cannot access my user account in windows 10 after running windows-repair

[anniyan]

hi,
i had accidentally messed up the security permissions of the c:\windows\temp folder. so i was unable to install some programs. to rectify this, i used windows-repair v4.10.2 by tweaking.com to reset all the permissions of my OS drive. it worked well, but after that i am unable to login to my standard user account. only my other (administrator) account is accessible. i found that the user folder in c:/users/<username> is intact. but windows wont recognize it. i copied that folder to my external HDD, then created a new account under the same name, then copied back the folder, but it did not work. instead windows 10 creates a new folder named in the format <username>.<computername> although i specified only the required <username> when creating the account. how can i use the old data to recover my old user-account without going for an inplace installation?

any native or 3rd-party solution which is FREE is fine.

my OS is genuine windows 10 20h1 single language x64 without any modifications.

many thanks in advance

PS. this is a bit urgent.

[Boggin]

As you can log in using your admin account, boot the machine into Safe Mode with or without Networking then press the Windows key and r together then type rstrui.exe into the Run box and press enter.

Check to see if you have any restore points prior to screwing up your security settings.

If there's a box to check to show more restore points then check that which should expand the list of restore points then select one prior to your actions.

[anniyan]

i restored windows to the time before running windows-repair, and got back my account. but now UWP apps are not working; settings app crashes randomly. and some other windows files seem to be corrupted too. i tried to do an inplace re-installation, but there is no option to "keep files and settings"; there is option only to clean-install. so i ran DISM followed by SFC, but it reports no problems. any solution to repair this installation using my windows ISO?

 

[Boggin]

When you perform a repair install from within Windows, I believe there is an option to keep some files but the default is that it doesn't affect personal files or installed programs.

To ensure you are using the correct procedure for a repair install, with the machine booted up, open Windows/File Explorer - This PC - insert the install media and double click on its drive.

This will start the process when using a DVD but will open to its files when using an USB where you would then double click on setup Application.

I've done a few repair installs on my Win 10 and at no time was there an option to perform a clean install.

[anniyan]

EDIT: i am unable to do repair-installation using the ISO. unfortunately, i have downloaded the ENGLISH iso, while my installation is SINGLE LANGUAGE edition. could that be the reason? is it possible to convert 1 of the 2 to the other?

[Boggin]

If you Google for how do I create a win 10 iso from your India location, you should see a link for a Microsoft download link which should give it for your language.

There is a default checked box which will download the applicable version for which you have on your machine.

[anniyan]

it seems that the same ISO (HOME X64 ENGLISH) can be used to install single-language edition too. i found out that installing 2 latest KB's shows the option to retain the files and settings. many thanks, BTW.

but the repair installation did not solve my problems. as i had mentioned earlier, i was able to recover my account, but the windows store app and UWP apps are not working due to messed up permissions of the corresponding folder. any solution to reset that particular folder and its permissions to factory defaults, without having to clean-install? i tried tweaking-windows-repair, but it says that for 20h2, that fix is not available.

[Boggin]

Sorry for the late reply but your post was waiting to be approved so didn't show up as a latest post.

I'm unsure as to which repair WR said it couldn't fix for 20H2 - can you post your repair log.

There is an option to access those from the main UI of WR.

I've just ran the full repairs on this 20H2 and other than the Win 8/10 App repair which is skipped, all report as being done.

I've come across this article which may resolve your App Store problem - https://www.makeuseof.com/tag/5-tips-fix-windows-store-app-issues-windows-10/

As an alternative to a clean install, in the advanced boot options there's an option to Reset where you can retain your personal files but it will remove all 3rd party programs, so you would need to reinstall those.