receiving an error message: "
The User Profile Service failed the logon" could be hell for many users and some not-so-experienced IT Guys..
There are 3 methods to fix this:
1. Fix the user account profile.
2. Logon using another Administrator privilege, and copy data to new account.
3. Delete the error SID, and create new one.
Let's do this..
Method-1: Fix the user account profile.
1. Go to registry editor. (don't ask how to get there)
2. Locate the following subkey:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\ProfileList
3. Locate the folder begins with
S-1-5 (SID Key) which followed by long-set of numbers.
4. Select each of the SID Key, locate the
ProfileImagePath entry in details pane.
5. If you find 2 similar SID folder, but one of them ended with
.bak, you'll have to rename it. Below 'll shows how:
5.a. Rename the one without
.bak to
.ba
5.b. Rename the one with
.bak to
*
5.c. Rename the one with
.ba to
.bak
the idea is:
the one with .bak actually is your original profile, but somehow system made own decision to re-create profile, so you have the one without .bak which caused problem later on.
The task is to replace the one with .bak to none, and vice-versa.
(sure you'll get this idea)
6. If you have only 1 SID folder with .bak, simply rename it to
*
7. Locate the SID without .bak, edit the
RefCount. value should be as follow:
8. edit the
State. value should be as follow:
9. restart and then log-in again with your intended account.
*
means, delete .bak and leave the original SID folder name
Method-2: Logon using another Administrator privilege, and copy data to new account.
This method is simply rename your corrupted user profile, re-create user profile, and then copy all data from old to new.
Here's How:
1. Logon using Admin privilege account, and locate the "user" folder.
C:\Users\
2. Change the "folder option view" properties, so you can see all content, including the hidden one.
3. Rename the corrupted user profile folder to something else, e.q: C:\Users\myuser-old
4. Logoff and then login again using the newly re-created user profile ("myuser").
5. Logoff and then login again using admin privilege account.
6. Copy all content within C:\Users\myuser-old to C:\Users\myuser\, except: Ntuser.dat, Ntuser.dat.log, Ntuser.ini
7. Logoff and then login again using "myuser"
Method-3: Delete the error SID, and create new one.
1. Login using Admin privilege account, and open "
Change settings", in
Computer Properties.
2. Select the "Advanced" tab, and open "
User Profiles Settings"
3. In the User Profile dialog box, select the profile you want to delete, and click
Delete.
4. Go to registry editor, and locate following subkey:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\ProfileList
5. Delete the SID you want to remove.
6. Restart, and logon using the newly created profile.
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Those 3 methods are best-practice also acknowledge by Microsoft, but for me..
I rather use Method-1 and or Method-3, because it permanently re-configure registry (know that Microsoft is so much relies to its registry), minimise errors in the future, and easier to do.
There is weakness in this two methods, users' documents should be ready to demolish! :D
In other hand, Method-2 backed-up old users' data, and recovers them to the new profile, but sometimes if you keep
-old in the C:\Users\.. can caused another "user" problem (if you're not aware of it of course) such as: missing archive files, confusing back-up destination since there are two similar folder, misplaced documents' folders, etc.
Final conclusion:
All 3 methods, would be best applied together!
