Windows XP Welcome Screen Appears to Stop Responding (Hang) During Logon (816873)


The information in this article applies to:

  • Microsoft Windows XP Tablet PC Edition
  • Microsoft Windows XP Professional

SYMPTOMS

When you use the Welcome screen to log on to a computer that is installed as a home computer (a computer where a network domain has not been specified), the computer appears to stop responding (hang) and you receive the following message under the user name:loading your personal settings...

CAUSE

This issue occurs if all the following conditions are true:
  • You use the Welcome screen to log on to the system.
  • You have a network share mapped to a drive letter.
  • The network share has been made available offline.
  • The system is connected to a network.
  • The network share is not accessible. For example, the server is down.
When all these conditions occur, Windows XP cannot restore the network connection and displays an error message. This error message must be confirmed before logon can continue. However, you cannot see the error message because it is hidden behind the Welcome screen. Therefore, the system appears to stop responding (hang).

RESOLUTION

To resolve this issue, confirm the error message and complete the logon process. To do so, follow these steps:
  1. Press ALT+TAB to switch to the Restoring Network Connections task. Note that the task will still be hidden after you activate it.
  2. Press ENTER to confirm the error message. Note If you do not see a Restoring Network Connections task when you press ALT+TAB, you are experiencing an issue that is different from the one that is described in this article.

WORKAROUND

To work around this issue, turn off the Welcome screen and use the classic logon screen instead. For additional information, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

291559 HOW TO: Change the Logon Window and the Shutdown Preferences in Windows

STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed that this is a problem in the Microsoft products that are listed at the beginning of this article.
Modification Type:MinorLast Reviewed:5/30/2003
Keywords:kbprb KB816873 kbAudEndUser kbAudITPRO
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