How to Restore an XP Profile
- 1). Log into your Windows XP machine using the administrator user name and password. You can also use a user name with administrator privileges. Click the Windows "Start" button and select "Control Panel."
- 2). Click "User Accounts" in the Control Panel. In the window that opens, click "Create a New Account." Enter a new user name for the profile you are restoring. Select "Administrator" as the user type. Click "OK" to save the settings.
- 3). Right-click "My Computer" on the desktop and select "Properties." Click the "Advanced" tab and click "Settings" in the "User Profile" section.
- 4). Click the old, corrupted user profile in the list of users displayed. With the user selected, click the button labeled "Copy To."
- 5). Click "Browse" to open a dialog box listing your computer hard drive's folders. Select "c:\documents and settings\<new_user>" in this window. Replace "<new_user>" with the name of the profile you created above. Click "OK" to copy the profile. This copies your old profile to the new one and rebuilds it.
- 6). Reboot the machine and log in using the new user name. Your profile and preferences are restored and loaded the next time you log into the machine.
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