When you turn off your Windows-based computer and then turn it back on, you will need to sign on to a profile. This is designed to protect your information and it logs you into your online Microsoft account. When you try to log on, and it doesn’t work, your first thought may be that you typed in the password wrong. Then, when your retype it and things still don’t work, you may reach for the phone to call a computer repair service.
What actually is going on? This is becoming a more common problem, especially with the newer versions of Windows. A corrupted user profile will make it impossible to log on properly. If this happens to you, there are a few things you can try, but if they do not work, then you will need to contact computer support.
Run a Check Disk
To do this, you will need to run your computer in recovery mode. It may also be called recovery console. When you get in this mode, try running check disk (called chkdsk on your machine). There are times when the corrupted user file could be a bad file system. It’s a good idea to back up all of your data either to an online service or to an external hard drive before you go through this process because you could lose files.
Of course, if you don’t know how to boot in recovery mode, run the check disk, or back up your data, consider getting computer help to avoid making things worse.
Run System Restore
You will also need to do this in recovery mode because you will not be able to access the commands if you cannot log on to the computer. Again, back up your data to avoid any loss, and you can choose to back up to an online service or an external source if you have one.
When you run system restore, the computer will ask you to choose the date you would like to use as a restoration point. Try to think back to the last time you logged on with no problems and then use that as your restore date. This process will take a while, so be patient. Then, when the system restore is finished, try to log in again. If it still isn’t working, then you will need to contact a computer repair service. There are other things that could be creating the corrupted user file, but they are very advanced and you will need the help of a computer professional.
The corrupted user file has become a fairly common problem with Windows-based computers, and you may run into this issue. You can try the two steps above and this may resolve the problem. Just make sure you always back up your data. However, if you are unsure of how to follow them or they don’t work, then a computer repair service will be needed. Of course, if you have any issues that could be resolved with online support, then we will be glad to help you. Just contact Dave’s Computers today.
