I have an HP destop which isused as a family computer so no unique user accounts as far as I am aware. The only account which was set up was HP_Owner but with no password. The system booted up as normal on Monday last and allowed me to access progams but when I booted on Tuesday there was a message relating to login, the details of which I cannot recall, and since then I have been presented with a user login screen saying "Click on user name" but there are no user names displayed. Following threads on your site I have tried booting in Safe mode and restoring last known good configuration but get the same screen. Ctrl Alt Del gives me a login window for HP_Owner but I have tried every possible likely password I can think of including using Administrator in both text cases. The PC runs Norton Antivirus but I don't know if I have been 'hacked' or whether the problem is due to an automatic security updated of Service Pack 3. I would appreciate any help as the system is currently useless! This is being posted using my daughters laptop. Thanks Peter

Hi, I would suggest you to follow the steps mentioned below.a. Boot into safe mode by restarting the system and pressing F8 till you reach the boot menu and selecting Safemode from the list.b. Once you boot into safe mode, you’ll see the login screen, one with the Built in administrator account and the other one with Hp account.c. Click on the built in administrator account.d. Click on Start and click on Run.e. Type the command control userpasswords2 in the box and press enter.f. A user account window will open.g. In the user tab uncheck the box ’User must enter the user name and password to enter this computer’.h. Click on Apply and then restart the computer and check whether the issue is resolved. Thank you and Regards. Thahaseena MMicrosoft Answers Support Engineer.Visit our Microsoft Answers Feedback Forum and let us know what you think.

Dera Sir / Madam Thank you for such a prompt response however when I boot in safe mode using F8 there are no account names showing up at all. This is just the same when booting normallyI I do not recall ever having set up specific accoounts and therfore am unable to proceed as you indicate above. Ctrl Alt Del only brings us the name HP_Owner in the 'Username' box but all efforts to get past this stage by combinations of likely paswords have failed. On the left hand section of the window is the Windows XP icon and text "To begin click your user name" but on the right there is no name to click! Why should this screen presented itself in this way? I have had the PC for several years now and have never ever used a login command.Yours, Peter Webster

What is your XP version and Service pack?XP has a built in account called:AdministratorThe default password for the Administrator account is no password (just press the Enter key for the password).You may need to do some Ctrl-Alt-Del to get to the point where you can enter the user name.Replace the user name HP_Owner with Administrator and press Enter for the password.If nobody ever assigned a password to the Administrator account, that should get you in.Report back with your results.Do, or do not. There is no try.I need YOUR votes and points for helpful replies and Propose as Answers. I am saving up for a pony!

Thanks for your response. The PC has Service pack3. As with other threads of a similar nature I've tried the 'Administrator' option but with no sucess. I guess i'll just have to visit a 'techie shop' and get Xp reinstalled in an effort to gert round the problem. PETER

Hi, When you login to safe mode you will not see any administrator account in the login screen unless or otherwise you have set a password during installation. When you login to safe mode it is always the built in administrators account you log in to. I suggested you to try the step mentioned in the above post to disable the login screen when you boot normally. Did you try the step mentioned above?If not I would suggest you to try the suggestion and let us know whether it works or not. Thank you and Regards. Thahaseena MMicrosoft Answers Support Engineer.Visit our Microsoft Answers Feedback Forum and let us know what you think.

Sir. I did try booting in safe mode as suggested above using Administrator / Enter but to no avail. All that happens is the PC returns a message saying it cannot loge me on and to check domain etc. I know of no password having been knowingly installed. I used the PC only the night before to book train tickets over the web. It worked fine then but evidently not now. All advice on trying to get round loging using safe mode / administrator etc. have been met with no success. Would you have any oyher suggestions aas like previous correspondents there is a lot of personal photos etc. on the hard drive.Thanks, Peter

Hi, I would suggest you to do a system restore to the point when the system was working fine and check whether the issue is resolved. Follow the steps mentioned in the article given below.How to recover from a corrupted registry that prevents Windows XP from startinghttp://support.microsoft.com/kb/307545 Thank you and Regards. Thahaseena MMicrosoft Answers Support Engineer.Visit our Microsoft Answers Feedback Forum and let us know what you think.