Lost XP User Account Settings After Password Change

  • Thread starter Thread starter Fred Jones
  • Start date Start date
F

Fred Jones

PROBLEM:
=======
How do I reset the default XP Pro Administrator account back to its
previous configuration (containing my desktop shortcuts, Windows
preferences and program settings) after having changed my logon
password?


BACKGROUND:
==========
In an effort to solve a "logon server cannot be found" issue that
occurred following the replacement of an NT4 Server with a Win 2003
Server, I had to remove my XP Pro machine from our DOMAIN and set it
as a WORKGROUP (per Microsoft Knowledge Base Article - 306927). Then,
after rebooting and rejoining the original DOMAIN, I had to change my
password to meet Win 2003 Server's more stringent password
requirements.

Then, after logging back into my XP machine (still suffering with
"logon server cannot be found" issues <sigh>), all of my Windows
settings and shortcuts are missing from my now default desktop layout
and, more importantly, several of my main applications have been reset
back to their default settings and they're now prompting me to create
new accounts and configurations.

However, I see that there are 4-5 Administrator folders under
c:\documents and settings\, and one of them, C:\Documents and
Settings\Administrator.MYCOMPANY.000 appears to be my original Admin
folder as it contains all of my missing user configurations,
application ini's and desktop shortcuts. So, based on Microsoft
Knowledge Base Article 308421 ("How to take ownership of a file or
folder in Windows XP"), I successfully retook ownership of the
C:\Documents and Settings\Administrator.MYCOMPANY.000 folder.
Unfortunately, nothing changed.

Can someone point me in the right direction?
 
Add your machine to a Workgroup.
Go to c:\Documents and Settings\ and delete the accounts you have created,
ex: C:\Documents and
Settings\Administrator.MYCOMPANY.000, and the original one. Do NOT delete
Default User.

Log off, login in, add the machine to the domain, reboot.

When logging on again use your username and password and voilá!

Let us know how that went.
 
Macastro said:
Add your machine to a Workgroup.
Go to c:\Documents and Settings\ and delete the accounts you have created,
ex: C:\Documents and
Settings\Administrator.MYCOMPANY.000, and the original one. Do NOT delete
Default User.

Log off, login in, add the machine to the domain, reboot.

When logging on again use your username and password and voilá!

Let us know how that went.
Click to expand...

Macastro,
Many thanks for the info and reply.
What you suggest makes sense, except that if I delete
\Administrator.MYCOMPANY.000, which is the only folder that appears to
contain my original settings and programs (the "\Default User" folder
looks like what I have now), won't I just be back at square one (i.e.,
a new user account with no programs or prefence settings) when I
restart the machine?

What would happen if I delete all of the folders -except- for the
\Administrator.MYCOMPANY.000 (which has my stuff in it) and then
rename that to "\Default User"?
 
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