User Profile Error - Logged on with a Temporary Profile - Vista Forums

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User Profile Error - Logged on with a Temporary Profile

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Vista - User Profile Error - Logged on with a Temporary Profile

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User Profile Error - Logged on with a Temporary Profile

Published by Brink
03-03-2008

How to Fix the Error "Your user profile was not loaded
correctly! You have been logged on with a temporary profile."
in Vista

Published by

Information
When you log on to Vista using a temporary profile (user account), and you receive this error
message:
For more information, see: Microsoft Help and Support: KB947242

Brink
Administrator

Your user profile was not loaded correctly! You have been logged on with a temporary profile.
Changes you make to this profile will be lost when you log off. Please see the event log for
details or contact your administrator.
Tip
This problem usually occurs if the current user's profile was accidentally deleted from the
system or got corrupted.

Join Date: Apr 2007

Location: Texas, USA
Posts: 27,081
Rep Power: 150

Warning
If you have this error message below instead, then see: How to Fix the Error "The User
Profile Service failed the logon. User profile cannot be loaded."

Tutorial Tools
Printable Version

The User Profile Service failed the logon. User profile cannot be loaded.

Applies to
All Vista Versions
64 Bit & 32 Bit

STEP ONE
Logon to the Computer

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NOTE: Go down the list here until you find a option that will work for you.

1. Logon to another Administrator account.

NOTE: If you do not have another Administrator account, then proceed to step 2.
A) Go to the STEP TWO section below.

2. Boot into Safe Mode.

NOTE: You may not need to enable the built-in Administrator account. If this was
the only normal administrator account you had, then Safe Mode should
automatically boot into the built-in Administrator account. See: How to Start Vista
in Safe Mode
A) If Safe Mode did not, then enable the Built-in Administrator
account. If it did , then go to step 2C.
NOTE: See: How to Enable or Disable the Real Built-in
Administrator Account in Vista
B) Logoff, and logon to the Built-in Administrator account.
C) Go to the STEP TWO section below.

STEP TWO
Delete the User Account Profle
1. Delete the User account profile that this error is for, but do not delete the
C:\User\(user-name) folder at step 4 in that link.
Warning
You should backup anything you do not want to lose in this user account personal
folders
first. (See
note
in
step
10)
They
will
be
located
at:
C:\Users\(username)

2. Open the Start menu.

3. In the white line (Start Search) area, type regedit and press Enter.
4. If prompted, click on Continue in the UAC prompt.
5. In regedit, go to: (See screenshot below step 7)
Code:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Pro

6. In the left pane, click on one of the S-1-5..... folders (SID key) with the long
number in it. (See screenshot below step 7)
NOTE: It should have .bak at the end of it.
A) In the right pane, look at the ProfileImagePath to see if this is the
same user account that you deleted in step 1 above.
B) Repeat step 6 until you find the one that you deleted in step 1 above.

7. To Backup the Registry SID Key WARNING: You should backup this SID key to be safe in case you delete the wrong
one in step 8 below.
A) Right click on the SID key, and click on Export.
B) Type in a name and save the REG file to a safe location.
NOTE: This is your backup. To Restore the Backup, right click on the
REG backup file and click on Merge.
C) Continue on to step 8.

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8. To Delete the Registry SID Key A) Right click on the SID key, from step 6 with bak at the end, and click
on Delete. (See screenshot above)
B) Click on Yes to confirm deletion. (See screenshot below)

9. Close regedit.
10. Log off and log on.
NOTE: After you logon to the computer, the profile folder you are having problems
with is re-created. If not, then try a System Restore using a restore point dated
before you got this error. If this still dows not help, then you will need to create a
new account and restore the user folder files afterwards from the warning in step 1.
See: How to Create a New User Account in Vista
That's it,
Shawn

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How to Fix the Error "The User Profile Service failed the logon. User profile cannot be
loaded."

