/ Laptop Creates a Temporary Desktop

Laptop Creates a Temporary Desktop

The power cable was disconnected from my computer and the battery drained to 0%. Now when I turn it on it ‘Prepares a Desktop’ and says this is a temporary desktop and anything I do in this session will not be saved. The desktop looks the way it did when I first got it. I’ve tried a few things, like creating a new user account and trying to log on using that but nothing works, just the same desktop every time. Celeste Stewart

Temporary Desktop

This sounds to me as though the user account profile has become damaged. Technically, creating a new user account should do the trick but that didn’t work. I’m going to refer you to a Microsoft Knowledge Base article (947242) as well as a detailed “Your User Profile was not Loaded Correctly” tutorial (Vista). Please read both articles and see if they apply to your situation.

If these articles do not apply, I have a few other ideas that might get you back in business.

System File Checker

When computers lose their power unexpectedly or shutdown incorrectly, files can become damaged. A built-in tool called the System File Checker is used for scanning your operating system for damaged files and then replacing them with fresh copies from your Windows installation CD. Go dig out your CD and insert it into the drive. Go to Start > Run and type in: sfc \scannow.

This won’t do much for repairing your user profile, but it may repair other system files that are interfering with your computer’s ability to create new user accounts.

System Restore

Did you try using System Restore after this happened? If not, I’d give it a whirl. System Restore is a terrific tool for situations like this - if your computer has a good restore point that is. If you have Windows Vista, your computer will have System Protection on by default. If you have Windows XP, you will have had to set it up manually at some point. In either case, it’s worth checking.

Go to Start > Programs > Accessories > System Tools > System Restore. Check to see if you have a Restore Point for a date prior to the battery draining incident. If so, rollback your computer and all of its system settings to that date. This will not affect your data whatsoever. However, if you’ve installed software or updates since then, those will need to be reinstalled.