Accidentally deleted winlogon registry key :(

[dotty675]

Quite a stupid mistake. I was going through my registry and accidentally deleted the entire winlogon folder under HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\ and now when I start up the computer, a screen comes up asking me to log on (it never did this before, it would just finish booting by itself). I can log on either as my default username, or as administrator, neither of which require passwords since I never set any, but in both cases I am automatically logged back out within a couple of seconds. My wallpaper loads, but nothing more. I'm using Windows XP Pro with SP2 and all Microsoft updates, on an Asus Z96J notebook. I've looked all over for something that would help me undelete a registry key without having to actually get into Windows, but so far I haven't found anything. Even if I have to reformat, any ideas on how I could recover some of the files before I do that? I tried using the Windows CD and going through the repair process, but the "copy" function won't let me have access to any of the files on my desktop. Any help at all is really, really appreciated!

 

[edklite]

do a repair from your xp cd, a repair will reset regkeys and keep everything else as is

or follow the guide here:

Configure your computer to start from the CD-ROM drive. For more information about how to do this, refer to your computer's documentation or contact your computer manufacturer. Then insert your Windows XP Setup CD, and restart your computer.
1. When the Press any key to boot from CD message is displayed on your screen, press a key to start your computer from the Windows XP CD.

2. Press ENTER when you see the message To setup Windows XP now, and then press ENTER displayed on the Welcome to Setup screen.

3. Do not choose the option to press R to use the Recovery Console.

4. In the Windows XP Licensing Agreement, press F8 to agree to the license agreement.

5. Make sure that your current installation of Windows XP is selected in the box, and then press R to repair Windows XP.

6. Follow the instructions on the screen to complete Setup.

7. After the setup is complete from now onbackup your registry before you make any edits to it.

good luck

my advise is to clone your C drive to a backup drive that way no matter what happens you god not a damn thing to worry about

 

[dotty675]

Oooh...thank you so much!!

 

[edklite]

good luck