5 Ways to Repair a Damaged User Profile in Windows 10/8/7

The User Profile Service failed the logon.
User profile cannot be loaded. Translation: The User Profile Service failed to log on.
The user profile cannot be loaded.

When you encounter an unfortunate error message stating "The user profile service failed the login/sign-in, and the user profile cannot be loaded," don't worry! It merely signifies that there is an issue with your user profile in Windows, and it has become corrupted. Accompanying this error, you might experience various other Windows operating system problems indicative of a corrupted user profile, such as frequent account lockouts, profiles disappearing, or users being unable to access their accounts altogether.

Top 5 Methods to Fix User Profile Issues in Windows 10/8/7

If you encountered the error message stating that your user profile is corrupted, you can follow these highly effective solutions to repair a corrupted user profile in Windows 10. In fact, these methods can also be applied to Windows 8.1, 8, and 7.

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Backup Your Files Before Repairing a Corrupted User Profile

To alleviate your concerns and effectively assist you in resolving the issue with a corrupted user profile, we offer free and swift access to repair tools for Windows 10. However, it's important to note that the methods mentioned above might result in data loss during the repair process. Therefore, we strongly advise creating a complete backup of your computer to guarantee a worry-free and safe repair of the corrupted user profile in Windows 10.

You can manually copy your user profile if you're able to boot into Windows. If you're unable to boot into Windows, you can utilize backup and recovery software. This tool enables you to backup files without needing to access Windows. Furthermore, it allows you to perform tasks such as migrating the OS to an SSD, cloning a hard drive, and backing up files to a cloud storage.

Download and install the professional backup software Todo Backup on your computer. Follow the steps below to create a backup of your files without booting into your operating system.

* The following backup process requires a functioning computer to create an emergency disk for Todo Backup tools. You will need to boot your unbootable computer from this emergency disk to perform a full backup.

Step 1. To create a Todo Backup emergency disk, you'll need a USB flash drive and connect it to a functioning computer. Launch Todo Backup, click on "Tools," and then select "Create Emergency Disk."

Step 2. Select the USB option when choosing a boot disk location, then click Create.

Step 3. When it's done, insert this emergency disk to the computer that needs backing up. Restart the PC, and press F2/DEL to enter BIOS. Change the boot sequence, and then start the computer and run the backup software from the bootable disk.

Step 4. Access the option of Select backup contents and then choose the Disk backup mode. Here, select the computer hard drive(s) to perform a complete backup.

Step 5. Choose a destination to save your backup file. It's recommended to save the backup file on an external storage device.

Step 5. Click "Backup Now" to initiate the process.

Solution 1: Recreate/Create a New Windows User Profile for the Existing User

If you encountered the Windows 10 profile repair error, the solution is to create a new user account and transfer files from your existing user profile to the new one.

Translate into English:
1. Create a new Windows 10 user profile
2. Copy files to the new user profile

To create a new profile for an existing user in Windows 10, follow these steps:

To create a new Windows 10 user profile: 1. Press the Windows key + I to open Settings. 2. Click on "Accounts." 3. Select "Family & other users" (or "Other users" if you don't have a family group). 4. Under "Other users," click on "Add someone else to this PC." 5. Choose "I don't have this person's sign-in information." 6. Next, select "Add a user without a Microsoft account." 7. Enter the new user's name and choose a username and password (optional). 8. Click "Next" and follow any additional prompts to complete the setup. 9. The new user profile will be created, and you can switch to it by clicking the user icon in the login screen or the Start menu. Remember that the new user will have limited access to system settings and files until you assign them an appropriate user type (e.g., Administrator). To do this: 1. Go back to "Family & other users" (or "Other users"). 2. Click on the newly created user and then click "Change account type." 3. Select the desired account type (e.g., "Administrator") and click "OK." 4. You'll need to enter the admin password if prompted. Now the new user has the designated privileges on your Windows 10 system.

Step 1. You need to create a new and fully functional user profile as an administrator. To do this, activate the hidden admin account through the Command Prompt by entering the command and pressing Enter: net user administrator /active:yes.

Step 2. Open the Settings app by pressing the Windows key + I simultaneously. In the Settings panel, click on "Accounts."

Step 3. To create a local user profile in Windows 10, click "Family & other people" on the left pane, and then choose "Add someone else to this PC".

Step 4. A prompt will ask you to provide login information. Simply click on the link at the bottom that says "I don't have this person's sign-in information."

Step 5. Later, you'll receive another confirmation prompt to create your account. Again, disregard the email section and click the link at the bottom that says "Add a user without a Microsoft account."

