[phileysmiley]

This just happened to me.

SYMPTOMS
When you try to log on to Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition or Microsoft Windows XP Professional, you receive the following error message:
Windows cannot load your profile because it may be corrupted. You may be logged in using a temporary User Profile.

CAUSE
This issue may occur if the current user profile is damaged.

RESOLUTION
To resolve this issue, create a new user profile.

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/318011

So I have to create a new User Profile. According to this (and a lot of other sites I found) it is possible to do and to copy over data to the new profile.

How to copy data from a corrupted user profile to a new profile in Windows XP

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/811151/

It's not hard to do but not simple, either. Certainly more than I can deal with at 12:10 AM after a long day. Grrr.

I assume I also will have to reinstall programs if they are not global, and I will likely lose all my settings.

What I cannot find out anywhere is why this happens.

[ar1stotle]

I've had to deal with it with 3 people. In 1 case, the profile still loaded but that error showed up every time. In the other 2, they just had to create new profiles. It wasn't much of an issue, they just had to move over files from their application data/my documents folders. As far as a connection between them, I'm not sure. Probably just Windows messing itself up over time :-/

[NT50]

It must be a windows update. My Windows Home Server keeps loosing its profile.

[phileysmiley]

Something is very wrong. I finally got around to doing this. I successfully created a new User Profile. When I go to log on, the new User Profile appears on the Logon screen. however, when I open Documents and Settings, the new User Profile does not exit. Help!

[_Taz_]

are you sure it doesn't show up as some weird username u know like owner
valued customer or something?

[phileysmiley]

are you sure it doesn't show up as some weird username u know like owner
valued customer or something?

No, I clicked all the Usernames and it's not on there.

[_Taz_]

have you logged on as the new user yet? need to, to create the profile.

if so while logged on as that user see if you have a my documents folder, create a text file. log out, log in as diff user and search for that file you just made.

[phileysmiley]

have you logged on as the new user yet? need to, to create the profile.

if so while logged on as that user see if you have a my documents folder, create a text file. log out, log in as diff user and search for that file you just made.

No -- I was following Microsoft's instructions to the letter and they don't say that you need to log into the new user. In fact, they tell you not to:

Create a new user profile on the workgroup computer
1. Log on as the Administrator or as a user with administrator credentials.
2. Click Start, and then click Control Panel.
3. Click User Accounts.
4. Under Pick a task, click Create a new account.
5. Type a name for the user information, and then click Next.
6. Click an account type, and then click Create Account.

Copy files to the new user profile
1. Log on as a user other than the user whose profile you are copying files to or from.
2. In Windows Explorer, click Tools, click Folder Options, click the View tab, click Show hidden files and folders, click to clear the Hide protected operating system files check box, and then click OK.
3. Locate the C:\Documents and Settings\Old_Username folder, where C is the drive on which Windows XP is installed, and Old_Username is the name of the profile you want to copy user data from.
4. Press and hold down the CTRL key while you click each file and subfolder in this folder, except the following files:

[_Taz_]

yeah, I think they missed a step, because the profile doesn't get created until you log in once.

log in as new user, then log out and login as admin and then move your files

[phileysmiley]

yeah, I think they missed a step, because the profile doesn't get created until you log in once.

log in as new user, then log out and login as admin and then move your files

Ugh. Okay, I'll try that. Thanks!