Whenever I start my PC, I sometimes get a "User Profile Service failed the sign-in" error. It usually happens after I've used the computer for several hours, often while gaming or working. Shutdowns have also become unusually slow, taking around 2–4 minutes instead of finishing quickly. I can still get into Windows by using an administrator account and restoring from the backup profile, but I'm worried that the problem could eventually prevent me from accessing my files.
The PC is an Omen desktop with an RTX 4060 Ti, Intel i5-14400F, 16 GB of DDR5 RAM, and a 1 TB SSD. I've already tried Windows repair commands without much success.
One possible trigger is my Turtle Beach Stealth 600 Gen 3 wireless headset, which connects through a USB dongle. When I turn it on while playing modded Borderlands 2, the screen sometimes goes black shortly after the connection sound, the game becomes unresponsive, and I have to use Task Manager to close it. I also recently disabled Overwolf's automatic startup and ended its process manually. Could the headset software, Overwolf, the game mods, or another background program be causing the profile error and slow shutdowns?
2 Answers
There may be an issue affecting some Omen systems or Windows installations, and a clean Windows installation would be a useful comparison if the problem continues. However, reinstalling immediately may hide the actual cause and won’t necessarily fix a faulty headset utility, driver, or startup service.
Before considering a clean install, update the Omen firmware and chipset drivers, check the SSD’s health, and perform a clean boot with non-Microsoft startup services disabled. If the profile error still happens in a clean boot, check Event Viewer and Windows reliability history for the shutdown or sign-in failure. Make sure important files are backed up regardless.
Your files probably aren’t being deleted. This error generally means Windows can’t load the normal user profile and signs you into a temporary or backup profile. Your data should still be under C:Users, but make a backup of important documents and saves before changing anything.
The slow shutdown may be related. Windows could be waiting for a program to release your profile’s registry files, and an interrupted shutdown can leave the profile in a damaged state. Check Event Viewer under Applications and Services Logs > Microsoft > Windows > User Profile Service > Operational. Event 1530 can identify a process that kept the profile open, while events 1511 or 1515 may indicate a temporary or backup profile.
The headset software is worth testing first, especially since connecting it also causes the game to lose focus or go black. Temporarily uninstall or disable the Turtle Beach audio utility while leaving the headset connected through its dongle, then see whether shutdown times return to normal. Also test with Overwolf disabled and without the Borderlands 2 mods so you can isolate the trigger.
Once shutdowns are normal, check the profile repair carefully. Back up the registry first, then inspect HKLMSOFTWAREMicrosoftWindows NTCurrentVersionProfileList for a matching S-1-5-21... profile key and a possible .bak version. If both exist, the .bak key may be the healthy profile. The RefCount and State values may need to be set to 0, but registry edits should be done cautiously and only after exporting the relevant key.
Thanks, I’ll check the User Profile Service events and test the headset software and Overwolf separately. I disabled Overwolf’s startup option shortly before this began, so I’ll include that in the troubleshooting rather than assuming it’s unrelated.