Thread: Window 7 password problem.

So I have a new laptop (Toshiba Satellite) that's about 6 weeks old.

When I first initialized it, it asked if I wanted to put a password on it -- and since I might be semi-mobile w/ it -- said yes, and choose a password, so every time Windows 7 boots, it asks me for my password, I enter it, and everything is fine.

Beginning yesterday, I fire it up, and when I go to enter my password, it gives me an error message, and won't get me to the Windows desktop. I know I'm entering the password I've been using everyday for 6 weeks, and yes, I double-checked that caps-lock is off (and tried it ON, too).

The strange thing is, when I enter my known, used-to-be-good password, it gives me one error message ....

The User Profile Service service failed the logon.

User profile can not be loaded.

.... but when I enter totally bogus passwords (or even passwords w/ slight variance from my known, used-to-be-good password), it gives me a different error message ....


<red X> The user name or password is incorrect.

.... which tells me it still kind of recognizes something appropriate about my known, used-to-be-good password. There's some distinction going on there, anyway.

It does present me with a hyper-link to reset my password, but apparently that requires a floppy or USB stick with some previously-loaded files (kind of like my recovery disks, but for passwords), which I don't have. I did create recovery disks at 1st-time initialization, but I did not create any such media for password recovery (nor do I remember being asked to do so, though my memory could be fuzzy).



Is there any recourse to getting past this password problem so I can see a Windows desktop and get to my C: drive ..... without having to resort to Armageddon*?



* Armageddon = crack open the laptop, remove the hard drive, and add it to a desktop PC as a slave D: drive, from which I can then transfer files to a portable hard drive or flash stick. Unless this is done really carefully, I imagine this might make the whole laptop an expensive paperweight.


Thanks in advance for any ideas.

Its probably a corrupt user profile, due to a bad hard drive. You are gonna have to go thru your armageddon scenario to get your data off of it. However, its not too bad. The likelihood of you screwin it up worse is pretty minimal.

I thought from XP and on you couldn't just slave a HD and have it work - aren't they somewhat encrypted?

You can take ownership over the folders and gain access on drives running NTFS, which is pretty much every home PC and most business PCs.

I finally got ahold of someone in Toshiba tech support.

They had me boot in safe mode (lots of "F8" at power-on), where my password worked, and I finally got a Windows desktop and could see my files. Whew!

They then had me do Accessories -> System Tools -> System Restore ..... but that process didn't fix the normal Windows login/password problem, probably because the last (and one and only) known good restore point was last night at 1am, by which time the corruption problem had almost certainly manifested itself.

The good (great) news is that my files are accessible in Safe mode and I can back them up .... after which I'll reformat the HD and re-install everything .....


..... or: maybe I'll just abandon the laptop idea. It's only been 6 weeks, and I've gotten better with the chintzy keyboard, thumb-mouse thingy, fan noise, and the small (16") display, but I miss a normal keyboard & mouse, 22" monitor, and noiseless (www.endpcnoise.com) computing. Whaddaya think? Am I prematurely pulling out of the laptop world? Or is this karma's way of warning me why some folks call them 'craptops'. Do laptops have HD problems more often than desktops?

I would go to Toshiba's website and download their HDD diagnostics tool, and run it on the drive. While re-installing may fix the problem temporarily, it may come back on you later. If your warranty expires, you'll be SOL. I would check the drive and if it fails, write down the fail code, and call Toshiba. They can send you a new hard drive pretty quick.

As for the Desktop/Laptop issue, it mostly depends on how to intend to use your computer. If you are traveling around alot and feel the need to have a computer handy for email or web access, maybe a smartphone or a netbook is a more suitable option. Are you using the laptop at home on the couch? Or do you have it on a table sitting in front of it? If you are using it at your desk a majority of the time, Id probably go with a nice home desktop. Just gotta pick the right tool for the job.