Administrator User profile cannot be loaded. Other user standard. System is limited. Repair or reformat?

[aidanodr]

Hi Guys,

I have a system where the Administrator profile is throwing up this error when you try to log into it:

The User Profile Service service failed the sign in. User profile cannot be loaded

Their is only one other profile and that IS NOT SET as Administrator, it is a standard profile so has limits on what it can / cannot do. For example we cannot install software - a box pops up asking for admin username / password then crashes out with an error like cannot find the install file you just clicked on.

It seems he somehow went to change the login email address ( used for his MS Account login online ) to another address that is also an MS account address. Then he somehow created a new profile, moving the data from what was original profile and was the administrator. The original admin account now doesnt work with error above. Thats the best I can understand what he did from his description.

Whats the best way to deal with this?

I told the guy who owns the PC that it might be faster to back it up and factory reset / reformat. Is this the best approach?

 

[Colif]

He missed one step when he created a new user, he should have made it admin. Not having a working admin on PC is a bad idea, as you know. See if the method shown in video lets him change the local user to admin

[video="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A98Ax24dbi4&list=FLQTjAhxSptSza8hK6P-nXaA&index=6"][/video]

You can fix corrupt user profiles but i wish it didn't require the registry and admin access. For simplicity, its easier to clean install and get away from confusion.

Otherwise, I would suggest using this to copy anything off C he wants to keep: is there anything on C drive you want to rescue? try making this on another PC: http://www.howtogeek.com/howto/windows-vista/use-ubuntu-live-cd-to-backup-files-from-your-dead-windows-computer/

Factory reset if it doesn't take him too far back (win 7 for instance), otherwise a fresh install of win 10 might be faster.- he can download the Windows 10 media creation tool and use it to make a win 10 installer on USB

 

[Saga Lout]

He could try going into Control Panel>User Accounts, click on his Standard and see if "Change your Account type" works to step him up to Administrator.

The message he's seeing probably refers to the System Administrator. If he can move his account up one peg, he can go to c:\windows\system32 and scroll down to the file cmd.exe then right click it. Choose RunAs Administrator then in the Command form that shows up, at the prompt, type
net user Administrator /active:yes
then hit the Enter key.

If he gets a "success" message, he can either restart or select Sign Out from the Start square. If he doesn't, I don't know if that would also work as a Standard account but it's worth a shot.

Then, if he can get in that way, he might be able to repair any broken Profiles in the Registry but somehow I doubt there will be no more than one entry for him and another for the System Admin.

When he gets fed up with seeing Administrator at the log in screen, the syntax to reverse the above is simply /active:no after the long bit.

 

[aidanodr]

Thanks Guys,

SAGA LOUT - Tried that. When in Control Panel / User Accounts the Change your account type does not allow me to switch to admin because I am logged in it seems as a Standard User.

Yes - the pop up box asking for credentials is looking for admin username / password BUT the other ADMIN User profile is corrupted it seems, so using that admin username / password doesnt work, it just causes an error.

This is just one WINDOWS 10 system, not on a network.

I did manage to access an elevated CMD prompt via the SHIFT + RESTART method of accessing Win 10 repair, choose safe mode etc. From there I could boot to an elevated CMD prompt. There I added net user Administrator /active:yes

I rebooted BUT still only saw 2 accounts at the welcome screen - The original but corrupt admin account + the newer working but standard or temp account with no admin rights

 

[Saga Lout]

If you could go down that route again and this time, try creating a new account in PC Settings.

You could also try that in an elevated Command form. net user add is the syntax but I'm in Linux here and can't remember all of it so try that followed by /?

 

[aidanodr]

Again Saga Lout

I can do nothing in this profile that is setup as Standard user. Windows will not allow anything without asking for the admin username / password.

Problem here is - the original admin user profile is corrupt so using that admin name / password just ends in errors.

The built in admin seems to be the account thats shot ..

Without admin access or elevation I cannot add a new account, change a users type or even install software

 

[Saga Lout]

Sounds like data rescue time to me. Download a flavour of Linux free of charge, Mint is a good starter OS. Use a utility named Rufus to make a bootable memory stick incorporatng that download and start transferring your personal files on to the stick.

If you have an idea of how much space your files take up, aim for a stick large enough to do it all in one go. It will take a lot longer if you have to take bites at the job.

When it's all out and in a place of safety, clear the stick and download the version of Windows you used to have and reinstall from that. Rufus will work that into a bootable drive as well.