Step 6. In the last part, you'll be presented with the familiar Windows account creation screen. Enter the Username for your new user account, the password, and click "Next".

Step 7. Your files and personal settings will remain in the old user account. Follow the detailed instructions to transfer data from one user account to another on the same PC.

To copy files to the new user profile:

Once you've created the new profile and signed in, you can copy the files from the previous profile to the new one.

Step 1. Access your User folder by clicking on "Start," typing "file explorer" into the Search box, and then selecting File Explorer from the list of results.

Step 2. Choose "This PC," then select the hard drive where Windows is installed (typically the C: drive). Next, navigate to the "Users" folder, and then the folder bearing your account name.

Step 3. Navigate to the C:\Users folder, where C represents the drive on which Windows is installed, and Old_Username is the name of the profile from which you wish to copy files.

Step 4. Select all the files and folders in this folder, then choose Edit from the menu and select Copy.

Step 5. Navigate to the C:\Users folder, where C represents the drive on which Windows is installed, and New_Username corresponds to the name of the new user profile you just created.

Step 6. Choose Edit from the menu and select Paste. Restart your PC, then log back in as the new user.

Solution 2: Repair Corrupted User Profile using Windows Registry

If you can successfully boot into Windows 10, you can repair a corrupted user profile using the Windows Registry. Follow these steps to fix a damaged user profile through the Registry Editor: 1. **Backup your Registry**: Before making any changes, it's crucial to create a backup of your Registry in case something goes wrong. To do this, press `Win + R` to open the Run dialog, type `regedit`, and hit Enter. In the Registry Editor, click on "File" then "Export," choose a save location, give it a name, and click "Save." 2. **Access the Registry Key**: Navigate to the following key: ``` HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\ProfileList ``` 3. **Identify the Corrupted Profile**: Look for the problematic user profile folder (S-1-5-21-...). It might have a .bak or .tmp extension appended to it. Take note of the folder with the problematic extension. 4. **Rename the Corrupted Profile**: Right-click on the corrupted folder and select "Rename." Remove the problematic extension (.bak or .tmp) so that it matches the original user profile folder name. 5. **Create a New Profile Link**: Now, right-click on an empty space within the "ProfileList" folder and select "New," then "Key." Name the new key with the original user profile SID (the long alphanumeric string without the .bak or .tmp). 6. **Set Values for the New Key**: Right-click on the newly created key, select "New," and then "String Value." Name the value "ProfileImagePath" and set its data to: ``` C:\Users\{username} ``` Replace `{username}` with the actual username of the affected user. 7. **Set Permissions**: Right-click on the new key, select "Permissions," and ensure that "Users" has "Read" permissions. Click "Apply" and "OK." 8. **Restart Your Computer**: Close the Registry Editor and restart your computer. The system should now load the repaired user profile. Remember that editing the Registry is a delicate process, so be cautious and make sure you have a backup before proceeding. If you're not comfortable with these steps, consider seeking professional assistance.

Step 1. Open the Windows 10 Registry Editor by typing regedit in the Search bar.

Step 2. Once the Registry Editor opens, navigate to the following key:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\ProfileList.

Step 3. Click on each S-1-5 folder, and then double-click the "ProfileImagePath entry" to determine which user account it corresponds to. (If your folder name ends with .bak or .ba, follow Microsoft's instructions to rename them.)

Step 4. After identifying the corrupted user profile (which does not have a .bak extension), double-click "RefCount" and modify the Value data to 0. Then, click "OK". If this value does not exist, you may need to create it manually.

Step 5. Now, double-click on "State", ensure the Value data is set to 0, and click "OK".

Step 6. Close the Registry Editor and restart your PC.

Solution 3: Run Windows 10 Profile Repair with SFC Scan and DISM

Your files can become corrupted due to various reasons, and to rectify the issue, you need to conduct an SFC (System File Checker) scan. Some users report that they resolve a corrupted user profile merely by running an SFC scan. To execute the SFC scan and DISM (Deployment Imaging Servicing and Management) for repairing a corrupted user profile, follow these steps:

Step 1. Simultaneously press the Windows + X keys to display the Command Prompt option. Then, click on "Command Prompt (Admin)" from the list.

Step 2. In the Command Prompt window, type the command sfc/scannow and press "Enter".

If the SFC scan fails, don't give up on the Command Prompt fix; let's proceed with the DISM scan instead.

Step 3. Launch Command Prompt as an administrator using the same method.

Step 4. Type the command: DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth and press "Enter".

