Windows 7 keeps preparing your desktop on reboot
computer work fine until after it is joined to our Domain.  When I initially log on the desktop is prepared and all is fine.  After a reboot, Windows states "Preparing your desktop" once again.  When the machine comes up Aero is disabled.  The messages "Failed to connect to a Windows Service.  Windows could not connect to the Group Policy Client Service.  This problem prevents standard users from logging on to the system."  Also the error message "C:\Windows\system\config\systemprofile\Desktop refers to a location that is unavailable."  When trying to start anything like Device Manger, Computer Management, Services I receive the message "The dependency service or group failed to start."  Once this takes place, the computer does this no matter who logs on, Domain or Local.  I've rebuilt this machine, using Windows 7 Professional 5 times with the same result.  Each time I log on to the Domain and after a reboot this happens.
January 20th, 2010 3:24pm

I am having the same problem.  Is there a solution to this?  Worse for me is the fact that when it prepares the desktop, Any files that were on the desktop are lost.
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March 11th, 2010 9:21pm

Is there anyone there read this problem???????!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! So fed up try to solve this error....
April 20th, 2010 4:43am

1. Open Command Prompt (cmd.exe)
2. Open Task Manager and kill process "Explorer.exe"
3. At command prompt, type this below

Set userprofile=c:\Users\<your profile name>

4. Close command prompt
5. On task manager window, click File > New Task (Run...) then type this below

Explorer.exe

6. Restart.
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October 27th, 2010 1:16pm

Yes!

This worked!!!!!!

Thank you

June 5th, 2011 7:19pm

hello 

 

does this completely get rid of your stuff or does it just solve the problem ??

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July 14th, 2011 8:05pm

This WORKED!!!! so easy and no registry stuff going on. (Unlike some other complicated answers found on other searches)

I'm Overexplaining a bit in hopes that it might just in case help somebody.

-before closing explorer.exe, Command Prompt can also be located in "Start"---->"All Programs"--->"Accessories"

-I accidentally closed cmd.exe after killing Explorer.exe but luckily the answer gave the command prompt name(cmd.exe) so I started task manager (Ctrl+Alt+Del) and a started a "New Task" which was "cmd.exe" to continue with the steps.

Thank You Very Much. That "preparing your desktop" took longer than the usual "Welcome" log in after putting the correct user and password and it wasn't my profile at all. Annoying.

September 13th, 2012 5:20pm

do have VIDEO on this??..Icant understand

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August 20th, 2013 8:40am

the simple way to do this is to go to your user account in the control panel creat a new administrator account then log off and log in to your new created account then copy all your files from the corrupt account before deleting it restart and it's all good.
October 2nd, 2013 4:07pm

HI, I did the steps that you mentioned but didnot work with me .

Do you have a nother solution.

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October 23rd, 2013 6:42am

HI, I did the steps that you mentioned but didnot work with me .

Do you have a nother solution.

Good day,

I have a very disturbing problem with my Windows 7. It will only boot on a temporary profile which is missing several icons and barely something works. I've tried to reboot my computer twice, but it didn't work. I've also searched on this forums for a solution, but I didn't find anything.

I hope you can help me to solve that problem.


Thank you in advance.

Solved.

Guys, this worked for, hence pasting the solution here, I have been through hell with this and want to share with everyone. You may find my posts elsewhere too, if you do, I hope it helps.

I am not sure if your issue was resolved. I was facing a similar issue and it is resolved. Below is was my medicine. Jump to **Solution** if you don't want my background on the problem.

I am an admin in my company and for some reason when we switched to Win 7, I started to see the "Preparing your desktop" this was back in 2012. For whatever reason I was losing my profile every time I logged in. Reformatting my computer, registry fixes, deleting the profile etc did not solve the issue.

What helped: Fast forward to the date 11/24/2013. I was deploying a new PC for a colleague and accidentally logged into his computer using my login name which I had issues. As I was logging in for the first time, I figured it would say that its "preparing my desktop". I really became suddenly obsessed to try to log in again to see what I will find out and to my dismay the same issue repeated. New computer, after so many months and same problem. The first I did was log into my Active directory to examine my user account. 

In doing so, I realized I was a member of lots of groups. Well, I said, I don't have to be a group of these Domain Guest Users, and there were several security groups, blindly I removed each one of them, only keeping the Windows 7 security group. Voila! in this process I had cleaned my account of any old security groups. I restarted the new computer, logged in, got the same "Preparing my desktop" wait I said,, let me create some test documents on the desktop,, I have logged in nearly about 10 times, with different scenarios so far, and I am happy to let you all know that my problem has been resolved! 

I hope this helps somebody,

D


  • Proposed as answer by DaveCombs Thursday, May 22, 2014 5:52 PM
November 25th, 2013 5:40am

This worked, but once I restarted the computer my user profile failed to load. I successfully got it to load my profile after following the steps below and then restarting.

http://support.microsoft. com/kb/947215

HP G60t-500 laptop running Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit (6.1, Build 7601)

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December 27th, 2013 9:37pm

NOT WORKING IN  Windows 7 ultimate 64 bit !!!

FIND THE WAY, PLEASE !

Thank you in advance !!!
Respectfully yours

Prof.Dr. Aleksandar Blagojevi Ph.EMD.,Dip.ING

Government - Defence Security   Admin. Supervisor

April 5th, 2014 7:41pm

Try system restore, I have the same problem, so I researched the problem and most people have said try system restore and and it seemed to work for them. 
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April 22nd, 2014 9:24am

This nailed it for me. We were replacing a user's XP box with a 7 PC, and we found her to be a member (the only one, as it turns out) of the Domain Guest Users group. Took her out, logged off an back on two more times (once to set new policy, once to get the new desktop, and everything was golden. Thanks for posting your solution!
May 22nd, 2014 5:55pm

i had this yesterday what i did was press f8 during bootup and selected last known good configuration and that cured it.

Matt

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January 27th, 2015 8:48pm

Nice.  But what is my <profile name> ?

I do not remember creating a <profile name>.

How do I find out what my <profile name> is?

How is Grandma going to make it when she does not know her <profile name>?

April 18th, 2015 1:52am

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