Windows XP Personal Profile
Bob
program yesterday the personal profile/user profile was not accessible and
the system created a new one where half the programs disappeared off the
desk top and the internet connection was wiped out. Any ideas on how to
find and get the original personal profile back. The Restore function did
not work!
Bob L
Shenan Stanley
Name of this program?
--
Shenan Stanley
MS-MVP
--
How To Ask Questions The Smart Way
http://www.catb.org/~esr/faqs/smart-questions.html
Shenan Stanley
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Bob wrote:
> I am using an XP home operating system and today after installing a
> new program yesterday the personal profile/user profile was not
> accessible and the system created a new one where half the programs
> disappeared off the desk top and the internet connection was wiped
> out. Any ideas on how to find and get the original personal
> profile back. The Restore function did not work!
Shenan Stanley wrote:
> "after installing a new program yesterday"
>
> Name of this program?
Bob wrote:
> One of the programs was a register cleaner
> that seemed to work and the other was a
> spyware clean up program, it also appeared
> to work.
>
> The question remains did Windows make a
> backup of the profile file or did it just
> delete it.
Short:
Check the folders under "C:\Documents and Settings\" <-- see your username
there? Go in, see your files there?
Long:
Bob,
The programs are still anonymous?
First - I suppose you mean "Registry Cleaner" when you said "register
cleaner". As in the Windows registry. I'm pretty certain it had a specific
name - right? Did it have a way to undo what it did? As for 'seemed to
work' - in what way? It installed okay and then cleaned off all remnants of
your profile? *grin*
Given - that could have been a typo (register/registry) - but messing around
in the windows registry is something I think should be done carefully and
wisely. Some registry cleaners may not be completely worthless in the hands
of someone who is willing to put in the effort to use them correctly
(checking everything it reports to them, removing only entries they research
and deem safe) - but they could cause issues very easily.
What urged you into running a registry cleaning application? When you
downloaded it - where did you download it from?
Second - "spyware clean up program", same deal - pretty sure it would also
have a specific name. Also - in what way did it 'seem to work'? Same as
the registry cleaner? *grin*
Could the damage have already been done and the cleanup caused more issues
(the answer is yes, btw.)
What urged you into running an antispyware application? When you downloaded
it - where did you download it from?
See - here's the problem - every program, every computer and every user is
different. Without some specifics from your end - bringing together what
happened on your computer which only you can see right now and only you
(right now) know the specifics of what you did - it is difficult for anyone
to accurately and precisely assist you.
I can tell you that Windows XP keeps your user profile in a specific
location by default. It knows this location because it stores it in your
registry. That location, by default, is C:\Documents and
Settings\<username>\ - and inside that location one would find their desktop
folder (what they see on their desktop when they log in), their Internet
Explorer favorites folder (their IE bookmarks), their My Documents folder
(where the My Pictures, My Videos, My Music and other folders exist), their
start menu folder (where the shortcuts seen in their personal start menu are
stored), and so on - including their own individual registry entries in a
file called NTUSER.DAT.
So check in "C:\Documents and Settings\" for your username folder. If there
are more than one with the username you use - something corrupted one and
Windows automatically created another and all of your 'stuff' is likely in
the old one. Your best bet at that point is to copy what you need (the
files you created - the documents, the spreadsheets, the music, the
pictures, the internet favorites, etc) to the new profile and leave the
automatically created stuff behind (NTUSER.DAT and most of the APPLICATION
DATA folder and so on.)
Your profile is *your* data. While "System Restore" can be useful - what it
does and what it protects is right in its name. "System" files - files
necessary for the running of the system. What you need to protect the stuff
you do, you create, you save is called "backups". You can schedule backups
using the built in program(s), you can manually drag/drop and copy files to
external media, you can install and use third party products to backup your
stuff - but the "System Restore* feature built into Windows - that's for
system files - not your files.
You may not be able to get the actual user profile back. Things
disappearing off your desktop - those are likely mostly shortcuts. Those
can be recreated. Your files (documents, pictures, music, etc) should have
been backed up periodically and consistently. If not - consider this the
wake-up call and if you recover any of them - make sure they are not single
copies ever again.
Shenan Stanley
<Please reply to the newsgroups>
<I CC'd you this answer for your convenience>
<All messages started in the newsgroups should continue there>
http://groups.google.com/group/microsoft.public.windowsxp.configuration_manage/browse_frm/thread/682dcf6f2eacad10/
Bob wrote:
> I am using an XP home operating system and today after installing a
> new program yesterday the personal profile/user profile was not
> accessible and the system created a new one where half the programs
> disappeared off the desk top and the internet connection was wiped
> out. Any ideas on how to find and get the original personal
> profile back. The Restore function did not work!
Shenan Stanley wrote:
> "after installing a new program yesterday"
>
> Name of this program?
Bob wrote:
> One of the programs was a register cleaner
> that seemed to work and the other was a
> spyware clean up program, it also appeared
> to work.
>
> The question remains did Windows make a
> backup of the profile file or did it just
> delete it.
Bob wrote:
> Shenan: Thanks for your comments but calm down,
> it is only a computer.
Did not realize giving you the information you requested and letting you
know that if you provided more details, people would be more apt to
assist/be able to assist you would mean I needed to 'calm down'.
If you want more people to assist - please respond to the newsgroups.
L.B.Buddhika
Hi Bob
You may have got an answer already. This happens when the windows is
corrupted and doesn't know how to load the profile of the logged in user.
According to my experience, your previous (original) profile is there. What
windows is doing, that it creates a whole new set of default folders for
your logged in user name.
My solution is to access the folder "C:\Documents and Settings" and look for
your original profile and backup the files. And sorry to say this, you have
to re-install your pc.
Good luck!
L.B.Buddhika