User account in Windows XP no longer opens

Question: This week’s tech question concerns user accounts; what do I do if my user account in Windows XP no longer opens?

Answer: User accounts in XP can be accessed through the Start Menu and the Control Panel, which could be found under Settings depending on the view your Start Menu is set to. In the Control Panel, open User Accounts and here you will find all user accounts listed. You may change the name, add or change a password or make other changes. If you cannot access your user account, you can create another user account and then log into your new account from the Start Menu. After you get back into the User Accounts area in the Control Panel, you can delete the old user account and save the documents in it to the desktop of your new user account. This can also help if a virus or spyware has made changes to the look and appearance of your desktop. After you have cleaned the problem with an anti-virus or anti-spyware program, you can set up a new user account as outlined above if you have any problems getting the look and feel of your desktop and other settings back the way they were. Making a test or owner account now can save headaches down the road if you only have one user account presently on your computer. This will allow you access to follow the steps listed above to make a new user should you ever need to.

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