Blank Screen or Operating System Cannot Load Profile at Logon

ID: Q162031

The information in this article applies to:

Microsoft Windows NT Server version 4.0
Microsoft Windows NT Workstation version 4.0

SYMPTOMS

When you log in, you receive the following error message:

The operating system was unable to load your profile. Please contact your Network Administrator.(5)

or the login dialog box goes away, leaving a blank screen, or wallpaper only, with no 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 subdirectories are missing the READ permission, you will get the "Cannot load profile" error.

This error may also occur if READ permission has been removed for the root of the NT partition.

RESOLUTION

Restore READ permissions for the Everyone group to the %winroot%\ directory and all its subdirectories.

Additional query words: prodnt profile logon login download


Keywords          : kbnetwork ntdomain NTSrvWkst 
Version           : 4.0
Platform          : winnt 
Issue type        :

Last Reviewed: February 3, 1999