XP hangs at "Loading Your Personal Settings"

  • Thread starter Thread starter MerryWidow62
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MerryWidow62

I have two different type Dell machines in two different locations,
with no interface between the two, having the same problem that
started on or about June 20th. When I boot, the systems freeze at
'Loading Your Personal Settings'. I've let them sit for hours but
never proceed past that point. They're just dead in the water.

Both are running XP Pro SP2, running the same malware protection
(Corporate Sysmantec AV, Windows Defender and AVG), both are on a
router, and neither require login. Also, both allow me to remote in
and one is networked to another PC. They are two years apart in age.

I can get in via Safe Mode and have disabled everything in Startup
under msconfig but the systems still hang. I tried 'Last Known Good
Configuration' but that didn't work. I tried using earlier restore
points but no luck there. All virus scans come up clean. I even
spoke with Dell Gold Support and tried a few things with them but
nothing worked and the call is still open. Their suggestion was to
restore my Acronis backup mirror images but I'm not willing to give up
that easily.

The only reasonable conclusion I can see is that they both downloaded
some update that caused the problem because why would two unrelated
machines be having the same problem at the same time?

Can anyone give me any ideas as to possible problems? Even knowing
where to look would be a start. And, as you can tell, I'm non-tech
but know enough not to start changing settings without knowing what
I'm doing (i.e. I know just enough to be paranoid)!

My Many Thanks!
Karen
 
MerryWidow62 said:
I have two different type Dell machines in two different locations,
with no interface between the two, having the same problem that
started on or about June 20th. When I boot, the systems freeze at
'Loading Your Personal Settings'. I've let them sit for hours but
never proceed past that point. They're just dead in the water.

Both are running XP Pro SP2, running the same malware protection
(Corporate Sysmantec AV, Windows Defender and AVG), both are on a
router, and neither require login. Also, both allow me to remote in
and one is networked to another PC. They are two years apart in age.

I can get in via Safe Mode and have disabled everything in Startup
under msconfig but the systems still hang. I tried 'Last Known Good
Configuration' but that didn't work. I tried using earlier restore
points but no luck there. All virus scans come up clean. I even
spoke with Dell Gold Support and tried a few things with them but
nothing worked and the call is still open. Their suggestion was to
restore my Acronis backup mirror images but I'm not willing to give up
that easily.

The only reasonable conclusion I can see is that they both downloaded
some update that caused the problem because why would two unrelated
machines be having the same problem at the same time?

Can anyone give me any ideas as to possible problems? Even knowing
where to look would be a start. And, as you can tell, I'm non-tech
but know enough not to start changing settings without knowing what
I'm doing (i.e. I know just enough to be paranoid)!

My Many Thanks!
Karen
Click to expand...

If you can get in to an admin level account in Safe Mode, create a new
account and try logging into that in regular mode. If you can get in,
consider that the old profile may be corrupt, and migrate the settings and
documents to the new account.

HTH
-pk
 
MerryWidow62 said:
I have two different type Dell machines in two different locations,
with no interface between the two, having the same problem that
started on or about June 20th. When I boot, the systems freeze at
'Loading Your Personal Settings'. I've let them sit for hours but
never proceed past that point. They're just dead in the water.
Click to expand...

Is your Pagefile too small or have no Pagefile? If it is then read the
following KB article.

Error Message: Your System Has No Paging File, or the Paging File Is
Too Small
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/315270

Other Possibility:

Windows XP Welcome Screen Appears to Stop Responding (Hang) During Logon
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/816873

The only reasonable conclusion I can see is that they both downloaded
some update that caused the problem because why would two unrelated
machines be having the same problem at the same time?
Click to expand...

Have you tried a System Restore Point before the problem occured?

How to restore the operating system to a previous state in Windows XP
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/306084
 
Saldric said:
Did you ever find a resolution to this issue?

I am having the same problem on an HP Desktop running Windows XP Home.

The PC gets to the Welcome screen and then to "Loading your personal
settings..." and then hangs. All HDD activity ceases (or at least
the light stops blinking).

The PC will boot OK in safe mode, with or without networking.

I have tried:
- Turning off all startup entries (using Autoruns), same behavior
- Logging in using another profile, same behavior
- Using System Restore, going back as far as 4-5 restore points, same
behavior
- Turning off the welcome screen and Autologin, the machine then hangs
as soon as I try to log in. (with no error message)

I'm still running some virus/malware scans under ubcd4win, but have
found nothing so far.

