Re: Windows logon failure

Tech-Archive recommends: Fix windows errors by optimizing your registry

Alright, at this point the situation has changed somewhat. We decided that
my friend's PC isn't a good choice to be using at this point due to the fact
that during the same session that he was able to read my disk, a number of
hours later it reported that my disk had no file system.

On the recomendation of a different friend, i downloaded miniPE, an
operating system running from a boot disk and used it to save my important
files. It also comes with a registry editor. Right now I've basically
"forgotten" the second disk altogether and am running off of just one, named
C:. My initial problem still exists. I'm planning on repeating steps 1-17
now but could you explain what I need to do regarding the permission settings
on userinit.exe? Sorry for being such a hassle and thanks in advance

"Pegasus (MVP)" wrote:

This is correct. When you have a disk with multiple
partitions then the system may be looking for userinit.exe
on the wrong partition. Creating multiple copies overcomes
this problem temporarily until you can apply a permanent
fix. Since you have only one partition, this issue is
irrelevant.

I note that you did not report on the permission setting
for c:\windows\system32\userinit.exe. Furthermore -
does this file have the same size and date samp as the
one on your friend's PC?


"ribs" <ribs@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:BF017542-6292-46BA-B96F-64953A79BBD2@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
I only have one partition on the problem hard drive, so there's only 1
drive
letter assigned to it. Isn't this solution for paritioned drives with
multiple drive letters?

"Pegasus (MVP)" wrote:

Assuming you have drives Q:, R: and S: on your problem
disk while it is installed in your friend's PC (corresponding
to drives C:, D: and E: while it is installed in your own PC),
you must ensure that userinit.exe exists in these folders:

Q:\Windows\system32
R:\Windows\system32
S:\Windows\system32

Create the folders if they do not already exist.

You must also set your ntfs permissions so that all copies
of userinit.exe are readable by "everyone".

If successful, you will need to make some changes to the
registry when logging in the first time.

Have a look at this link too:
http://www.smilecomputers.nl/helpdesk/unablelogonadaware.htm


"ribs" <ribs@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:20BB9CCB-F873-4DE6-98D8-0D7023D594EA@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Alright I used Acronis TrueImage to succesfully clone my drive (I
ended up
having to buy the full version but if I can save my computer it's a
small
price to pay). As predicted it didn't solve the original problem.
But my
friend's PC can now read my drive. Anyways, we tried 1-17 to see if
it
would
work and it didn't. We were ready to try 18 but we don't really
understand
exactly what you mean.:

18. To add braces to your belt, copy X:\windows\system32\userinit.exe
to \windows\system32 on ***every*** other drive on the problem disk.
Make new folders if necessary.

We found the userinit.exe but we are unsure as to where we should copy
it
to. What do you exactly mean by every other drive on the problem disk?
I'd
appreciate it if you rewrote that step a bit more clearly.

"Pegasus (MVP)" wrote:

I see. Things are getting a little murky here. If this was my
machine
then I would move immediately into "salvage" mode. The easiest
way to do this is by installing the disk as a slave disk in some
other
PC but since that "other" PC won't recognise the disk, you cannot
use this option. Here are your remaining options:
a) Repartition & reformat the disk. Install WinXP and all
applications.
You will, of course, lose all data.
b) Hand the disk to a recovery service. They can probably fix it
at a price.
c) Create a clone of your disk while on your own PC.

Option c) can be achieved in several ways. Here are two of them:

1. Get a copy of Acronis TrueImage, install it on your friend's PC
and use it to burn a boot CD. Boot your own PC with this CD
and create a clone of your problem disk on some spare disk.
It may even be possible to do this with a demo version of
TrueImage - you'll have to find out for yourself.

2. Burn a Bart PE boot CD on your friend's PC
(http://www.nu2.nu/pebuilder/#download),
then boot your own machine with this CD. Now use this
command to create a clone of your disk on some spare
disk:
xcopy /s /e /c /h /d /k /o /y d:\*.* e:\*.*
where D: is the problem disk and E: is the spare disk, which
must have been formatted under WinXP.

Option c) involves spending money or spending two or three
hours to create a Bart PE CD. Since it is unlikely to resolve your
original problem, you might want to go for options a) or b).


