Won't open users' desktops, only Admin's desktop

OK, I admit I, I was the one who altered the registry! I was applying a change recommended by ACT 6.0 Support, to work around a bug of theirs in the ACT application. I actually applied this change successfully on another machine.
The change is applied in REGEDT32, under HKEY CLASSES ROOT, on Security Permissions, allowing "EVERYONE" to have all privileges. As soon as I applied this on this machine and restarted, the regular user could not get her desktop back. When she logs into the domain, she authenticates OK, and the normal opening music is played, but no desktop and no taskbar.
Pressing CTRL-ALT-DEL does allow her access to the Task Manager, or to log off, but that's about it.
I even created a new user in the Domain controller but the same thing happens when I logon as that user: No desktop and no taskbar.
When I login as "administrator," I get the regular desktop and taskbar and everything runs fine. My question is this: After authenticating the user login, from where is the Desktop launched? I want to compare those user files.
All our workstations use Win2kPro, SP4, with the latest windows critical updates. Our server runs Win2000server. Any ideas? thanks/ Greg

 

I'll fumble around here for a bit. Strange behavior.

Do the other accounts have all their parts in Documents & Settings?

Can the problem users get a pop-up when they press the windows flag key - as if they had clicked the Start button if they had one?

 

Symantec tech support need a good kick!

Did they tell you to back up the registry (or even the section you were editting) before you started? Can you (have you tried) either restoring the registry or changing the settings back to how they were?

If not or this doesn't fix the problem

I think Newt is heading the right way - I'd start by looking at permissions in

"C:\Documents and Settings\<username>\" - assuming C is your system drive.

The users may have lost rights to a key file in these folders.

However, I am surprised - coruption of a profile usually causes the creation of a new profile with a name like "\Documents and Settings\<username>.000

All power to your elbow for admitting you'd made the mistake in the first place.

 

Another note: Any of the users in our ADMINISTRATORS domain group can log in normally; the machine creates a profile and desktop for them. But regular users cannot.

 

OK thanks, I will keep trying before I wipe the whole machine (again). GG.