Logging in and getting a "The RPC server is unavailable" error

Welcome France Singleton to the Q&A forum.

Thanks for reaching out and apologies for the inconvenience you've experienced.

From what you shared, I understand you're facing an issue where the system cannot log you on due to "The RPC server is unavailable" with no start menu and task manager, and now you have been locked out. This might happen due to incorrect DNS settings, time and time zone mismatches, or essential services like "TCP/IP NetBIOS Helper" and "Remote Registry" not running.

To troubleshoot this, try the following methods:

Microsoft's official guide: The system can't log you on with the following error: The RPC server is unavailable

Step-by-step guide:

1. Fix in WinRE environment

Force the PC to enter Recovery Environment by hard shutdowns during startup (press power button 5-10 seconds to turn off, do this twice, then start again) to get into advanced startup options. From there, try the following steps to undo recent changes that might cause the issue:

• Run Startup Repair

Go to Troubleshoot > Advanced Options > Startup Repair.

Allow Windows to attempt repairing startup issues automatically.

• Try System Restore

Go to Troubleshoot > Advanced Options > System Restore.

Check if you have a restore point available and restore your system to that point.

2. Fix in Safe Mode if possible

In WinRE, select Troubleshoot.

Then select Advanced options > Startup Settings.

Click Restart.

After restart, press 4 (or F4) for Safe Mode, or 5 (or F5) for Safe Mode with Networking.

Boot into Safe Mode with Networking to see if RPC-related services can start. If yes, you can then check or enable TCP/IP NetBIOS Helper and Remote Registry services and verify correct date/time and DNS settings. To do that:

• Press Win + R, type services.msc and press Enter to open Services.

Find "TCP/IP NetBIOS Helper" and "Remote Registry" in the list. Right-click each, choose Properties, set to auto start after restart.

• To check date and time, click the clock on the taskbar or run timedate.cpl from Run; adjust if incorrect.
• Open Network settings: press Win + R, type ncpa.cpl and press Enter. Right-click your network adapter, select Properties, double-click "Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4)," then click Advanced and go to the DNS tab to verify or adjust DNS server addresses.
• Reboot the computer after changing the required settings.

Additional tips:

• Check firewall settings to see if they're blocking RPC
• Disable temporarily any recent third-party antivirus program that might interfere.
• If safe mode works, consider uninstalling any recently installed programs or updates that could have caused the problem.

Hope those suggestions could address your problem. Please let me know how it goes or if you need further support, I'm happy to help!

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