Had a client that allows a third party bookkeeper to login remotely to one of their workstations where their accounting software is installed. This user expressed that “all of a sudden” they were unable to see any desktop icons or work with the Start menu properly. Once remotely connected into the system with the bookkeeper found an error message that access to the redirected desktop was denied. Tried changing permissions on the Desktop folder, tried renaming the folder and letting a fresh login recreate them on the server, and tried renaming the local profile folder then another login to recreate those as well. Then I finally remembered the solution – it was a corrupt user profile in the registry:
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Registry Edit to fix Corrupt User Profile Issues
HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\ CurrentVersion\ProfileList
Remember to look through this list and find the user in question, export the key (aka backup) and then remove the entire folder containing their profile. One more reboot and login fixed the issue successfully. Thanks to following Microsoft TechNet Article for the details on the fix.
If your company is using remote access or have issues with a corrupt user profile, then contact us for assistance.