Replies

1. Insert the original Windows XP CD (Windows XP with a Service Pack is preferred, but not required) and reboot the computer. You may need to configure your computer to boot from the CD-ROM drive.
2. When the Windows XP Setup has started, press “R” to “repair the Windows XP installation using Recovery Console”.
3. Select the Windows installation to repair (generally this is C:\Windows) by typing its number and then pressing ENTER.
4. Type the Administrator password and press ENTER.
5. Type the following commands:

D: [ENTER]
CD I386 [ENTER]
EXPAND USERINIT.EX_ C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM32 [ENTER]

NOTE: If your CD-ROM drive has a different letter assigned to it, enter “X:” instead, where X is the appropriate drive letter.

After entering “EXPAND USERINIT.EX_ C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM32” you should see the text “1 file(s) copied”, in which case all went well.

Note that there is a space between EX_ and C:

Remove the Windows XP CD, type “EXIT” and press ENTER to restart your computer. You should now be able to log on as normally.