“The User Profile Service failed the logon.. User profile cannot be loaded.”
Also, you may be trying to login using a Domain User account and each time you get this error you notice that there is a folder for the %USERNAME% and a folder for %TEMP% created in the Users folder…If you try logging in multiple times you see %USERNAME.000% and %TEMP.000% etc…
Why did this happen?
Causes can include improper logoff and trying to logon when an Antivirus scan is running.
OK, so how do I fix it?
You’ve probably already searched several resources, including Microsoft’s knowledge base, you’ve saved your data from your profile (or don’t need it), you’ve tried the MS Fix It for this error, you’ve deleted the SSID for the offending profile from the ProfileList key in the Registry…to no avail. Despite “starting over” with a new user profile, you have not been successful yet in actually logging back in to Windows 7…
If you’re at this point then you’re ready to try these instructions. Maybe they will help.
The way Windows works is, when a new user logs on, Windows sets up a profile for them using the Default profile. Sometimes, the security settings on that profile’s folder “C:\Users\Default” get corrupted (in conjunction with the corruption of the user profile you want to use I suspect)Â and it has trouble creating new profiles . To fix this, we must reset the security settings for that folder.
- The C:\Users\Default folder is hidden, so unhide hidden files first
- Right-click the folder and select Properties, then select Security tab
- Make sure “Everyone” and Users” have (Read & execute, List folder contents, Read)
- Make sure SYSTEM and Administrators have (Full Control)
- Click Advanced. On the Permissions tab click Change Permissions, then check off “Replace all child object permissions with inheritable permissions from this object” and press OK
- On the Owner Tab, Edit and change to Administrators. Make sure you check off “Replace owner on subcontainers and objects” then press OK
- Keep pressing OK until you’re out of those windows.
- Create a user account for the new user (Control Panel–>User Accounts–>Manage User Accounts). If it’s already there then Remove it and then Add it back in.
- Make sure you check the Registry to make sure the SSID isn’t there already because that will prevent you logging on. The SSID is in its own key at HKLM\SOFTWARE\MICROSOFT\WINDOWS NT\CURRENTVERSION\PROFILELIST
- Removing the offending profile SSID from this area is especially necessary if you have been deleting the bad profile folders from C:\Users manually (instead of using the System Properties–>User Profiles settings dialog box.
- Anyway, after you create that new user from Step 8 you should be able to log off and log back on and it will recreate the folder.
NOTES:
– If you do not see a ProfileList key at all then you are probably in the “HKLM\SOFTWARE\MICROSOFT\WINDOWS” folder, not the WINDOWS NT folder…
– When editing the security properties for the Default profile, make sure you are editing the “C:\Users\Default” folder, not the “C:\Users\Default User” folder