Any suggestions?
Click to expand...

Hi Saldric,

Have you tried creating a new user account and see if this issue still
occurs?

How to create and configure user accounts in Windows XP
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/279783

If the issue does *not* occur in the /newly/ created account then I
would say your user account profile is damaged (corrupted). You can
copy the data from the corrupted account using the following method.

How to copy data from a corrupted user profile to a new profile
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/811151
 
I signed up to say thanks.

Today my laptop gave me the hang-up at "loading personal settings" as
mentioned in this thread.

After rebooting in safe mode (F8 tap tap tap) I simply uninstalled
Avast Anti-Virus, rebooted, and everything seems fine now.


Upon googling other lengthy solutions before finding this
simple/perfect one, I noticed people were getting stuck screens with
other AV programs, so I don't really know who's to blame at this point.

I think I'll wait a few weeks before reinstalling Avast. I like how it
runs silently without much intrusion, but like others have said: how can
I trust an AV program that does this to me? First AVG 8.0 practically
destroying itself and my system restore points in the process, now
this?

My personal observations when it was stuck that hasn't been mentioned
yet:

1. Every time it would load to the personal settings screen, I would
hear Avast give the woop woop virus warning.

2. I could *not* access task manager at all when it would get stuck
(mouse cursor would still move)

Thanks again, forum posters, this thread made me and my laptop happy
again.

Kerig
Click to expand...

Woop woop is exactly what it means . VIRUS .
 
Install and update anti-virus program, install and update Spybot, install
and update Ad Aware, turn off System Restore, boot into Safe Mode and then
run those programs to see if they come up with the malware infection.
 
Kerig said:
I signed up to say thanks.

Today my laptop gave me the hang-up at "loading personal settings" as
mentioned in this thread.

After rebooting in safe mode (F8 tap tap tap) I simply uninstalled
Avast Anti-Virus, rebooted, and everything seems fine now.


Upon googling other lengthy solutions before finding this
simple/perfect one, I noticed people were getting stuck screens with
other AV programs, so I don't really know who's to blame at this point.
Click to expand...

I'd suggest that someone has developed a method of clumsily disabling A/V
programs that's causing some hangs.

Very recently I removed some malware that had silently removed the installed
antivirus, and left behind its program folders - empty. It did this under
the guise of being an "ultimate" antivirus solution, in reality its purpose
is to harvest credit cards.
I think I'll wait a few weeks before reinstalling Avast. I like how it
runs silently without much intrusion, but like others have said: how can
I trust an AV program that does this to me? First AVG 8.0 practically
destroying itself and my system restore points in the process, now
this?
Click to expand...

Are you sure it's the AV program doing this? It sounds a lot like Avast
has been telling you the system is infected.

Since the malware is apparently active when you boot, and it's apparently
interfering with antivirus software, you have to make and end run.

Remove the drive from your laptop and attach it to another XP system with
up-to-date antivirus. Attach using a USB2 case or adapter. Now, scan the
drive with the host A/V program. Do as thorough a scan as possible.

Locate all of the temp and temporary interet files folders and empty them.
Clear the wastebasket.
My personal observations when it was stuck that hasn't been mentioned
yet:

1. Every time it would load to the personal settings screen, I would
hear Avast give the woop woop virus warning.
Click to expand...

And you responded to this, how? This is, after all, a pretty clear
indication of a serious problem.
2. I could *not* access task manager at all when it would get stuck
(mouse cursor would still move)

Thanks again, forum posters, this thread made me and my laptop happy
again.
Click to expand...

Unfortunately disabling protection likely won't make you or it happy for
very long.

HTH
-pk
 
Using somebody else's thread made it appear that you were answering a
question and that may account for nobody replying. And, this is a very
busy site.

I have had great luck with: Anti-Malware 1.33, which can be downloaded from
here:

http://www.download.com/Malwarebyte...l-10804572&subj=dl&tag=button&cdlPid=10997763

Install it on your machine and give that drive another scan. I worked on a
PC this weekend that had the same symptoms and after removing 400+
infections, it worked fine.

--
Regards

Ron Badour
MS MVP
Windows Desktop Experience
 
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