Boot to Desktop

Hi All
I know there is a way to skip the login screen so you can boot to the desktop.
I did it once before but can't remember what settings I need to do.

This is for a windows XP Media Edition notebook.

Thanks
Geri

 

For Windows to automatically log on a user account during the startup process, the following four conditions must all be met:

• The Welcome screen must be available
• Guest account access must be turned off
• There must be only one user account on the computer
• The user account must not have a password

In XP Pro, (and Home) you could:
(I do not know if TabletPC supports this feature)

Start, Run, control userpasswords2
Uncheck the box at the top: 'Users must enter a username and password...' and click Apply. You will be prompted for the autologon username and password.

You can use TweakUI:

Open TweakUI (Click Start, Programs, Powertoys for Windows XP). Expand the Logon branch, and click Autologon. Turn on the "Log on automatically at......" option, type your username and password, and click Ok.
http://download.microsoft.com/downl...a6-b352-839afb2a2679/TweakUiPowertoySetup.exe

You could make a registry edit using Regedit:

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/315231

 

If you use the registry edit Bill mentioned at the end of his post, the following:

do not apply.

It allows you to specify any account set up on the computer, and you can hold down the shift button to force windows to ask for login information.

 

I apologize if I was unclear earlier.

The four conditions explain why the original poster was able to automaticly logon previously. Something obviously has changed.

For most users, it was the Windows Update installation of .NET Framework. Please see: http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=827072

Methods #2 -- #4 enable autologon when any 1 or more of the four conditions has been broken.

Regards,

 

Hi Bill
Well She has framework 1.1 already on the system...it's in add/remove.

Think I should uninstall and reinstall it from a download?

Also, it would not do the "userpasswords2" got a message about windows could not find....


I hate to download TweakUI just for that. I would like to keep it as free on space as I can and the last think I need it for her to get into it and start changing things.

I hate to get into the registery...makes me a little nervous

Geri

 

Using your mouse, copy the below.
Open a notepad session, and paste the contents.

Edit in notepad the two lines indicated. For example, in the third line, it might read: "DefaultUserName "= "Geri "
and the fourth line might read: "DefaultPassword "= "swordfish "

Whatever you have set already for the user.

Now do a File, Save as, and save the file as C:\autologin.reg
Then do a Start, Run, regedit C:\autologin.reg
Agree to the registry merge.

Then do a Start, Run, del C:\autologin.reg

The file is gone. The autologon feature is enabled.
Reboot and test.

 

Hi
OK I'll try that, but we do not have a password set.
She is really the only one useing it so we did not add a password.

Geri

 

Set a password.
Enter the password into the registry edit above.

You are going to get "users" added at time from .NET and possibly other Microsoft updates.

As long as you can use autologon, it should not matter to you that a password was enabled.

To be safe, create a password reset disk: http://www.petri.co.il/what's_the_password_reset_disk_in_windows_xp.htm