Windows XP logs in & logs out again & again :(

[rthegr81]

Hey!
I'm using Windows XP (Professional) on my Dell Laptop. Yesterday when I started windows, it logged me in, showed me the desktop & then logged off. Since I don't have a password for my user, it automatically tried logging in again and again logged off.

Its either a virus or maybe some problem with the registry. I do have a backup of the registry which I would like to import but the problem is how do I run regedit and import the backup file without logging into windows?

If anyone faced a similar problem before, plz help...

PS:
->Safe Mode leads to the same problem.
->Every time this happens I need to forcibly shutdown, and then boot via XP CD to repair the partition so that i can see them in ubuntu

[ravi_9793]

Is it new problem... ??
Have you tried system restore.

[rthegr81]

@ravi:
Err.. how do i do system restore without logging in windows??

Thats the whole problem... before even the icons load or the taskbar appears (ie. before explorer.exe runs) windows logs off. and then it keeps doing it in cycle till i get bored and forcibly shutdown.

[iinfi]

i found something while searching for your issue
Google Search
Source

It's probem in the registry.

You need to download a live linux cd specifically made for editing the windows registry because you can't get into your PC any other way, I had the same problem and fixed it by bypassing Userinit.exe, by replacing it with Explorer.exe
but microsoft says the correct way is to do the following

HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon

Edit these values and type the correct path of shell:
Shell = explorer.exe
Userinit=X:\windows\system32\userinit.exe

which is probably what will set it up to now that I can actually get into windows...

But just to get in, again I replaced userinit.exe with explorer.exe

http://home.eunet.no/~pnordahl/ntpasswd/bootdisk.html

I chose the bootable CD link at the bottom of that page.
Go there and download the zip, unzip the file to drive and burn a new cd with the ISO.
If you're not familiar with that do a Google for Burn4free or cdBurnerXP. Both free cd burners. Both burn ISO, zip is a winzip file. winzip.com

Once burned you'll have a bootable linux live cd, power up the pc or laptop, you'll need to set it up to boot from CDrom in BIOS before HD.
or with some laptops you can power the notebook on and put in the cd, quickly hit ctrl alt delete then hold down C and it will try to boot from cd-rom. otherwise hit Esc before it boots, then F1 to go into BIOS and change the booting order.


Then the steps are something like this:

(When it boots, don't take too long to type in nt_pass at the boot: prompt or it will continue to boot to a Latvian version of the Linux GUI, which does not appear to have a GUI version of a windows registry editor.)

"nt_pass" apparently runs a linux script that eventually runs chntpw (change nt passord?) that appears to be a version of the same program created by pnordahl.

If by now you are lost don't worry, just let the CD load, it'll take a while then stop. hit enter a few times and eventually you will get to the next point. some of this is from memory, sorry.

The script will stop and ask you to hit enter to continue to load SCSI drivers, it then asked me if I wanted it to probe for SCSI drivers: [n], I took the default [n]o and hit enter.
Next, it asked what partition contains your NT installation, I took the default again, in this case [/dev/hda1] and hit enter.
Then it asked: what is the full path to the registry directory, again select the default [windows\system32\config].
Next came the question, which hives (files) do you want to edit (leave default for password setting, separate multiple names with spaces), the default was [sam system security], I chose to type software and hit enter.

I then chose option 9 - registry editor.

A ? will get you a list of commands that are available, I used ls which appears to be equivalent to a DOS dir command... cd to change directories... cat to print the value of a key... and ed to change the value of a key.

For instance (this is from memory, not notes... sorry) at the prompt [1020], type cd Microsoft and hit enter, (case sensitive!)
then cd Windows NT and hit enter, then cd CurrentVersion and hit enter, finally cd Winlogon and hit enter (case is important).

Maybe you could just type one cd Microsoft/Windows NT/CurrentVersion/Winlogon and hit enter... I don't know. But it seems to be the registry equivalent of
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon

At that point I typed cat Userinit and lo and behold, up came
C:\WINDOWS\System32\userinit.exe... At any rate I typed ed Userinit and at the prompt [C:\Windows\System32\userinit.exe] I typed C:\Windows\Explorer.exe and hit enter.

Then q to quit (you will be asked if there is something to save), q to keep quitting and y when it asks if you're sure you want to write the changes (careful, careful... good luck). The program then dumped me out to a # prompt and said I could rerun the script if I typed a space followed by sh /script/main.rc

I removed the cdrom from the drive and rebooted to Windows XP, no problems.

Disclaimer: i didnt read it completely

[rthegr81]

@iinfi: Thanks a lot for the help!
I guess there's something wrong with the userinit value only...
I'm currently using linux.. so will search for windows registry editor and try and fix the problem...

[mehulved]

safe mode?

[sakumar79]

@mehul, see first post PS in which author has tried safe mode....

@rthegr81, I hope you have tried Login with Last Known Good Configuration instead of Safe Mode also? You can also boot with XP CD, go to recovery console, and run sfc...

Arun

[rthegr81]

yoyo!

Finally got everything back to normal.
As iinfi said, it was a problem with the userinit key in the registry. I restored the old registry from one of the system restore files in my windows partition.

For those who might end up with such a problem later [Or if you wish to restore your registry to an older version - probably if some virus corrupted it or something] then do this:

Use Windows XP Installation CD to go to Repair mode.
Then type:

dir "c:\system volume information"

Change to the Restore Point folder by entering

cd "c:\system volume
information\_restore{bb7e35f9-d278-45fa-9dde-fe709cd0f23d}"
^^ Value in { } will vary..

List the Restore Points by typing "dir", choose the second to the latest
one, and change to its snapshot folder.

cd "c:\system volume
information\_restore{bb7e35f9-d278-45fa-9dde-fe709cd0f23d}\rp1219\snapshot"
^^ Again the value after \rp#### will vary... choose from the dir listing

Copy the following config files to the \config folder by entering

copy _registry_machine_system c:\windows\system32\config\ system

Repeat for sam, security, and software . Then copy 'default' by entering

copy _registry_user_.default c:\windows\system32\config\default


Thats it!! Registry restored to old backup

PS: I used ubuntu to do the above tasks... Sometimes it helps to have 2 OS!!

Thnx to everyone for helping out!

[iinfi]

kool