Re: MSN Dial Up Wiped Out Mysteriously

"Head in the clouds" wrote:
| Mr. Patrick,
|
| First thank you for being the only person to respond to my
| query. I greatly appreciate you taking the time.
|
| However, I'm afraid your
| reply assumed a level of sophistication on my part that I do not possess.
| Understanding and implementing your suggestion has proven impossible for
| me.
|
| Also, from my limited understanding of profiles, I cannot understand how
| a corrupted profile can produce all the symptoms I mentioned. For example,
I
| am using the book "Windows 2000 Pro: The Missing Manual" by Sharon Pogue,
8th
| printing, 2004 edition to help guide me. Page 169 defines a user profile
as
| "individual accounts, each with its own desktop, Start menu, and other
| settings." While one might infer that blinking icons on the desktop or
quick
| launch bar could result from a corrupted profile that stores them, it does
| not seem to me to follow that a symptom like dialogue boxes failing to
| appear, text box choices going blank, my Add/Remove Progam box being
blank,
| or bookmarks failing to work from the menu bar but working from the
| right-button short menu could be the result of the computer somehow
storing
| my Start menu choices or quick launch choices incorrectly.
|
| More specifically
| addressing your kind reply, which I stress I am thankful for, I have
| fundamental questions. At the start you said I might be seeing
C:\Documents
| and Settings\user000... But you didn't say *where* or *when* I might be
| seeing this. So I can't verify it.
* 1.) You'll see this in the C:\Documents | and Settings\ folder
2.) It won't come and go if that's what you mean.


| My sense of what you suggesting I do was
| to somehow create a new account, move things over from the corrupt
account,
| then eliminate the corrupt account. If that is the case, then why not
follow
| the create new account procedure instead of renaming? I do not understand
how
| simply renaming an account changes anything but its name. And, in fact,
when
| I did that, that is exactly all that happened. I had the same problems and
| symptoms in an account under a new name.
* Largely a WAG on my part. Just clears the way for the new profile. You
don't need to create a new user, just clear the corruption (if it exists)
It's appears moot since that wasn't the problem.



| Further on you say to "copy over
| the items you need from the renamed profile." Again, I'm sorry, but this
| doesn't make sense to me. Fundamentally, if I'm copying "from the renamed
| profile," what am I copying things *to* or putting the copies *in*?
| Also,
| just what is it am I supposed to copy ("the items you need")?
* Just data files from 'My Documents' and or shortcuts, etc.


All my programs
| and files? Let me give another example. When I use the Computer Management
| dialogue box and click on "Properties" nothing comes up or happens. Then,
| when I try to close the Computer Management dialogue box I get an
on-screen
| message that I must close all dialogue boxes before the Computer
Management
| program can be ended. Yet there are no dialogue boxes to close! What is it
| that I would copy that would solve that problem?
|
| And regarding any copying,
| not only do I not understand what or where I am supposed to copy, but the
| method you suggested. I am vaguely aware that there is an import/export
| function in a mail program (I have Outlook Express) and think I used one
once
| eons ago to set up a mail account. But I have never heard of regular
programs
| or files being transfered using an email program. I don't understand this
or
| know how to do it.
|
| The "don't overwrite ntuser.dat" therefore has no meaning
| to me because I don't understand how it relates to what preceeds it.
|
| I think
| the things you're recommending are administrative tasks, things that
| run-of-the-mill users like me rarely do. This computer was given to me for
my
| home and I am its sole user. I believe I have administrative capabilities
on
| it. Under "User Profiles" in the System Properties dialogue box, the only
| accounts shown are Administrator and Guest. When I start my computer,
| "Administrator" quickly is visible in an inaccessible dialogue box as part
of
| the multiple screens that flash up and disappear. I am not prompted to log
| on. When I renamed Administrator, the only difference I could notice was
that
| I was prompted to log on with the new name. Upon logging on with correct
name
| of the renamed account all my original problems remained in place. Nothing
| was changed.
|
| Finally, I accessed the Event Viewer hoping to see when the
| problems started, what part of the computer they were in, and perhaps gain
| some insight into how to fix them. But when I click, double-click, or
| right-click on an Error message in the Event Viewer I get no Event
Properties
| box. I get nothing. Nothing whatsoever.
|
| It's almost as if this problem is
| trying to deny me access to information or interrupt programs that could
help
| me understand or correct it. The problem seems systemic, not related to
| malfunctions in an individual user profile or account. It seems like what
a
| virus would do to me.
|
| Whether my hunch is right or wrong, I think it's
| important to know the cause of all this, as well, to prevent it from
| happening again.
|
| Perhaps I should contact Microsoft or take the computer to
| a repair shop, although I badly need to avoid expense at this time. I
don't
| know which would be the cheaper option.
|
| At any rate, thank you for your
| attempt to help. It is undoubtedly my lack of knowledge of computers that
| prevents me from understanding the concept or technique of what you are
| suggesting. It is important for me to understand a concept, in plain
| language, before I can fix something. While I understand that one might
have
| and use different "profiles" on a computer to suit different users or
| hardware setups, I cannot understand how a profile of my settings,
programs,
| etc that became corrupt could prevent me from seeing a dialogue box that
| should appear or empty the content of text boxes and folders that would be
| common to all users or profiles. If they are common, then I don't see how
| switching to another profile or simply renaming the original would change
or
| eliminate the problem.
|
| I want to fix this problem without loss of files,
| programs or settings. Would use of an Emergency Repair Disc and procedure
or
| reinstallation of Windows 2000 allow me to do that?
* Possibly. These articles may help.

How to Perform an In-Place Upgrade of Windows 2000
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;[LN];292175

What an In-Place Windows 2000 Upgrade Changes and What It Does Not Change
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;[LN];306952

Be sure to apply SP4 and these two below to your repair install before
connecting to any network. Internet included. (sasser, msblast)
http://download.microsoft.com/download/E/6/A/E6A04295-D2A8-40D0-A0C5-241BFECD095E/W2KSP4_EN.EXE
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/bulletin/MS03-043.mspx
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/bulletin/MS03-049.mspx

Then

Rollup 1 for Microsoft Windows 2000 Service Pack 4
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?amp;displaylang=en&familyid=B54730CF-8850-4531-B52B-BF28B324C662&displaylang=en






--

Regards,

Dave Patrick ....Please no email replies - reply in newsgroup.
Microsoft Certified Professional
Microsoft MVP [Windows]
http://www.microsoft.com/protect


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