When booting Windows XP, it goes to the welcome screen and when the user is selected it flashes the destop for a split second and returns to the Welcome screen and logs off. I have tried to boot in safe mode, but when I do there is a rogue user account titled 'Administrator' that I DID NOT CREAT! I tried the fix below, that I found on this forum, but when I get to the prompt, only the first keystroke works. so all I could type was 'c' and then the keyboard doesn't work. It doesn't matter what key I type, it only allows one keystroke. Please help.

Solution: REFORMAT

If an account was created that you recognize as not being there before then yes you should definetly reformat as the system has been compromised and you have no idea what holes they left behind and no there is no way to be 100% sure your system is clean unless you reformat.

So backup the data with a Knoppix/Ubuntu LiveCD to an external drive and use your System Recovery or OS CD's to rebuild your system.

similar problem, running XP Pro
tried the solution
( copy userinit.exe wsaupdater.exe )
does not work

Computer still boots to the screensaver page -- loads the mouse pointer -- then freezes before loading the toolbar, the start menu, the Recycle Bin or any of the desktop icons. After a couple of minutes it then cycles (backwards) into a Welcome page with a choice of log on boxes -- for me or for the "Administrator."

whichever box I click it then displays a <saving your settings> message, then cycles back into the welcome page.

Pressing control + alt + delete on the screensaver page simply brings the log on as/Welcome page onto the screensaver page, and then yields the message <saving your settings>


Ever see anything like that?

similar things happen if I try to boot via F8 into safe mode, the only difference is that with safe mode with networking I see all the drivers being loaded, line by line. In safe mode with command prompt, no command prompt appears.

I can however via the CD Rom Recovery disk go into the C:> prompt page and type instructions.

Suggestions?