Then, you can restart your PC to see if you've resolved the issue.

Also read: Fix SFC /SCANNOW Finds Corrupted Files but Unable to Fix Error, SFC SCANNOW Stuck

Fix 4: Repair User Data in Windows 10/8/7 User Profile

Another efficient method to repair a Windows 10 profile is by utilizing data repair software. It's important to note that data repair software typically restores only certain data and not the entire profile. To repair data and files within the User Profile, you would need tools like Fixo. Fixo is both an Fixo photo repair tool and a file repair application. It can recover lost data and fix corrupted MP4 files, as well as repair photos, Word, and Excel documents. Download this file repair software and easily mend your user data with straightforward steps.

Step 1. Launch Fixo on your computer. Select "Photo Repair" to fix photos that won't open, are partially missing, or have similar issues. Click "Add Photos" to import the corrupted images.

Step 2. You can repair multiple photos at once by clicking the "Repair All" button. If you wish to repair a single photo, hover your pointer over the target photo and select "Repair."

Step 3. You can click on the eye icon to preview the photos and hit "Save" to save a selected image. Choose "Save All" to save all the repaired photos. Click "View Repaired" to locate the folder with the repaired images.

Also read: How to Recover Deleted User Profile and Files in Windows 10

Fix 5: Install the Latest Windows 10 Updates to Repair User Profile

Step 1. Open the Settings app by pressing the Windows + I keys simultaneously.

Step 2. Click "Update & security".

Step 3. Under the "Update" status, click "Check for updates" to see if your device has the latest version. If an update is available, Windows will install it automatically.

Additional Tips: Reset Windows 10 to Resolve a Corrupted User Profile

Again, make sure to create a backup using Todo Backup before trying any repair methods, especially resetting Windows 10, which will definitely remove installed applications.

Step 1. Open the Settings app by pressing the Windows key + I simultaneously. Click on "Update & Security."

Step 2. On the left pane, click "Recovery". From the three options, select "Reset this PC".

Step 3. Click on "Get started" under "Reset this PC".

Step 4. Choose "Keep my files" if you want to preserve your data files, or "Remove everything" to erase them. Regardless of your choice, all settings will revert to default and apps will be uninstalled.

Step 5. If you selected "Remove everything" in the previous step, choose "Just remove my files" or "Remove files and clean the drive." Cleaning the drive is a more time-consuming process, but it ensures that if you're giving the computer away, the next user won't be able to easily recover your deleted files. If you're keeping the computer, opt for "Just remove my files."

Step 6. Click "Next" if Windows warns you that you won't be able to roll back to a previous version of the OS.

Step 7. Click "Reset" if prompted.

Read Also: SFC scannow: There is a system repair pending

Conclusion

A corrupted user profile in Windows 10 can hinder your ability to use your PC. To resolve this issue, you can repair the account through the Registry Editor, create a new profile, run System File Checker (SFC), repair user data with specialized software, and more. If you wish to avoid data loss, it's advisable to run Todo Backup tools to safeguard your data by creating a backup.

"Windows 10 User Profile Repair Frequently Asked Questions"

After reading this, you now have the solution for the "Corrupt user profile" error on Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows 8, and Windows 10. If you encounter any other issues, feel free to peruse the following questions and answers.

What causes a corrupted user profile?

This error has been known to occur due to one of the following reasons:

• The user profile is corrupt or missing
• File system integrity compromised due to disk write errors, power failures, or virus attacks.
• Hardware issue resulting from faulty memory or hard drive failure

How do I repair a damaged profile?

To repair a corrupted user profile in Windows 10/8/7:

Create a new user profile Repair with Windows Registry Run DISM and SFC commands Repair user data in the folder Install the latest updates

How do I recreate a Windows 10 user profile?

1. Open Microsoft Management Console by clicking Start, typing **mmc** into the search bar, and then pressing Enter. If prompted for an administrator password or confirmation, enter the password or provide confirmation. 2. In the left pane of Microsoft Management Console, select Local Users and Groups. 3. Click on the Users folder. 4. From the Action menu, choose New User. 5. Fill in the appropriate information in the dialog box, and then click Create. 6. After creating the user accounts, click Close. Restart your PC.

How do I start Windows 10 in Safe Mode?

In Windows:

1. Under "Advanced Startup," click "Restart Now." 2. After your PC restarts, navigate to the "Choose an Option" screen, then select "Troubleshoot" > "Advanced Options" > "Startup Settings" > "Restart." 3. Upon restarting, a list of options will appear. Choose option 4 or press F4 to start your PC in Safe Mode.