I have a PC that was once on a domain. i messed around trying to clean up some of the networks users and now I have just the wallpaper when i boot up. There are no icons,,no start button, no taskbar and no right-mouse click function. The mouse moves but there is nothing to click. there is very little in Documents and settings. (No app Folders, No Local folders
etc). Just Musi, pictures, docs folders. i did have a desktop for a while after I cleared the PW so I could get into the PC. But after about 5 reboots the desktop disappeared. I was even on the internet for about a minute.
There is some very expensive leftover working software from the original owner that would be nice to be able to acess. like MS Office, Photosop, and a few more. I actually checked them out before things went bad.. i can still see them in one user account, through explorer, but I cannot acess them.
I have already learned to use Cntrl+alt+Del to maneuver around, but I believe this PC is too corrupted to fix. I believe that only a fresh install will repair it. Why do I say that, because I have been trying for a total of about 7 hours. But then I am not the expert here.
The PC is not mine and there is nothing that needs to be saved. So the QUESTION IS: Can this PC be fixed?
thank you all in advance
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Donnie616 -
Sounds like the user profile you are logging in with has become corrupted. You may be able fix your problem. Got a few questions to help move the process along.
1 - Is the PC still a member of a domain or has it been unjoined and now a workgroup computer?
2 - Are you logging in as an administrator or limited-rights user?
Ok folks Thank you. Repair install is an open option. To answer your questions, I believe, (but am not sure)
that I am no longer joined to the Domain. I really zero experience with that until today. And YES I am logging in as the administrator, but I do believe that I may have somehow corrupted all of the user files. In command prompt when I try to run simple commands like SFC /scannow, I am not being permitted to do so.
I have tried several different users to log in from, but the result is the same just a different wallpaper.
This PC belonged to a local school system BOE, with 51 student folders on it. i actually did a sys restore to get them back, but nothing changed otherwise.
thanks,
You might want to try creating a new user with administrator rights. Control Panel > User Accounts > Create New Account. You can call it Test.
Login to the computer with user Test. With a bit of luck on your side, you will get a normal desktop and access to installed programs.
If you get the desktop wallpaper only result, I would most likely attribute your problem to a corrupt registry or other nasty lurking within. In this scenario, the "best" option would be to do a clean install of the operating system and programs. Trying to repair an OS with registry repair utilities, and having a computer with >50 user accounts may prove futile at best.
Good Luck and post your updated comments.
Ok guys. This is what I think is going on. I unjoined the accounts from the domain.>
There was a local account which I am now using to boot up with and in to.
In doc & Settings, the "All Users Accounts is the only one left with the beatifully expensive SW icons on the its desktop. I just cannot get it to open I think it needs to be on the old domain to open properly. If there was a way to get to the "All Users" desktop, i would be happy.If not, I think I am going to have to reformat.
please remember, that I am only navigating this PC through cntl+alt+del. So I ask is it time yet to reformat and begin looking for all the Acer drivers I need? I think that would be easier than what i am going through.
Is it correct to assume that?
You have already invested a lot of hours in trying to repair the OS with limited results. Reinstalling WinXP takes about an hour. Installing MS service packs and security updates will take a few hours as well. In the end, you will have a clean OS to install your programs, less problems and a much higher satisfaction moving forward.
Most branded PC manufacturers provide System Recovery CDs or image that may be stored on a utility partition of the hard drive. You should look into what you options are before reformatting the hard drive. If you have a custom built PC, use your WinXP CD and driver CDs provided by component manufacturers. You can also download the current drivers from the manufacturers support sites.
Good Luck and post your additional comments
I am not a quitter and seems like you are not either,SJMO1. thank you for not abandoning me. i want to still try a bit longer, but will most like reinstall.
None of the original disks are available. this laptop was ariginally Win Vista. It was reinstalled with XP Pro by the BOE owners, I guess more conducive to what they needed. I ll be back. please keep checking her. the points are yours unless a miracle happens before i do the reformat. I just hate to lose all those working pieces of expensive SW. There is some really good stuff that they left behind. How do I know? Because this PC actually worked for several boot-ups after I finally cracked the Password barrier. then the desktop just suddenly went away forever with no access to anything. What hurts is that I know they are there.
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by: LeeTutorPosted on 2009-08-06 at 15:52:26ID: 25038836
If there is no downside to doing a fresh install, then I would advise you to go ahead and do that. But otherwise, you might want to try an XP repair, which will usually keep settings, data, and installed programs intact.
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