explain what logon process initialization failure means

By profile, I mean your user account (or any user account).  Each account has a profile stored in C:\Users.  If the profile can't initialize, then the system can't log you in properly under your selected username - or perhaps can't log anyone into the system except perhaps by providing a limited access temporary profile.

It means that this particular part of Windows didn't load - for whatever reason.  The reason is documented in the Event Log if you want to learn more.  You can do this using the procedures I provided above about using Event Viewer.  If you don't understand it, copy it and post it here and I'll see if I can discover the problem from what you send.

I have no idea if the error is serious or not because I don't know what caused it because you haven't done the above procedures some of which would help in identifying the cause.  I would at least run the SFC and the CHKDSK scans to see if there is any corruption and those programs when rum as directed can sometimes repair that corruption.  They aren't bad things to do from time-to-time just to check to make sure everything is running as well as possible.

I would add Malwarebytes http://www.malwarebytes.org/mbam.php to your programs (the free version) and scan with it every few weeks to catch anything McAfee might miss.

I hope this helps.

Good luck!

Lorien - MCSE/MCSA/Network+/A+ --- If this post helps to resolve your issue, please click the "Mark as Answer" or "Helpful" button at the top of this message. By marking a post as Answered, or Helpful you help others find the answer faster.

It means that the logon process is not functioning properly - I assume you're unable to logon to your system or have been given a temporary profile instead of your normal profile (or have had other logon-related problems).  If it doesn't seem like you do, you possibly haven't done anything to reveal the problems yet - but this is an issue that needs to be resolved (before it gets any worse).  Here's a Bing result page with many articles about this error message if you want to check them out: http://www.bing.com/search?q=what+does+logon+process+initialization+failure+mean&form=QBRE&qs=n&sk=

Have you made ANY changes to your system recently - additons or removals of hardware or software of any kind (including updates)?  When did this first start?  Exactly when does the message occur?  What effect does the error have on how you can work with the system?  What version of Vista are you using (e.g., 32-bit Vista Business SP2)?  Has your AV program (what is its name and version) detected any viruses recently (even if they were supposedly cleaned by the software) and if so, do you know the name of the virus?

If you can't login normally, try logging into safe mode with networkding (by repeatedly clicking the F8 key until the menu apppears) and see if you can get in.  If not, boot to the Installatio Disk or Recovery Disk and go to the Command prompt option and cd to C:\Windows\System32.

Please post any repeating error messages from the Event Viewer concerning logon initialization failure  (Start / Control Panel / Administrative Tools / Event Viewer – or typing eventvwr from the command prompt).  Here's how to use Event Viewer: http://www.petri.co.il/vista-event-viewer.htm.  If you need to, boot to the Recovery Disk or Installation Disk to get to the Command Prompt option (see below for how to change BIOS if needed to boot to the disk or if you don't have a disk and need to make one that will work to do this.  Check the System section first as that's where it's most likely to appear.  These details will undoubtedly help us identify the cause of the error and then we should be able to come up with a targeted solution to the problem.

Now, lets try to troubleshoot and find the cause and solution to this problem:

Do you know when this problem began?  Try a System Restore to a point in time BEFORE the problem began.  Here's the procedure: http://www.howtogeek.com/howto/windows-vista/using-windows-vista-system-restore/.  Be sure to check the box to show more than 5 days of restore points.  If the first attempt fails, then try an earlier point or two.  NOTE: You will have to re-install any software and updates you installed between now and the restore point, but you can use Windows Update for the updates.  Use the recovery disk if the system prompt doesn’t work (it works a bit different than the above instructions but if you follow the prompts on the disks and know the above information you should be able to restore with no problems).

If the System Restore doesn't work, do a Startup Repair by booting to the genuine Windows Vista Installation Disk (or one you can borrow from ANYONE) or from a Recovery Disk.  Here's the procedure: http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/tutorials/tutorial148.html.  To boot to the CD you may need to change the BIOS to make the CD-drive first in the boot sequence.  To do that, wait for the screen that tells you the F key to push to access the boot menu or boot setup.  Push it quickly. Make the changes, save your work, and exit.  Put the CD in the drive and reboot.  When prompted, push any key to boot from the CD.

If you don't have either disk, you can make a bootable Recovery Disk using http://neosmart.net/blog/2008/windows-vista-recovery-disc-download/ along with burning software like: http://www.snapfiles.com/get/active-isoburner.html and, of course, a blank CD.

If that doesn't work, try to boot into safe mode (repeatedly click the F8 key while booting and go to safe mode with networking – or do so from the command prompt on the disk).  Then let's check some of your system files:

Go to Start / All Programs / Accessories / Command prompt and right click on command prompt and click run as Administrator (you can skip this step if using the disk).

Type sfc /scannow and enter and let it run.  It will scan and try to fix some of your system files.  Hopefully it will complete with no corruption it could not repair (if there is such corruption post back here or try to analyze it to find the problem file(s) using http://support.microsoft.com/kb/928228.  Try to post any corrupted files here so we can see if they can be repaired with good copies from the installation disk (unless there are too many).

While in Command Prompt, type chkdsk /f /r and enter and let it run.  It will probably want to schedule itself to start at the next startup.  Answer yes and then reboot so it will run. It will scan and try to fix any corruption or bad sectors on your hard drive and mostly remove that as a potential cause.

If that doesn't work and you can boot normally (or if SFC finds any corruption  it cannot repair), we'll need to do a system repair/upgrade using the genuine Windows Vista Installation Disk (one you own or one you can borrow from ANYONE).  Here's the procedure: http://www.vistax64.com/tutorials/88236-repair-install-vista.html.  Although this will not affect your data, settings, or programs, you should still backup your data before starting just to be on the safe side. If the other procedures don't work, THIS one is almost certain to work.  You may have a lot of updates to re-install (including any service packs you had to remove).  If the version on the system came with SP1 or SP2 pre-installed and the disk is an earlier version, then you'll need to make a slipstream disk as follows: http://www.vistax64.com/tutorials/151606-vista-sp1-slipstream-installation-dvd.html.

I hope this helps.  If you continue to get the error message or continue to have any problems, please post back and we'll try to come up with some other options.  In that case, please include the results from the above scans and tests and procedures - especially the contents ot the Event Log error message.  That way we'll have a better idea of what's the best thing to try nexxt (if necessary).

Good luck!

Lorien - MCSE/MCSA/Network+/A+ --- If this post helps to resolve your issue, please click the "Mark as Answer" or "Helpful" button at the top of this message. By marking a post as Answered, or Helpful you help others find the answer faster.