Windows 2k login screen

kingpaul · Apr 8, 2003

Does anyone know how to disable the login screen in Win2k? I just upgraded from ME to 2k, and I've got the login screen. Since its my personal machine, I don't want it there.

Zenon · Apr 8, 2003

If you have a Windows 2000 Professional computer that is not part of a domain structure, you can enable automatic logons easily (without editing the Registry). Go to Control Panel, and open the "Users and Passwords" applet. Clear the box next to "Users must enter a user name and password to use this computer check box." You may also have to click the Advanced tab, and clear the box next to "Require users to press Ctrl-Alt-Del before logging on."

Henry · Apr 8, 2003

http://www.annoyances.org/exec/show/article04-103

The above web site may help you.

drothgery · Apr 8, 2003

Even if it's your personal machine, and no one else uses it, I'd strongly recommend against setting it up to automatically log you in.

kingpaul · Apr 9, 2003

drothgery said:
Even if it's your personal machine, and no one else uses it, I'd strongly recommend against setting it up to automatically log you in.

Why?

herald · Apr 9, 2003

By going with out a login, you remove the use of profiles. (all but one esentially. If that profile gets corrupted, your screwed.

In addition it leaves your system open to hackers.

drothgery · Apr 10, 2003

kingpaul said:
Why?

Because that means you have to always run with Administrator rights. Windows developers get into a bad habbit of doing this, and so often write software that does things that require admin rights (most notably writing to the Program Files directory), but it's not a good thing (I'm mostly a web guy, so this is less of an issue; the software I write runs on two systems -- the dev server and the live server -- other than my desktop, but if you're writing end user software it's important to make sure it can be run as a non-Admin). Heck, ask a Linux geek if they run as 'root' all the time.