The local policy of this system does not permit you to logon interactively

[techs]

Using Windows XP Home edition when I put in the user password I get the message:
The local security policy of this system does not permit you to logon interactively
Or
The local policy of this system does not permit you to logon locally

I tried using my XP password hack to remove the passwords of the user and adminstrator, but I still get a space for the password and I still get one of those two above messages.
I am guessing someone edited the Local Security policies, but the user denies doing it.
Is there a way around this? Is it possible it was a virus or worm?
thanks

[NooNoo]

Most likely a virus or worm since this involves policy editing which is pretty well hidden in Home. Can you login in safemode as administrator?

[techs]

Most likely a virus or worm since this involves policy editing which is pretty well hidden in Home. Can you login in safemode as administrator?

Can you login in safemode as administrator?
No, get the same message.

[NooNoo]

Then you are down to recovery console or a reload....

[Atodini]

We've seen this a couple of times recently and yes I am convinced that somebody must have played with the local security policy. In both cases I doubt that the individual users could have done this to themselves - even by accident as neither are particularly PC literate.

Both machines were Dells, one desktop, one laptop. Both were running Macafee (as supplied by Dell).

Remove HD, backup data, replace, format & reinstall was the easiest way out we found.... tried a repair install on the first - did not work (retains all previous settings??). Fortunately both machines came in with their recovery discs so drivers etc. were a doddle.

Whilst backing up their data we did routinely scan the hard drives for viruses, malware & rootkits but found nothing important.

I wonder is there something new out there or is it just some airhead(s) hacking into unsecure machines??

John

[techs]

We've seen this a couple of times recently and yes I am convinced that somebody must have played with the local security policy. In both cases I doubt that the individual users could have done this to themselves - even by accident as neither are particularly PC literate.

Both machines were Dells, one desktop, one laptop. Both were running Macafee (as supplied by Dell).

Remove HD, backup data, replace, format & reinstall was the easiest way out we found.... tried a repair install on the first - did not work (retains all previous settings??). Fortunately both machines came in with their recovery discs so drivers etc. were a doddle.

Whilst backing up their data we did routinely scan the hard drives for viruses, malware & rootkits but found nothing important.

I wonder is there something new out there or is it just some airhead(s) hacking into unsecure machines??

John

R/R thats just what I did. I didn't find any viruses on the machine either.
After further talk with the client I found out that about 4 months ago a friend did a reformat and install using a Windows XP disk they bought at Staples. Huh? The WinXP was used and activated on the friends computer, and I don't think Staples sells an oem WinXP that would work with this HP laptops Windows key.
I was wondering if this could have been a result of the new Windows Genuine Advantage tool locking out the accounts because it detected installation on multiple machines? Perhaps that is the method MS is using now? Perhaps it should have come up with a message about how the software was not licensed, but that part of the lockout failed to load, and I am just seeing the end result?

NooNoo wrote:
Then you are down to recovery console or a reload....

I thought about that but I couldn't ever remember seeing local policy editor being run from recovery console. MS did a tool on their website that would allow you to remove these kinds of lockouts over a network but it looked too difficult to run without knowing more about the network config in the machine so I just did the r/r.

[Atodini]

Certainly my local branch of Staples here does not sell OEM copies of XP but it does sell boxed retail and upgrades of both XP and Vista.

Any OEM XP Home CD should work fine with the HP product key - OEM is what they originally installed. I've never had a problem here and the machines always seem to run much better without all the manufacturers bloatware installed!!

You'll almost certainly have to re-activate on the telephone though as pretty much all of the pre installed setups that I've had to rebuild recently have refused to re-activate online.

If M$ are checking for multiple installs at this time I would be amazed if they would lock users out of the machine. If they were able to legitimately do this then methinks they would have done so with the Windows Genuine Advantage thing........

You can adjust local policy in recovery console but..... far quicker to format & re-install though when time is money.

John

[techs]

Certainly my local branch of Staples here does not sell OEM copies of XP but it does sell boxed retail and upgrades of both XP and Vista.

Any OEM XP Home CD should work fine with the HP product key - OEM is what they originally installed. I've never had a problem here and the machines always seem to run much better without all the manufacturers bloatware installed!!

You'll almost certainly have to re-activate on the telephone though as pretty much all of the pre installed setups that I've had to rebuild recently have refused to re-activate online.

If M$ are checking for multiple installs at this time I would be amazed if they would lock users out of the machine. If they were able to legitimately do this then methinks they would have done so with the Windows Genuine Advantage thing........

You can adjust local policy in recovery console but..... far quicker to format & re-install though when time is money.

John

Thanks. And here is the MS tool to set logon right over the network:
http://support.microsoft.com/default...b;EN-US;279664

[techs]

Thanks. And here is the MS tool to set logon right over the network:
http://support.microsoft.com/default...b;EN-US;279664

Says its for win2000. Don't know if it works on XP