I logged out of my power user account and logged into my local administrator account to schedule some by some anti-malware apps. When I logged back into my power user account, I got the message that my profile cannot be found. The login continued, but when it completed, it was as if I was using a brand new account. All shortcuts, account customizations, and app data gone. My Outlook info (Notes, etc.) are all gone, as are my iTunes files/podcasts/synch options, and my Firefox data (bookmarks, passwords).I examined the following directory and found all my old Firefox stuff still present:c:/Documents and Settings/USER.DOMAIN/Application Data/Mozilla/Firefox/Profiles/OldProfileID.defaultI found that my current Firefox profile is located in the following directory:c:/Documents and Settings/TEMP/Application Data/Mozilla/Firefox/Profiles/NewProfileID.defaultI copied everything from my old profile directory into the new profile directory and got the old behaviour back. However, I am bothered by the fact that the new profile directory exists in a TEMP folder. Similarly, my Outlook PST file is in the same TEMP subtree at C:/Documents and Settings/TEMP/Local Settings/Application Data/Microsoft/Outlook/Outlook.pst. I'm not sure where it normally resides, but a search of the whole C-drive does not reveal any relevant candidate files. I found the following folder, but no old PST files:c:/Documents and Settings/USER.DOMAIN/Application Data/Microsoft/Outlook I have not yet hunted down where iTunes stores its profile data yetI can't imagine that administrator scheduling of anti-malware scans would nuke my power user account. Then I recalled that I was also preparing to install Palm Desktop for Clie, and I had changed the power user account to a local administrator account for that purpose. Would that cause the lost of my entire profile? I would have expected greater access privileges after the account was made administrator, not being locked out of my stuff.Also, how would I reverse this situation? I already removed the local administrator privileges from the power user account, but Firefox and Outlook still seem to be working from the TEMP subtree.1 person needs an answerI do too

user accounts can usually be reinstated via system restore, that is if a restore point was created during the time the user account was active. -- db`...><)))> ."FrankyMacky" wrote in message news:4fbdfb27-8cc6-4606-a750-4c3e6ad48cbe...I logged out of my power user account and logged into my local administrator account to schedule some by some anti-malware apps. When I logged back into my power user account, I got the message that my profile cannot be found. The login continued, but when it completed, it was as if I was using a brand new account. All shortcuts, account customizations, and app data gone. My Outlook info (Notes, etc.) are all gone, as are my iTunes files/podcasts/synch options, and my Firefox data (bookmarks, passwords).I examined the following directory and found all my old Firefox stuff still present:c:/Documents and Settings/USER.DOMAIN/Application Data/Mozilla/Firefox/Profiles/OldProfileID.defaultI found that my current Firefox profile is located in the following directory:c:/Documents and Settings/TEMP/Application Data/Mozilla/Firefox/Profiles/NewProfileID.defaultI copied everything from my old profile directory into the new profile directory and got the old behaviour back. However, I am bothered by the fact that the new profile directory exists in a TEMP folder.Similarly, my Outlook PST file is in the same TEMP subtree at C:/Documents and Settings/TEMP/Local Settings/Application Data/Microsoft/Outlook/Outlook.pst. I'm not sure where it normally resides, but a search of the whole C-drive does not reveal any relevant candidate files. I found the following folder, but no old PST files:c:/Documents and Settings/USER.DOMAIN/Application Data/Microsoft/Outlook I have not yet hunted down where iTunes stores its profile data yetI can't imagine that administrator scheduling of anti-malware scans would nuke my power user account. Then I recalled that I was also preparing to install Palm Desktop for Clie, and I had changed the power user account to a local administrator account for that purpose. Would that cause the lost of my entire profile? I would have expected greater access privileges after the account was made administrator, not being locked out of my stuff.Also, how would I reverse this situation? I already removed the local administrator privileges from the power user account, but Firefox and Outlook still seem to be working from the TEMP subtree.db`...>-)))> `...>-)))> share the nirvana mann

Hi FrankyMacky,You may perform a system restore to an earlier point when the issue was not present. The System Restore tool uses restore points to return system files and settings to an earlier point in time. You can use it to restore the operating system to a point in time in which you did not experience the issue.Note: When you use System restore to restore the computer to a previous state, programs and updates that you installed are removed.To do this, there must be a System Restore point at which the logon was successful. You may refer to the below links for assistance on performing a system restore -http://support.microsoft.com/kb/306084 Hope this helps.Thanks,Meghmala – Microsoft SupportVisit our Microsoft Answers Feedback Forum and let us know what you think

DatabaseBen, Meghmala,Thanks for that tidbit on system restore. What I ended up doing was to create another account (nondomain account) and migrate important stuff to there. I can do a local ssh to a local server to do this migration. This is probably preferable because I don't want to undo much of what I did in the local admin account, since it took a long time to figure out (scheduling anti-malware updates and scans). As well, the domain account which got corrupted is something I really should have stopped using long ago, since the actual account on the actual domain probably ceased to exist eons ago. I just didn't find the time to migrate the content to a local account, though this issue has forced me to do that. Another (secondary) reason I'm am reticent to use system restore is because I don't know exactly what gets undone. I will blow away the domain account after some time has past.However, I am still curious as to what causes the corruption that I observed. Any ideas?

it is impossible to know what is the exact cause for the corruption. perhaps, it is simply due to file system corruption, maybe the account was unindexed by the mft. ???? in any case, when it comes to system restore remember that you can always make a restore point first before you send you computer back in time. if the former state of the system is undesirable, then you can always bring your system back up in time with the recent restore point. remember that any modifications you make to the accounts and systems are recorded in the registry. and the registries are recorded and reinstated via the restore points. that being said, dont forget to make a restore point for today.... lastly, since the issue did involve the user account subsystem, you might want to install microsofts user profile hive cleaner. it may help or may not, but it certainly wouldnt hurt.-- db`...><)))> ."FrankyMacky" wrote in message news:f9a8799e-4c4f-4c9c-86c9-790efba78d52...DatabaseBen, Meghmala,Thanks for that tidbit on system restore. What I ended up doing was to create another account (nondomain account) and migrate important stuff to there. I can do a local ssh to a local server to do this migration. This is probably preferable because I don't want to undo much of what I did in the local admin account, since it took a long time to figure out (scheduling anti-malware updates and scans). As well, the domain account which got corrupted is something I really should have stopped using long ago, since the actual account on the actual domain probably ceased to exist eons ago. I just didn't find the time to migrate the content to a local account, though this issue has forced me to do that. Another (secondary) reason I'm am reticent to use system restore is because I don't know exactly what gets undone. I will blow away the domain account after some time has past.However, I am still curious as to what causes the corruption that I observed. Any ideas?db`...>-)))> `...>-)))> share the nirvana mann

OK, thanks for that. It was quite educational.