Logon loop after recovery - Windows 2000

[Cyril_L]

Hello everybody,

I'm actually facing a problem in my company. We have Windows 2000 servers that we want to upgrade to Windows 2003, and we want to increase the disks spaces ( from 36Gb to 72Gb ).

To make this, I make a system backup of my server using Backup Exec System Recovery 8.5, then I put my new disks, and I try to recover with Backup Exec System Recovery Disk. Everything works fine. However, when my server reboot, I come into the login screen of Windows 2000. After typing my username / password , I have "Load settings" then "Saving settings" and I come back to login screen : I cannot login to my server !

Do you have any idea on that problem ?

Thanks a lot for your help !

Cyril

[CraigV]

...have you tried to logon using Safe Mode? Or a repair of the OS?

[Cyril_L]

Thanks for your reply !

I don't have a Windows 2k CD at the moment, so I'll try when I'll have one ! But the fact is I don't understand why this error occured...

[Markus_Koestler]

Which version of BESR 8 do you use ? Is the server a DC or a member server ?

[Cyril_L]

Hello !

I'm using BESR 8.5 and it is a member server.

[Markus_Koestler]

Are you running the latest 8.5 version ? 8.5.9 is the latest ?

[Cyril_L]

I am running BESR 8.5.5. The strange fact is I did this operation with a same type server ( HP BL20P G3 ) and it worked...

May be my options are not correct ? I have 2 partitions on my servers -> C: and I:

To restore C: , I use those options : Set active , Restore disk signature, Restore MBR

To restore I:, I only use Restore disk signature option !

My disks are clean when I run the recovery (diskpart -> clean )...

[Markus_Koestler]

Looks quite correct. Are you able to boot into safe mode ? Maybe something with autrun ? Do you restore to similar or dissimliar hardware ?

[Cyril_L]

In safe mode the server is booting but when I type username / password of local administrator the loop is still here. And I restore to similar hardware, except the disks which have a higher space (with same disks it is the same... ) :\

I've just connect to the registry of the server with my machine and I've seen that there is a strange value. The key "HKLM_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\Current Version\SystemRoot" is set to I:\WINNT . It wouldn't be set to "C:\WINNT" ?

[Markus_Koestler]

So it seems that the drives have been mixed up. Try to restore the two volumes separately, first the systempartition, then the other one.

[Cyril_L]

I'll try to do what you tell me to do : restore first drive, reboot, restore second drive, reboot and see what happen !

[Cyril_L · Accepted solution]

Here I am !

When I've reboot my server, I still were in the loop ! Once again, I connect myself to the registry of the server and I edited the key "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon\userinit" to "I:\WINNT\system32\userinit.exe" instead of "C:\WINNT\system32\userinit.exe". I was able to login on the server, and the drives were still mixed up.

I decided to test a solution found few days ago (http://www.pcreview.co.uk/forums/windows-2000-pro-logon-loop-t1499855.html), which consisted in deleting all the "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\MountedDevices\DosDevices\*" keys. After this, I rebooted again, reset "I:\WINNT\system32\userinit.exe" to "C:\WINNT\system32\userinit.exe" and everything works now !!

Thanks for your help !!

[Markus_Koestler]

You're welcome !