User Profile Service failed the logon. User profile cannot be loaded. General troubleshooting

Known Causes:

• The C:\Users\(user-name) user profile folder was manually deleted instead of properly deleting the user account through User Accounts in the Control Panel. A user profile that is manually deleted does not remove the security identifier (SID) from the profile list in the registry. Since the SID is still present, Windows 7 will still try to load the profile by using the ProfileImagePath that points to a nonexistent path. Therefore, the profile cannot be loaded.
• The C:\Users\(user-name) user profile folder itself was manually renamed, instead of using the proper method in this tutorial.
• An unknown issue with the user profile entering into a backup state occurred.
• Corrupted user profile.
• Occasionally, Windows 7 might not read your user profile correctly, for example, if your antivirus software is scanning your computer while you try to log on. Try restarting your computer and logging on with your user account again to resolve the issue before following the options below.

Log On to an Administrator Account

You must be logged on to another administrator account using either step below before you will be able to move on to either OPTION ONE or OPTION TWO below.

To Fix the User Account Profile

1. Before starting, it is highly recommended that you create a system restore point in case you make a mistake while in the registry. This way you will easily be able to do a system restore to use the created restore point to undo the mistake.

2. Open the Start Menu, type regedit in the search box, and press Enter.

3. If prompted by UAC, then click on Yes.

4. In regedit, navigate to the location below. (see screenshot below step 5A)

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\ProfileList

5. In the left pane, click on a S-1–5 (SID) key with a long number.

A) In the right pane of the selected S-1–5 (SID) key, look at the Data value of ProfileImagePath to see if it is the user account (ex: peter) with the error.

B) If not, then repeat steps 5 and 5A until you have the correct S-1–5 (SID) key with a long number selected.

C) If it is, then continue on to step 6 or step 7 depending on if you have either one or two S-1–5 (SID) keys listed with the exact same long number. One without .bak, and one with .bak at the end.

6. If you have Two S-1–5 (SID) keys with the Same Long Numbers

This is if you have two S-1–5 folders (SID key) with the exact same long numbers, but the second one has .bak at the end of the long numbers and the first one doesn’t.

A) In the left pane, right click on the first (top) S-1–5….. folder (SID key) that does not have .bak at the end of the numbers and click Rename.

B) Add .bk to the end of the numbers.

C) In the left pane, right click on the second S-1–5….. folder (SID key) with .bak at the end of the numbers and click Rename.

D) Remove only .bak from the end of the numbers and press Enter.

E) Now go back and Rename the first one with .bk to .bak now at the end of the numbers and press Enter.

F) Go to step 8.

7. If you have Only One S-1–5 (SID) key with .bak

This is if you have only one S-1–5 folder (SID key) with long numbers and ended with .bak.

A) In the left pane, right click on the S-1–5….. folder (SID key) with .bak at the end of the numbers and click Rename.

B) Remove only .bak at the end of the numbers and press Enter.

8. In the right pane of the one without .bak now, right click on RefCount and click on Modify.

If you do not have RefCount, then right click on an empty space in the right pane and click New and DWORD (32 bit) Value, then type RefCount and press Enter. This value for this entry will reset and return back to the original value after you have restarted the computer and logged on to the account.

A) Type 0 (number) and click on OK.

9. In the right pane of the one without .bak now, right click on State and click on Modify.

This value for this entry will reset and return back to the original value after you have restarted the computer and logged on to the account.

A) Type 0 (number) and click on OK.

10. The registry will now look like this for the one without .bak now.

11. Close regedit, and restart the computer.

12. See if you are able to log on to the use account now without getting this error.