Windows – Can’t go into safe mode: “User Profile Service service failed the logon”

Sorry to hear you are re-imaging but I have seen this and here is our solution.

• Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\ProfileList\
• Delete both the key with .bak and matching key without .bak
• Check the following key HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Authentication\LogonUI\SessionData
• Make sure the user is not listed in either key, delete it if the user is listed. Reboot

Let me know if you run in to it again and if this works but it has always resolved the issue for me.

Eric, you files should still there, they just don't show up when logging into safe mode, your files can be found in the

Vista W7

C:\Users\ [your user name]

XP

C:\Documents and Settings\ [your user name]

folder, you may have to use folder options to unhide hidden and system folders to see everything, copy off the files you need to a usb drive.

Once your files are safe you can work on the user profile problem.

NOTE: the desktop is a bad place to store files, system restore can delete user created desktop items, always store files in My Documents or create additional folders on the C drive and store them there, you can make shortcuts on the desktop to those files or folders.