Messed Up Using "Take Ownership", Now Profile Settings Won't Load

Beaupedia said:

So System Restore finished, but I've got this weird issue. I clicked Continue and my old icons and shortcuts showed up on my desktop but I can't click the start menu, just the circle loading mouse when I try. No programs started up.

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Trying to attach an image from my phone but it's not working. Here's a link. https://i.imgur.com/lbkDMXH.jpg

Use the tutorial just above and add Reset Permissions to the context menu.
Then right click the Users folder and choose: Reset Permissions, and see how that works.

Beaupedia said:

Yeah my desktop never loads and I can't access File Explorer or anything, so I guess I will try the Reset Permissions thing you linked to from my Administrator account?

I would think it should be run from a working account, that happens to also be an Administrator.

Beaupedia said:

So not the built in Windows Administrator account? That's what I was saying. The like default Administrator account that is normally disabled.

I don't think it matters. You're just adding "Reset Permissions" to the context menu.

If it was me, at this point, I would just re-install Windows. But you can try this...



Just do the first half of this to start with. It will determine if you user profile is damaged.

https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/tro...w-user-profile

Beaupedia said:

Windows Server 2003? Would love some second opinions if there are possible options.

It works the same.


When you went into Safe Mode and things... worked, that points to something running in normal Windows, that doesn't run in Safe Mode. Could be some 3rd party software, or maybe a Service that doesn't run in safe mode.
If you are running an antivirus. try completely disabling that.



I'm sorry I can't be more help, but I use backup software so religiously, and have done so for so long, that I'm becoming unfamiliar with these types of problems.

Since, if I have understood your posts correctly, you can log in to the Built-in Admin, use it to create a new local, password-protected Admin and start using that instead.
- Or, if the misbehaving account can do so, just use it to create the new one.

Once you have logged in to the new account, you can copy across your own files from your old account.
- You'll have to re-set up your various Settings and settings within applications.

You might then, if you wish, use the Ownership/Permissions in your new account to identify the correct ones for the old account & gradually fix it. But doing this would be a lot of work for little reward.

You might also like to read my ditty, File backup vs imaging, imaging utilities, backing up drivers [post #3] - TenForums, and start making routine system images [It is a bit difficult to follow some parts of this thread but I think you've said that you have not been doing that].

Best of luck,
Denis