How to Fix a Corrupt User Account in Windows XP
- 1). Log in to the Windows XP machine using the administrator account. The administrator has access to create a new profile and copy the files to the new location.
- 2). Click the Windows "Start" button and select "Control Panel." In the list of icons, double-click the "User Accounts" icon. Click the "Advanced" tab and then select "New User." Enter a new username and password and click the "Create" button.
- 3). Click the "Tools" button in the Windows Explorer window. In the menu, select "Folder Options." This opens a new configuration window. Click the "View" tab. In this tab, check the box labeled "Show hidden files and folders" and remove the check mark labeled "Hide protected operating system files." The files for XP profiles are hidden, so if you do not do this step, you won't be able to copy the files.
- 4). Double-click the "My Computer" icon to open the Explorer. Navigate to the "C:\Documents and Settings\Old_Username" folder. The "Old_Username" is the directory for the corrupted profile.
- 5). Hold down the "Ctrl" key and use the mouse to select each file and folder in this directory except the Ntuser.dat, Ntuser.dat.log and Ntuser.ini files. Once all of them are selected, right-click the selection and choose "Copy."
- 6). Navigate to the "C:\Documents and Settings\New_Username" directory. The New_Username directory is the same username you created in the User Accounts console. Right-click the directory and select "Paste." This copies all the profile files.
- 7). Reboot the machine and log in with the new user profile. All the settings and configurations are carried over to the new profile account.
