Re: MSN Dial Up Wiped Out Mysteriously

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.

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.

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")? 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?

Again, thank you very
much for the help you've already attempted to render and anything else you
might suggest.


"Dave Patrick" wrote:

Sounds like the profile may be
corrupt. You may see something like;

C:\Documents and Settings\user000

C:\Documents and Settings\user

If the profile is corrupt, you can rename
the profile(while logged on as
local admin), then when the user logs on
again a new profile will be created
from the image in \default user. You
can then copy over the items you need
from the renamed profile. Copy the
folder contents not the folders
themselves. When your sure you have all
you need, you can delete the renamed
profile(s). Use the import function
of your e-mail software. Don't overwrite
ntuser.dat

--


Regards,

Dave Patrick ....Please no email replies - reply in
newsgroup.
Microsoft Certified Professional
Microsoft MVP [Windows]

http://www.microsoft.com/protect

"Head in the clouds" wrote:
| Home,
stand-alone Dell Dimension 4100 with ~700 Mhz processor & 40 Gig
hard
|
drive, 52 dial-up modem to MSN ISP. Spybot-cleaned & Windows Updates fully

| up-to-date. Early warning signs? About 10 days ago my desktop icons,

1-click
| icons & tray icons began occassionally blinking & winking w/o
apparent
cause.
| Couple days later Opera browser (latest non-Beta
version) wouldn't
bookmark
| from menu bar, only shortcut menu. Last
shut down prior to incident
produced
| "program not responding" -- had
to use power button to shut down.
|
| Upon next
| start up my complete
Network & Dial Up folder contents were missing.
| Unable
| to access
Internet now.
|
| Other symptoms:
| --Internet Connection Wizard
|
"Country/region" selection box in 3rd step blank. Clicking on it ends

Wizard
| set-up w/message box "icwconn1.exe has generated errors and will
be closed
by
| Windows. You will need to restart the program. An error
log is being
| created." Impossible to re-create an Internet Connection
using Wizard
| (selecting manual/LAN).
| --Clicking on Search/Files &
Folders from Start menu
| produces nothing -- no response.
| --Clicking
on Add/Remove Programs from Start
| Menu produces only blank/empty box. May
be unable to add/remove
| programs.
| --Got an "Error 711: Remote Access
Dialer will not start" notice
| when trying to do something (forget what).
When I looked up error 711 in
help
| manual, it wouldn't show page!
|
--Dial Up/Download program/page on one of my
| applications appears
completely wiped out
| --Missing programs are not in
| Recycle Bin or
anywhere else on drive (C), desktop, My Computer, etc.
|
| I had
| just
run an up-to-date Spybot and installed the latest security pack from
|
MSN/Windows Update on the 12th. All was operating well and normally. And

then
| had the trouble shutting down and, upon later powering up found all
these
| problems.
|
| I tried a few soft & hard reboots to no effect.
Re-ran Spybot,
| which found no problems. I ran a disk scan/check from
Windows Explorer,
both
| automatic and thorough, and it did not find any
problems or restore the
Dial
| Up contents or fix other symptoms
above.
|
| I am totally perplexed. Am I victim
| of a voltage spike
from t-storms over the last 10 days (I do have/use a
spike
| protector
strip.)? Virus that snuck past Spybot/Windows Update? I haven't
| opened
any unscanned email attachments or downloaded any questionable
|
software.
|
| I'm a bit afraid to try an emergency repair (disc) or a
reload of
| Windows 2000 for fear of losing files, folders, and
favorites.
|
| Any
| suggestions/ideas/fixes would be greatly
appreciated Oh Gods of the Ether.
| Thanks.



.