speenth

Hello all,

This is my first post and I realise the topic has been addressed already. However, the relevant threads are closed (incidentally, I'd love to know why) and from what I can tell, no one's got to the bottom of this problem despite a flurry of recent correspondence on the subject.

I have a new laptop (weeks old only) and its my first experience with Vista (Premium). Today, although I've not changed the configuration or added or removed any software, my screen is randomly and unexpectedly going pale and although the cursor moves, nothing else is responding. Eventually, the screen goes black and after further delay this message appears:

"Login process has failed to create the security options"

The system does not respond to CTL-ALT-DEL. The only way to shut down is to power off.

On restart (apart from the usual warnings and suggestions that I start in Safe Mode following a forced shutdown), everything works fine again for awhile, then the problem re-occurs.

I've been studying the Web all morning and there's been a rash of this problem starting just a few months ago (there are few, if any reports before that). This is very suspicious therefore.

In most forums two main options are routinely offered - first, that it is related to hard disc failure and second that it is related to anti-virus software. Neither is definitive however. In fact, most people are still reporting that the problem is NOT fixed, which is why I am surprised that threads relating to it are closed.

Does anybody know what's going on, or the real solution?

Plain English, step-by-step, idiot's guide answers preferred - I am a computerphobic.