I Can't Logon to Windows XP Pro - It Goes Back to the Logon Screen in a Loop

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Windows XP Pro won't let me log in. When I click on my name on the logon screen it says that it is loading my settings but then goes back to the logon screen in a loop

Problem

My desktop PC runs Windows XP Pro and it was booting without having to log on until the latest security updates were installed. Now the PC presents a logon screen, and asks me to click on my name. When I do so, it says that my personal settings are being loaded, then a message comes up saying that Windows is logging off and saving my settings before it returns to the logon screen. When I click on my name again, Windows repeats the process in a loop.

When I press the F8 key before Windows starts to load in order to use the Safe Mode with Networking option in order to be able to access the web, I am presented with the Administrator Account and my own user account. I can log on by entering my Administrator's password, and then I can access the web, but only at a screen resolution of 800x600. I have checked the system with the free version of the AVG virus scanner and the online Kaspersky virus scanner, and the Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware and Windows Defender spyware removal tools, all of which found nothing.

I then used Add or Remove Programs in the Control Panel with its Show updates option enabled to remove Microsoft's security updates, but the Windows Genuine Advantage (WGA) update that checks that a genuine copy of Windows is being used couldn't be removed, and the problem remains. I have also tried using System Restore to restore a restore point that predated the problem, and a repair installation of Windows XP without success.

Answer

Since you uninstalled the security updates, it looks as if something has become corrupted in your user profile. The user Registry file has probably become corrupted while it was being saved to the hard drive during shutdown. An error appears to be occurring as Windows loads the user profile, which is causing it to log off again.

The Event Viewer, which is found under All Programs => Administrative Tools, could provide information on what is happening, but even if it does the problem is likely to be difficult to fix.

Since using System Restore didn't work, you can try using one of the free downloadable recovery CDs, such as BartPE, to restore the user Registry from one of System Restore's backup folders, which are not the same as its restore points.

If System Restore refused to restore any restore points, you can use the Recovery Console to restore a particular restore point. Read How to use the Recovery Console to restore a corrupt Windows XP Registry when the PC/computer won't even boot into Safe Mode.

The Windows XP Registry is made up of several files, one of which contains the user's settings. You can also install the problematic PC's hard drive in another PC and copy the backup file. An expensive alternative is to use the Winternals Administrator's Pak. You have to use those methods, because the backup files created by System Restore can't be accessed if Windows is booted from the same hard drive - even in Safe Mode.

However, because you can still log on as the Administrator in Safe Mode, there is a relatively simply way to overcome the problem. You can create a new user account under User Accounts in the Control Panel, and then copy all of your files to it, including any Address Book and Outlook Express e-mail files, etc., which are probably installed in a hidden folder, by making use of Windows Explorer. If you don't know how to recover the files of a particular type, you can find out how to by entering a suitable search query in a search engine.

Most software is installed for All Users, but if you have installed any software in a particular user account, you'll have to reinstall it. When the new user profile is set up, you can then delete the corrupt profile in User Accounts.