I have a corrupt profile after a windows update. Can I repair advice?

PenPusher said:

So some of the problems you are looking at on those forums are a bit like reviews. 10,000 people buy a usb a stick but only 1 person to has a problem, it's suddenly a major issue...
Collectively this forum (Tenforums) has more than 1000yrs of experience, if there was an issue using usb sticks someone would flag this as a problem.

16Gb for creating a Windows repair tool is more than enough... and this will create 1 partition... in fact there are very few reasons why you would partition a usb stick more than once... none of which would apply to your problem.

Poor handling and incorrect usage will break a usb stick... e.g. Always unmount before removing

What sort/type of backup devices have you got already? do you use cloud backup e.g. one drive, google drive etc?

I don't know how many users are here, but I think probably 4 or 5 people maximum over the years have advised me. In TenForums, maybe 4. On the linked threads, I don't know how many posted advice, but it isn't a collective of 1,000 years of experience. Nobody is addressing all of my concerns. Just because only one or two people have a problem, does not mean it will not happen to me. This registry hack suggestion has been posted on other websites. But nobody wants to address anybody's concerns regarding this matter. Why is that? I have asked numerous times about what type of secondary USB to get, and nobody will suggest anything (even though that Roland person suggested to do so). For backup, I may have already mentioned it. I have a couple of external hard drives. I also said numerous times that the files are all read-only right now. I cannot download the file that changes that as it does not change it. So far, on Microsoft Community Forums, I have asked if backing them up from the command prompt will guarantee them not being read-only, but there has not been a response. The only thing that I seem to get a response here about is that the bootable media will already be partitioned, and that command prompt will potentially recognize an external hard drive, but I have to check every drive, as they won't be labeled the same way as in Windows. Please stop avoiding my questions like they are not important. Indeed, that person who posted on the registry edit link, said that when they did that, it removed two users instead of fixing the profile. I do not want that to happen.

If you use any of the most common tools for creating bootable media i.e. Microsoft MCT tool, this will automatically wipe a usb stick in order to create the bootable media. Only 1 unformatted usb is required.

As you have external drives to backup your data which will give you read/write access to said data.
My data on my backup drives work this way and I can open it with read/write access on any windows machine!

Why would you even need to backup from the command prompt??? Is the user profile not giving you access to the computer? if not then create a new administrator profile / log out of the old one / login to new administrator profile / re register all your programs in the new administrator profile/ / import your personal data back / job done / check you can open all your data / at this point you have access to both old and new profiles in case somethings missing / if all ok delete old corrupt profile.

PenPusher said:

If you use any of the most common tools for creating bootable media i.e. Microsoft MCT tool, this will automatically wipe a usb stick in order to create the bootable media. Only 1 unformatted usb is required.

As Roland has had some fail, and other people have, I want to be safe. That is why I will repeat my question until somebody answers it. I would like to know what is the best brand, so I can purchase a secondary USB. Which is the best brand?

As you have external drives to backup your data which will give you read/write access to said data.


Why would you even need to backup from the command prompt??? Is the user profile not giving you access to the computer? if not then create a new administrator profile / log out of the old one / login to new administrator profile / re register all your programs in the new administrator profile/ / import your personal data back / job done / check you can open all your data / at this point you have access to both old and new profiles in case somethings missing / if all ok delete old corrupt profile.

Read-only. It is because the original profile is corrupted, and I cannot save all the files without them being read-only. Some will write to the external hard drive, but not all of them. In all likelihood, not all will be accessible, and some cannot be edited due to that factor. I likely cannot use administrator privileges on them even on a new account. I do not want to erase the old account. I want to repair the old account. The only reason I want to backup data is in case the repair doesn't work. I do not understand why people do not want to address all of my concerns.

I really don't think that backing up data, and erasing the old data is a solution to everything. This is not from a virus. This is from a Windows Update. These files have become Read Only due to the update, and I want to undo that. The file to download that is suppose to override that does not work. The deal with the command prompt was suggested on Microsoft Community Forums by somebody with experience, and by somebody here. Supposedly, this is an alternative way to backup files if it doesn't work within Windows. However, nobody is addressing if it overrides the read only error. Still nobody is addressing the problem that seems to happen if user profiles disappear when the registry is edited. If read only cannot be overridden, and profiles disappear when registry is edited, how do I know that the profile can actually be repaired, and my files actually can function again?

PenPusher said:

This is why you should create Macrium reflect image so you can extract you lost files later! you can take ownership of you're data later as well from the image.
Last time I had a problem with windows update I just did an inplace repair from a mounted iso.
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If you create a new Administrator a/c you can take ownership of your data, using that a/c your data is not going anywhere, unless you format the C: drive
Backup / backup/ backup!!!

are you saying, that the new account will be able to use take ownership of the temp account, or will I need to do a repair install of the original account after creating the new account? because I did try using "take ownership" on the temp account from within itself, and it didn't work. I don't really see how making a disc image, and extracting lost files will save them. I have lost files before, and half the time, they are partially corrupted. However, I am not certain a disc image is the solution. In all likelihood, this site had me do this for Windows Vista. I am not sure that it worked. It is a possibility that I may need to re-install a lot of software, since the update made a lot of software stop working. I do not think that making a disc image of hidden software, and software that won't open will make it work again. That certainly won't solve the read-only issue, or the question that I am asking about editing the registry. this still doesn't answer the question about the best brand for an alternate usb. I feel like people are refusing to answer my questions.

An image is an exact copy of you're current c: drive, you can either put it back or get you're data from it!

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" It is a possibility that I may need to re-install a lot of software, since the update made a lot of software stop working"

There's always a reason why Windows will disable some software.

Try3 said:

Joshua,
I suggested backing up your files and making a system image in preparation for then investigating your other problems.
I have told you that SanDisk is a perfectly satisfactory brand to use for your InstallUSB.
Denis

What does making a system image, and backing up files do if all the files are read only?

PenPusher said:

An image is an exact copy of you're current c: drive, you can either put it back or get you're data from it!
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" It is a possibility that I may need to re-install a lot of software, since the update made a lot of software stop working"
There's always a reason why Windows will disable some software.

I did look that up.

I see that nobody wants to address most of my questions. I keep mentioning that the files are read-only, and nobody is addressing that. I noticed that Denis mentioned addressing other things later, but even so, these still are problems. What good are doing those things if the profile is corrupted, and the files are read only? There is no guarantee that I can use those files unless that problem is addressed. I have noticed that neither tenforums nor microsoft forums has addressed that. Microsoft volunteers seemed to suggest that using the command prompt might fix that, but they didn't seem certain.
I would like to know what fixes that problem. I will need to know with certainty, about the right way to repair the profile. Microsoft Community forums says to do it from bootable media. It seems that this site both says to do repair install, and registry edit, but I am not sure. Microsoft Community forums might also suggest making an administrator profile and repair install, and use one to fix the other. I am not really clear if repair installation fixes the corrupt profile or what. I really need to know how to override the read only files. I know that trying to copy the read only files from C:/users within the temporary profile did not change anything. They were still read only. That means that likely some applications could not use them. I do not want to lose the hidden Office 2007 program, nor whatever is going on with other software, settings, and some corrupted other programs that seem to possibly be in the control panel (such as some files that keep getting prompts with a gray okay button). some microsoft program (possibly defender) that currently needs an app to open which didn't before.. I feel like somebody made a boo boo programming one of this year's updates and corrupted windows.