Fix a corrupted user profile Windows XP, Vista, 7.

Windows

Windows XP, Vista, 7.

• Click START > Control Panel  > User Accounts


• To Create a New User Account
  Click Create a new account in the Pick a task list box. 


• Type the name that you want to use for the account, and then click Next. 


• Select the desired account type, and then click Create Account. 

To Make Changes to an Account

• Click Change an account in the Pick a task list box. 


• Click the account that you want to change.


• Select the item that you would like to change: 

1. Click Change the name to change the name that appears on the Welcome screen for the account. 


2. Click Change the picture to change the picture that is used to represent the user account. 


3. You can use any image file on the computer for the user's picture. 


4. Click Change the account type to change the account type to increase or decrease the user's rights on the computer. 


5. Click Create/change the password to create or change the password for the user and create or change the password hint. 


6. Click Delete the account to delete the user account from the computer. When you delete the account, you are given the option to save the user's files on the computer.

 Note: You can not delete the account for a user that is currently logged on to the computer.

Note: You can also create a new user account in Safe Mode.

Fix a corrupted user profile

After you create the profile, you can copy the files from the existing profile.

• Log on as a user other than the new user you just created or the user that you want to copy files from.


• Open the My Documents folder by clicking the
  Click START > Click COMPUTER > Double-click the hard disk drive that Windows is installed on (it's usually your C: drive), double-click Users, double-click the folder with the name of your account, and then double-click My Documents.


• Click the Tools menu, and then click Folder Options.


• If you don't see the Tools menu, press Alt.


• Click the View tab, and then click Show hidden files, folders, and drives.


• Clear the Hide protected operating system files check box, click Yes to confirm, and then click OK.


• Locate the C:\Users\Old_Username folder, where C is the drive that Windows is installed on, and Old_Username is the name of the profile you want to copy files from.


• Select all of the files and folders in this folder, except the following files:
  Ntuser.dat  &  Ntuser.dat.log  & Ntuser.ini


• Click the Edit menu, and then click Copy.


• If you don't see the Edit menu, press Alt.


• Locate the C:\Users\New_Username folder, where C is the drive that Windows is installed on, and New_Username is the name of the new user profile you created.


• Click the Edit menu, and then click Paste.


• If you don't see the Edit menu, press Alt.


• Log off, and then log back on as the new user.


• If you have e‑mail messages in an e‑mail program, you must import your e‑mail messages and addresses to the new user profile before you delete the old profile. If everything is working properly, you can delete the old profile.

If the steps above do not fix the problem, you should contact your customer support provider for assistance. To find additional information about customer support options that apply to this computer, click the Start button , click Help and Support, and then click the More support options link at the bottom of the Help window.