04-10-2008

shaze
Re: User Profile Error - Logged on with a Temporary Profile
Vista Home Premium
32bit.
2 posts

wow! this must of taken u ages well erm i had this prob and i did the reedit thing i then took of
the .bak instead of deleting anything so it still allowed me to logg on but looking at this have i doen
something wrong

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My System Specs

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04-10-2008

Brink
Re: User Profile Error - Logged on with a Temporary Profile
Vista x64 Ultimate
SP2, Windows 7
Ultimate x64
27,081 posts
Texas, USA

Hi Shaze,
As long as it is letting you logon without any problems, it will be ok.
See this other related tutorial below to reference also to see if this was the problem you had instead
of this one here.
The User Profile Service failed the logon. User profile cannot be loaded.
Shawn

My System Specs
04-19-2008

swaye
Re: User Profile Error - Logged on with a Temporary Profile
Vista Home Basic
3 posts

This did work for me also. Why did it happen and might it happen again????

My System Specs
04-19-2008

Brink
Re: User Profile Error - Logged on with a Temporary Profile
Vista x64 Ultimate
SP2, Windows 7
Ultimate x64
27,081 posts
Texas, USA

Hi Swaye, and welcome to Vista Forums.

It can happen from some unknown reasons, but usually can happen when the C:\Users\(user
name) folder gets renamed or deleted. While this is not a problem that happens usually, it can
happen again since part of why it happens is unknown.
Hope this helps,
Shawn

My System Specs
04-19-2008

swaye
Re: User Profile Error - Logged on with a Temporary Profile
Vista Home Basic
3 posts

Quote: Originally Posted by Brink

Hi Swaye, and welcome to Vista Forums.

It can happen from some unknown reasons, but usually can happen when the
C:\Users\(user name) folder gets renamed or deleted. While this is not a problem that
happens usually, it can happen again since part of why it happens is unknown.
Hope this helps,
Shawn
Yes it does and I am grateful that you were here to help. I was not looking forward to re-installing
vista. Your answer does precipitate another question. Is Microsoft doing anything to correct this
particular problem??? Thank you...
My System Specs
04-19-2008

Brink
Re: User Profile Error - Logged on with a Temporary Profile
Vista x64 Ultimate
SP2, Windows 7
Ultimate x64
27,081 posts
Texas, USA

You're welcome Swaye,

Well, I suppose that they did place this solution in a KB article at the top of the tutorial, but I do not
know if they are doing anything else.

My System Specs
04-27-2008

srap

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Re: User Profile Error - Logged on with a Temporary Profile

Vista Ultimate 32bit
2 posts

Fortunately I've found this topic. I got the same problem like this since I renamed the folder in
Linux accidentally and changed it back again right after.
Then when I logged in Vista with temp profile, I couldn't even open my profile folder "C:\users\srap
not accessible. The file or folder is corrupted and unreadable" even though I can access to it in
Linux.
My profile is sort of huge thing with lots of stuff so I'm very afraid of restore them all after. Is there
anything else I could do in this case? And my profile hasn't been changed a bit.
Thank you to write this tut for us.
Srap.

My System Specs
04-27-2008

Brink
Re: User Profile Error - Logged on with a Temporary Profile
Vista x64 Ultimate
SP2, Windows 7
Ultimate x64
27,081 posts
Texas, USA

Hi Srap,
Welcome to Vista Forums.
You might try Option One in this tutorial below instead to see if it can restore the user profile to the
way it was.
The User Profile Service failed the logon. User profile cannot be loaded.
Hope this helps,
Shawn

My System Specs
04-28-2008

srap
Re: User Profile Error - Logged on with a Temporary Profile
Vista Ultimate 32bit
2 posts

Thanks, Brink.
I'll try to do this and post a result. I don't know exactly what could be an explaination for this. I
could open the folder Srap under NTFS Pro with a Hiren BootCD or in Linux, but not in Vista. Have
to use Linux right now.
Edit: No help for whatever methods. I think I need to rename folder Srap by BootCD, then recreate this profile by deleting SID, and finally copy it back. Maybe I'll lose some info but it could be
the best way now.
Last edited by srap; 04-28-2008 at 02:32 AM..

My System Specs
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