users, or support mods here) please feel free to email me at Email Id removed for security
Thanks guys,
Aj
Hello again guys,
All I have to say is, WOW...
I know people have issues with their computers on a daily basis (I actually earn a living based on this fact) but I had no idea how many of you would see this specific thread, my name & email, and actually use it!
The point I'm getting to here is I have gotten an overwhelming amount of responses to the post that I made just a few evenings ago. Some from people who are having similar issues (a good portion of those HAVE already had their issues resolved) and even some e-mails from other techs out there.
To any/all of you who have sent me an email looking for some help, you will absolutely receive it. Just please keep in mind I'm doing this just to help those of you who have tried alternatives and haven't gotten anywhere. I'll never ask for any type of payment or "donation", but again, keep in mind I've already received hundreds of emails to go through and even though I'm doing my best to keep up with every single one of them, it may take me a little time to respond to all of you. So far my average is in the range of 72 hours or so. I of course will not be upset or offended in any way if you manage to resolve your own issue before I get back to you, but if you do not, I will do whatever is possible (and legal) to help you resolve your issue.
Right now is a pretty good time for me to be able to help out, as any of you who know me know I'm basically stuck in my home for the next few weeks because of a broken leg and ankle. At some point I will be getting back to normal life and business and everything else, but as of right now I'm able to maintain the pace that I'm maintaining because I've got nothing else going on anyway =).
Anyway, thank you all for the opportunity you've given me to try and lend a hand where I can, and if you need, keep those emails coming (
Thanks again,
AJ
All I have to say is, WOW...
I know people have issues with their computers on a daily basis (I actually earn a living based on this fact) but I had no idea how many of you would see this specific thread, my name & email, and actually use it!
The point I'm getting to here is I have gotten an overwhelming amount of responses to the post that I made just a few evenings ago. Some from people who are having similar issues (a good portion of those HAVE already had their issues resolved) and even some e-mails from other techs out there.
To any/all of you who have sent me an email looking for some help, you will absolutely receive it. Just please keep in mind I'm doing this just to help those of you who have tried alternatives and haven't gotten anywhere. I'll never ask for any type of payment or "donation", but again, keep in mind I've already received hundreds of emails to go through and even though I'm doing my best to keep up with every single one of them, it may take me a little time to respond to all of you. So far my average is in the range of 72 hours or so. I of course will not be upset or offended in any way if you manage to resolve your own issue before I get back to you, but if you do not, I will do whatever is possible (and legal) to help you resolve your issue.
Right now is a pretty good time for me to be able to help out, as any of you who know me know I'm basically stuck in my home for the next few weeks because of a broken leg and ankle. At some point I will be getting back to normal life and business and everything else, but as of right now I'm able to maintain the pace that I'm maintaining because I've got nothing else going on anyway =).
Anyway, thank you all for the opportunity you've given me to try and lend a hand where I can, and if you need, keep those emails coming (
Thanks again,
AJ
Hi. Yesterday I turned my computer on and everything was up and running. I took my son to school and came back two hours later to use it and it had gone into hibernation, so moved mouse and went to click on internet and it was froze. I hit control alt delete and nothing happened, so I had to shut it down on the tower. Turned computer back on and a hp invent screen came up that says F10 setup, Esc boot menu, F11 system recovery, F9 diagnostic. I cant hit any of these keys will not do anything at all. This computer is only a year old I have all of my sons pictures on here. Can you help me please!!!!!
rolla
Posts
4
Registration date
Thursday October 2, 2008
Status
Member
Last seen
October 4, 2008
Oct 4, 2008 at 11:42 AM
Oct 4, 2008 at 11:42 AM
hi all, thanks for the help but I finally cracked it yeeeeeeeeeeeeeha
thanks again
rollarizla
thanks again
rollarizla
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
"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
PRBatman,
I've read your threads about wiindows logging in and off without getting to the desktop. Our business computer is having this problem and I intend to try your suggestions tomorrow. However, this got me thinking that our personal computer that I built about a year ago and used all new "stuff" for might have a problem. I purchased a philips cd-drive, which worked fine for about 7-8 months, and one day I wanted to burn a music cd and it wouldn't. Not only will it not burn, but it will not rip music either. Now I can play games from a cd and run some programs, but not anything to do with music. I was curious as to what i386 has to do with? Could there be some "messed up" file or something (not trying to sound too computer illiterate) that could be related to this cd issue?
Your help would be much appreciated!!!
I've read your threads about wiindows logging in and off without getting to the desktop. Our business computer is having this problem and I intend to try your suggestions tomorrow. However, this got me thinking that our personal computer that I built about a year ago and used all new "stuff" for might have a problem. I purchased a philips cd-drive, which worked fine for about 7-8 months, and one day I wanted to burn a music cd and it wouldn't. Not only will it not burn, but it will not rip music either. Now I can play games from a cd and run some programs, but not anything to do with music. I was curious as to what i386 has to do with? Could there be some "messed up" file or something (not trying to sound too computer illiterate) that could be related to this cd issue?
Your help would be much appreciated!!!
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.
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?
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?
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".
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.
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.
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!!
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.
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.
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
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
Thanks a bunch PRBateman, made my month with that tip.
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?
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
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
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$\userinit.exe C:\Windows\System32
Always leave a space between .EXE and C: And this time it IS .EXE not .EX_
Hope that helps more people having trouble to find this file. PRBatman
I would like to point out that it is not .EXE it is .EX_ otherwise you will get a "file not found" message.
If you are able to switch to E: but you can't switch to cd i386 or get a "can't read from disk" error, then your drive lens could be dirty or your Windows CD could be damaged.
A second option for people who can't read from their CD drives or their Windows disk is damaged or they have a computer like an HP or Compaq that has the Windows pre-installed, is to get userinit.exe from within the same C:\Windows> folder, since Windows keeps its own backup copies when installing and upgrading Service Packs, etc. The only problem with this method is that those copies might be also be infected if you have or had a virus infection in your computer, as some trojans affect only .EXE files. Do this at your own risk and as a last resort to get into windows. The best way is to get a fresh copy of userinit.exe from a Windows CD-ROM; it can be from a borrowed one from a friend or neighbor even. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.
Once inside the Recovery Console from C:\Windows>_ prompt type:
COPY C:\Windows\ServicePackFiles\i386\userinit.exe C:\Windows\System32
if that doesn't work (meaning that the file was not found) try:
COPY C:\Windows\System32\DLLcache\userinit.exe C:\Windows\System32
and if that still doesn't work (still not found), try:
COPY C:\Windows\$NtServicePackUninstall$\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
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?
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?
when I use the expand userinit... I get an "access is denied"
help?
thanks
help?
thanks
"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?
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
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
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
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
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
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
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.
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.
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.
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
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
PRBatman - Thank you so much! Works like a charm! I think I love you.
Seriously though, thanks a lot.
Dan
Seriously though, thanks a lot.
Dan
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 ;)
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 ;)
Hey PRBatman,
I did the fix COPY C:\Windows\$NtServicePackUninstall$\userinit.exe C:\Windows\System32 and it seemed to work. I got logged back into windows.
It looks like all the things on the computer was erased. would this effect that?
I did the fix COPY C:\Windows\$NtServicePackUninstall$\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?
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
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
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
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
If you can suggest anything, thank you.
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!!!
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!!!
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.
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.
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.
Mar 24, 2009 at 11:48 AM
Mar 28, 2009 at 01:53 AM
& from ur idea I got a different idea...........helped me alot.
Apr 1, 2009 at 09:04 PM
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
Apr 2, 2009 at 08:32 PM
Apr 3, 2009 at 08:49 PM
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