XP Locked out of a "healthy" system

[RussellXPD]

Hi - I hope someone may be able to help

 

I recently had to reinstall (format C:\) Win XP Home initially because of a power failure. I thought it had fried the HD, but it hadn't.

I did this successfully (7 year old system, 30 Gb C drive2 Gb RAM 100+ Gb HDD.)

 

I use it mainly for non internet.  Recently it has been taking me to User Login boot screen, unnecessary for me because I'm a sole user and  usually log in to desktop.

After reading advice I did this, and only this: I went to Run > control userpasswords2 and unticked where it said:

Users must enter a Username and password to use this computer. That's all.

 

Now I'm locked out. These are the details:

 

Turn on normally > Windows starts normally, 1 minute then goes to this panel: Unable to log you on because of an account restriction. At this point,  mouse and keyboard are frozen. Stop.

 

Try again: Tap F8 during boot. This takes me to Boot Menu  > Select first boot device  > choices are Removable disc, HDD, CDRom, LAN

But again mouse and keyboard are frozen. Stop.

 

Try again: Hold down Del key during boot up. This takes me to BIOS - CMOS Setup Utility. Now at least I have use of the keyboard, but I don't know what to do next.  Is there any way. At the moment I don't think I could even do a reinstall!

 

Any help gratefully received

 

Russell

 

 

 

 

[jaclaz]

After reading advice I did this, and only this: I went to Run > control userpasswords2 and unticked where it said:

Users must enter a Username and password to use this computer. That's all.

This more or less amount to "Enable automatic logon"

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/315231/en-us

but you seem to have followed oNLY PARTIALLY "Method 2"

 

Now I'm locked out. These are the details:

 

Turn on normally > Windows starts normally, 1 minute then goes to this panel: Unable to log you on because of an account restriction. At this point,  mouse and keyboard are frozen. Stop.

Try again: Tap F8 during boot. This takes me to Boot Menu  > Select first boot device  > choices are Removable disc, HDD, CDRom, LAN

But again mouse and keyboard are frozen. Stop.

This is "strange".

Maybe it is a timing problem, but pressing (sometimes tapping insistently) F8 should bring you to this:

 

it is possible that the F8 key is also used by your BIOS to change boot device selection, if this is the case you should try again, starting pressing/tapping F8 only after the initial BIOS bootscreen.

Try again, after having read this page:

http://www.playtool.com/pages/safemode/safemode.html

 

If you get to that screenshot, try selecting "Safe Mode".

 

jaclaz

[Ponch]

Press F8 half a second later. If it still brings you to Boot Menu, choose HDD, the immediately after you validate your choice, press F8 again, this shoud bring you to the black screen in the above post.

[RussellXPD]

Thanks, jaclaz!

 

That's very detailed. I can't do it until tomorrow morning. (UK)

 

If I reach Safe Mode presumably I can retick the 'Users must enter a Username and password to use this computer.' Anyway I can have another crack at tapping and see if I can get in.

 

Many thanks

 

Russell

[RussellXPD]

And thanks Ponch. Two chances.

 

Will let you know.

 

R

[RussellXPD]

 I've read these possible solutions, thanks, and tried again some of the possibilities.

 

As to  "Turn on normally > Windows starts normally, 1 minute then goes to this panel: Unable to log you on because of an account restriction. At this point,  mouse and keyboard are frozen. Stop."

 

One  mistake here. The system needed time to respond, so after a delay I did get access for mouse and keyboard. So I could type in the Administrator password. The trouble is, at no time has there been an administrator password and I've never added any users. So I would have thought (blank) Enter would have got me through. Is there any default password supplied by MS which could be expected here?

 

As to Try again: Tap F8 during boot.

As suggested, I tried different variants, pressures, times, to find the other options including Safe Mode and VGA Mode but couldn't reach them. Reached the Boot Men u screen but with frozen mouse and Kbd

 

Try again: Hold down Del key during boot up. This takes me to BIOS - CMOS Setup Utility

There was a backward step here. This time I was able as before to reach BIOS-CMOS but now it is asking for a password, with an 8 character limit. But as before, there has never been one.

 

I read about the FixIt facility with a download available. I could download it on the other computer but can't see any way that's going to resolve this particular problem.

 

I will keep trying the F8 tricks but I'm a bit disheartened that the password is now cropping up in BIOS-CMOS.

 

(Off to work.)

 

Russell

[jaclaz]

Which system is it?

It is probable/possible that you are using a USB keyboard (ad mouse), the mouse should cause no issues, but it has happened that USB keyboards behaved "queerly" in the early parts of booting, if you have available (or can borrow) a PS/2 keyboard (and provided that the machine actually has a PS/2 port) you may try with it.

And I wouldn't completely rule out a defective keyboard, so I would try with another one anyway.

The fact that your system has now a BIOS password protection is not "good news", you may have accidentally set one, again, depending on which exact system (make/model) it is, it may be possible to clear that BIOS password or recover it.

But this right now is not the "main" issue.

jaclaz

[RussellXPD]

Thank you, thank you, jaclaz

 

You've led me to the answer, so the problem as originally posed has been solved.

 

I didn't mention that during most of the time of the trouble, I had a KVM system set up, that is two computers sharing monitor and USB connections to mouse and keyboard.

I was aware of this, and at one stage shifted back to single monitor plus PS2 mouse and keyboard. It produced the same result at that time.

 

This time though, after your "USB keyboards behaved queerly" message I tried again, and this time I was able to get through to the Safe Mode\Network mode shown on your post above. I went to System Restore and back two days.