"ribs" <ribs@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:A93FD5E8-48F4-4942-8FDB-D7AF46502270@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Sorry. I'm on a friend's PC, attempting to implement your
solution.
Once
we
got on, it claimed that my drive (the one i just installed on his
PC)
was
not
formatted. We tried to continue with the solution anyway, getting
as
far
as
step 8. but on step 9. regedit claimed that
X:\windows\system32\config\system
did not exst. We then used the Computer Management tool to exam
the
drive
and found that it supposedly had about 500 GB of unallocated space
in
addition to the 70-something GB normal partition, and that my disk
didn't
appear to be formatted.
We assumed that my index was corrupt and were considering finding
a
data
recovery specialist. I put the disk back on my machine and it
still
booted
up as far as the login screen, meaning my index is NOT corrupt (or
else it
wouldn't have recognized that I have windows at all, right?).
Any suggestions?

"Pegasus (MVP)" wrote:

I'm afraid your post makes no sense. Your initial problem was
a looping logon screen. This is in most cases caused by an
incorrect system drive assignment.

In your most recent note you speak about Computer Management
tools, implying that you could finally log on, and raw disks,
which
implies that you have destroyed your Windows installation. This
is
contradictory.

I suggest you state clearly what you did and what you have.
Statements
such as "I accidentally hit that this answered my question" or
"My
bad"
mean nothing to me.


"ribs" <ribs@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:5FC1B90A-E748-4BE8-878F-1E0468BE1B46@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Oops I accidentally hit that this answered my question. My
bad.
Anyway
I'm
almost about to kill myself because according to my friend's
PC,
My
disk's
file system is raw. I'm assuming I need to sell my soul to a
data
recovery
specialist now? or something like that? The Computer
Management
tool
claims
that my 80 GB HD has 1 74.something GB partition and 1
500-something
GB
partition unallocated. Please tell me there's something I can
do?
I
need
the computer for just two more weeks before it can be as broke
as
it
wants
to
be. ;( I'm close to hysteria...

"Pegasus (MVP)" wrote:

Yes. And report to the trauma ward at your hospital when
finished.


"ribs" <ribs@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:ED473471-1228-4694-A4B5-932FABE8BD1C@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Ok, so just so I'm clear, I should be taking the drive
that
has
windows
installed on it out of my computer and installing it on
some
other
pc.
After
that I find out what letter its been assigned (x) and use
that
letter
to
do
X:> mountvol in cmd? and then do the rest of the stuff?

"Pegasus (MVP)" wrote:

OK, you asked for it:
1. Temporarily install the problem disk as a slave disk
in
some other WinXP PC.
2. Find out the current drive letter for the bad disk's
drive
C:.
It could be D, E, F or whatever - I'll call it X:.
3. Run this command from a Command Prompt: mountvol.
4. Make a note of the volume label for drive X:. It
looks
like
so: Volume{58273200-dc6a-11d8-9d3a-806d6172696f.
I'll
call
it Y.
5. Run regedit.exe.
6. Collapse the display so that you see only the five
hives.
7. Single-click HKLM.
8. Click File / Load Hive
9. Type X:\windows\system32\config\system.
10. Type BadDisk when prompted.
11. Open HKLM, open BadDisk, then navigate to the
highest
ControlSet number you have (usually 002 or 003).
12. Navigate to MountedDevices.
13. Locate the value Y in the right pane.
14. Make a note of the value data. It could be something
like
25 e3 26 3e 00 7e. I'll call it Z.
15. Navigate down to DosDevices and locate Z. This is
your
system drive assignment.
16. Rename its value to DosDevices\C: If drive letter C:
is
used by some other value, rename that one first to
make
room.
17. Close the registry editor.
18. To add braces to your belt, copy
X:\windows\system32\userinit.exe
to \windows\system32 on ***every*** other drive on
the
problem
disk.
Make new folders if necessary.
19. Return the disk to its normal home.

If Steps 1..17 do not help then Step 18 probably will.
And
if
you
survive the ordeal, post your result.


"ribs" <ribs@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message

news:5864BD27-68C3-4632-BFAF-F9926825A978@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
That doesn't seem to have helped. Can you tell me the
tedious
solution?

"Pegasus (MVP)" wrote:

Having two non-networked PCs makes it rather tedious
as it involves moving disks from one machine to the
other.
Before going there I suggest you try this:
1. Boot the machine with a Win98 boot disk from
www.bootdisk.com.
2. Run this command: fdisk /mbr

This will reset the disk volume names, thus forcing
Windows to reassign the drive letters on the next
reboot. Sometimes it works, somtimes it does not.


"ribs" <ribs@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in
message

.

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