Blank Screen or Operating System Cannot Load Profile at Logon
Article ID: 162031
Article Last Modified on 2/26/2007
APPLIES TO
- Microsoft Windows 2000 Server
- Microsoft Windows 2000 Advanced Server
- Microsoft Windows 2000 Professional Edition
- Microsoft Windows 2000 Datacenter Server
- Microsoft Windows NT Server 4.0 Standard Edition
- Microsoft Windows NT Workstation 4.0 Developer Edition
This article was previously published under Q162031
SYMPTOMS
When you log on, you receive the following error message:
The operating system was unable to load your profile. Please contact your Network Administrator.(5)
Additionally, the logon dialog box may go away, leaving a blank screen, or wallpaper only, without any taskbar or desktop icons.
CAUSE
The %SystemRoot% folder, and possibly its subfolders, has had READ
permission for the Everyone group removed. If the permission has been
removed from the %SystemRoot% folder only, you will get the blank screen
symptom. If the subfolders do not have the READ permission, you
receive the "Cannot load profile" error message.
This error may also occur if "Read" permission has been removed for the
root of the system partition.
RESOLUTION
Restore "Read" permissions for the Everyone group to the Windows_folder folder
and all its subfolders.
Additional query words: prodnt profile logon login download no desktop icons taskbar
Keywords: kbnetwork KB162031