 

This is a by-the-way, but since then the PC has been behaving like a sick animal, intermittently rejecting USB mouse and keyboard and a host of minor sillinesses.  I expect to bring it back under control in a day or two! 

 

Another bit of "unfinished business" is that I'd very much like to know why I'm barred at a passport barrier where to my knowledge, no passport existed. But like Aladdin, you let me in through the locked door. Thanks (and to Ponch).

 

Russell

[jaclaz]

 

Another bit of "unfinished business" is that I'd very much like to know why I'm barred at a passport barrier where to my knowledge, no passport existed. But like Aladdin, you let me in through the locked door. Thanks (and to Ponch).

I believe (as I said earlier) that - at least from what you reported - you used ONLY PARTIALLY "Method 2" on the given MS KB:

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/315231/en-us

 

The idea of "autologon" AFAICR is that a password MUST be set (and then it is automatically provided at logon), I suspect that *somehow* you managed to set autologon with a blank password and this is the "root" of the issue.

 

What about the BIOS password, did you solve that issue?

 

jaclaz

[RussellXPD]

Thanks jaclaz

 

I've just had another look at the /315231/ entry you mentioned. When I read it the first time, I couldn't do anything with it because I was blocked at each of the 3 stages I originally mentioned. I see now that I might be able to use it, now that I can get access. 

 

I have to say, being only an "intermediate",  I'm not clear whether I want or need Automatic Logon or not. All I originally wanted was to log straight on to the desktop. (No-one dangerous in the house.)  Also, after my recent experience, I'm not inclined to take any risks with the registry etc.

 

To make further difficulties my current internet connection isn't working, all USB mice and keyboards are rejected and even USB M+Kb adapted into the PS2 sockets.

 

Then I thought another System Restore would improve the game, and found that System Restore had been turned off! Needless to say, not by me. It's back on now.

 

My AV doesn't appear to be working either although MalwareBytes says the system is okay.

 

There is a funny side to this but I'm going to need a lot of patience.

 

Russell

[RussellXPD]

.. and more..  Worse -

I've just realised that all my USB sockets are being rejected. Also, in Device Manager, nothing is showing up. It invites me to do Disk Cleanup, is all.

 

Is there a routine for turning on Services that might activate these drivers or whatever?

 

R

[jaclaz]

Well, there are (just for the record) two kinds of USB Mice/Keyboards.

One that is compatible (through an adapter) to PS/2 and one that it is not, if you have the latter type, they simply wont' work.

 

More generally, you are describing a "haunted" system , though this is possible, I tend to believe not in voodoo, it is more probable that your system has some intermittent hardware issue.

 

It is not uncommon, on old systems that *something* is simply "cooked up" or, even if each component is ok, that some contacts are not  perfect.

 

What I would do in your case would be to first thing disassemble the PC parts, clean the thingy from dust and reseat everything, then carry on some diagnostics, particularly on hard disk and RAM.

If you have available (or can borrow) a PSU, it won't be such a bad idea to try the system with it, it happens that a "weared out" power supply starts creating every kind of issues, phantom devices and what not.

The usual approach is to disconnect *everything* from the PC (non first hard disk(s), CD/DVD drives, add on cards, etc.) and test it, then re-add one by one any non-essential device. 

 

It is also possible that your OS have been partially corrupted, but it is less likely, judging from the *random* symptoms you reported.

 

About directly logging in as said and AFAICR, the idea of Autologon is that the account is password protected but the password is provided automatically.

You may want, instead of using the method(s) linked to, to use this:

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/bb963905.aspx

which is rather "user friendly" (besides making the password encrypted)

 

There is a valid alternative solution through a component used in XP Embedded, called minlogon BUT it is not available/redistributable.

 

And there is a way to disable the checking of the password completely, but it will behave more like a "Normal" user with an empty password, you will still be prompted for a password and you will have to click to login.

 

jaclaz

[RussellXPD]

Thanks Jaclaz

I didn't know there were two breeds of mice, ones that do and ones that dont. But if all the USB sockets are down, that's the bigger issue.

I'm going to try and turn on these services or drivers that may have been turned off somehow.  The PSU btw is new and shouldn't be a problem.

 

If that doesn't work I'll disassemble as much as I can, give it a clean, and test what I can piece by piece.

After that I'll do what I did last time: extract stuff off the HD with SATA and then do another format C. But it probably won't come to that.

 

I'm interested in your suggestions on passwords but that's not holding me up at the mo.

 

I'll let you know how I get on.

 

Russell

[RussellXPD]

I thought it would take me longer. I have a solution of a sort.

 

This current problem of mine was about shut-down services.  I don't know how 100 services disabled themselves, but they did. One service shut down USB, another TCP/IP, another Device Manager display and so on.

 

My wife has a PC of similar vintage. I laboriously copied off the settings (Automatic\Manual etc) from 120 or so services and  replicated the settings on my own PC. USB connections, the internet, Device Mgr display all came back.

 

I'd love to know how the services cut themselves off but, unless I get another nasty shock, I'm getting close to the situation before the Trouble.  And I don't want to repeat it!

 

Thanks Jaclaz - you gave me some good leads.

 

Russell

[jaclaz]

Just in case, whenever "service management" is involved, a good resource/reference is Black Viper:

http://www.blackviper.com/service-configurations/black-vipers-windows-xp-x86-32-bit-service-pack-3-service-configurations/

 

jaclaz