Corrupt ntuser.dat - can I replace it with a copy?

[blargoda]

Hello. My old computer suddenly got a corrupted user profile. When trying to log on, I get an error saying "Windows could not load the locally stored user profile, etc". I fixed this twice with chkdsk /f /r, but that no longer works properly. Don't know if I should make a new profile or not, so here is my question:

Can I replace my ntuser.dat with the one located in "WINDOWS\repair"? It was last modified a few months ago (when I reinstalled Windows)

Will I lose my settings entirely?

Also, for some reason, my "Documents and Settings\Administrator" folder does not exist (if it ever did).

EDIT - My ntuser files are "ntuser.dat" and "ntuser.dat.log". I renamed them to .old just in case. So now they are "ntuser.dat.old" and "ntuser.dat.log.old".

 

[Chicano]

The ntuser file at WINDOWS\repair is from the default user, what you need is a "ntuser.backup" located in your user profile folder.. unhide files and folder from the Tools > Folder Options > View > "Show hidden files and folders" and "Hide protected system files (recommended)... you should have at least one backup of ntuser. First rename or move to another folder the old ntuser.dat (which you have already done) and next rename the ntuser.backup file to ntuser.dat, and restart the computer. The user account should be restored to the date of the ntuser.backup which means the settings you have changed since that date will be lost. This will change the account registry data so backup personal files to prevent possible loss....