Admin user ok to start with, then dies on me

[anykey]

Here's a tricky one. My Admin user is playing up. I have xp pro setup with two users. One is Admin the other is Poweruser. It all works fine, untill recently the Admin logon works ok for a while then refuses to respond. By that I mean, I click something, say an icon to open a program, or Win + E to open explorer, and the cursor turns to an hourglass but then dies and nothing happens, and then every time I click something the speaker bings and nothing happens, and I cannot even raise the Start button to log off nor change back to the poweruser logon. All I can do is press my reset button to reboot. Things are ok for a few keystrokes then Bing! Admin dies.

I thought I would be clever and set up a second Admin user. Did that, but it behaves in the same way. Ok to start with then Bing! Nothing.

Poweruser still seems to behave ok. Run AdAware and Spybot they're ok so is AVG, and Kerrio is running.

Any ideas would be welcome.

[Reverend]

Have you tried the fix here: Microsoft Knowledge Base Article - 811151

[anykey]

Hello Reverend, following your suggestion, I tried to copy the first Admin's files and subfolders to the second admin account I had already created.

It wouldn't let me. I was presented with an error message: Access is denied.

any more ideas

[Dehcbad25]

which acount were you trying to use to copy the files? You will need admin rights.
Now, since you have problem with your admin account you can do it from the power user account like this.
go to an icon of Internet Explorer (execpt the one pinned on top of start menu) and right click. Then select Run as... Input the user name and password of one of the accounts that have admin right. Now you have an Internet explorer window, with admin right from your power user enviroment Just type the address, or even C:\ and IE will become an Windows Explorer window, and you can copy with Admin rights.

[anykey]

I doesn't work for me. I am the only user of my pc and there is no need for passwords. To use the "ran as" you have to have passwords (this issue has hit me before)

However, I created yet another admin user (admin3) and managed to copy the files of the offending admin (admin1) over the files of admin2. (Have you followed that?)

now what?

[Reverend]

Can you delete (admin 1) and use (admin 2) as the main admin account.

If (admin 2) appears to be working ok you should then be able to delete (admin 3).

Alternatively use (admin 3) and delete the other two.

Hope that makes sense.

[Dehcbad25]

Well, actually, he won't be able to delete "Administrator" account, will he?
Admin 3 does work? According to your post you were able to copy the files, but I don't know if that account works well for you.
Alternatively, I could suggest that you try a restore process form the CD (repair)
you could have a corrupted file that you are passing from account to account, thought most of the time the files producing problems with accounts are NTUSer files (.dat; .log. ini) which you shouldn't move (stated in the document)

[Reverend]

Well, actually, he won't be able to delete "Administrator" account, will he?

If he logs in using the Main Admin account go to Start > Run,and type control userpasswords2 hit enter.Highlight the account and hit remove.

[anykey]

just to say I haven't walked out. I am trying the things you suggest. I'll post back with my findings, although I did manage to copy the files ok, eventually!

[anykey]

...still trying what you said.

any more good ideas please.

[Conan]

I thnk it's time to reformat.

[anykey]

I thnk it's time to reformat.

I think I am on a different time zone to you. It is certainly not time to format yet

[Dehcbad25]

Have you tried this...??
It is just a crazy idea that I suddenly had.
Bot with a WinonCD, once booted, delete all Administrator accounts.
Then, make sure all files in the Document and Settings for those accounts are gone. Then create an Administrator account.
Another thing, how are you creating the accounts? Thru Users in the control panel or thru the Local users Management console?
Another thing would be to check the Local policies. Maybe the admin group are not set in a section of the policy that they should.
I am just throwing crazy ideas and trying to add new points of view

[anykey]

Many thanks for all your thoughts and suggestions - they were all good.

However, I now know the answer to the problem was hidden in the question.

I've run AdAware and Spybot

It was TeaTimer running under Spybot. It was going mad and hogging all the Admin Resources. So, beware if you use TeaTimer. Some folk say it works ok on their machine, yet others complain how Bad it is.
Anyway, it's mended now, and admin is happy again, so thank you for trying to help me.

[Dehcbad25]

I never had any problem with tea timer, and I can tell you, I have easily installed Spybot on at least 30 computers (And still my boss is not convinced Spyware is a problem ) and all work fine