autologon in tweakui

[Guest]

hello

i have features disabled and enabled using the windows tweakui program for
windows xp. i do not use passwords to log on to windows, or, even use any
sort of log in to start windows xp on my machine. i dont have multiple user
accounts set up in the control panel, user accounts applet. and on the page
for selecting logon and logoff options, i dont have anything selected. i just
have myself as the administrator, and the default, 'guest' account, which is
always turned off. i also do not have a password associated with any account.

when i was going through making changes in tweakui, and came to the logon
expansion bullet, i went through that list to see if there was anything i
wanted to change. the first on the list of the expansion was 'autologon'. i
read the page and thought that checking log on automatically, might speed the
loading of windows up, so i checked it. and thats all i changed..... i still
at this point never assigned a password. so i checked it and applied, and
closed the tweak program.

well, i find that once i restart the computer or shut it down, that if i do
not pull up tweak ui again, and restart any other successive time, that i am
only able to bring windows up, to an accessible desktop, if i am in safe
mode. without re checking log on automatically, the start up process gets as
far as choosing a user, or something, but even then, i dont remember what the
screen looks like. i do know, all i am able to do is choose to restart the
computer. and then, all i can really do is either go into my start up options
with the F8 key after bios post, or come right back to the same windows
screen again.

so, the question here is how would i be able to restart my computer or turn
it on from a shut down, without having to worry about choosing a user, or
going through some 'log on' process? i find that, after ive checked the log
on automatically box in tweak ui, that, if i restart the computer or boot it
up cold, the check box is not saved, and i would have to select it again,
after each successive restart, to be able to restart to the windows desktop.
please help.

thanks
john

 

[Wesley Vogel]

Put the settings back the way they were in TweakUI.

Then see Method 1 here...
Configure Windows XP to Automatically Login
http://windowsxp.mvps.org/Autologon.htm

Do not use control userpasswords2 to create accounts if you are using XP
Home!!!

--
Hope this helps. Let us know.

Wes
MS-MVP Windows Shell/User

In

 

[Guest]

hey,

thanks for the suggestion, my computer restarts normally now.

thank you

 

[Guest]

hey,

when making changes to the user account dialog, from "CONTROL
USERPASSWORDS2" if i select the guest user from the user list on the users
tab, and click on the remove button, and say yes on the confirmation dialog,
would that cause other consequences on my machine, if i normally just use the
default user/administrator account, or would it just remove the guest
account, and leave the administrator and my own account? i also never use the
guest account.

also, if my account and the administrator account, both have administrator
priviledges, would i also be able to remove one of the administrator
accounts, and still use windows, as id normally been? there are two
administrator accounts, if i remove one, would i also lose the desktop and
system settings associated with that account?

thanks

 

[Rock]

hey,

when making changes to the user account dialog, from "CONTROL
USERPASSWORDS2" if i select the guest user from the user list on the users
tab, and click on the remove button, and say yes on the confirmation
dialog,
would that cause other consequences on my machine, if i normally just use
the
default user/administrator account, or would it just remove the guest
account, and leave the administrator and my own account? i also never use
the
guest account.

also, if my account and the administrator account, both have administrator
priviledges, would i also be able to remove one of the administrator
accounts, and still use windows, as id normally been? there are two
administrator accounts, if i remove one, would i also lose the desktop and
system settings associated with that account?

Don't remove the Guest account, just disable it. Also you should not use
the built in Administrator account for day to day activities. Put a strong
password on it and set it aside to use only if something corrupts the normal
working Admin account. Create at least one other account with admin
privileges for admin use, and however many limited user accounts you need.

If you have been using the built in Administrator account, you can copy the
data and settings from it to another account with admin privileges so you
are still working with that data.

How to Copy a User Profile
http://www.kellys-korner-xp.com/win_xp_logon.htm

 

[Wesley Vogel]

I agree with Rock.

--
Hope this helps. Let us know.

Wes
MS-MVP Windows Shell/User

In

 

[Guest]

hey rock,

okay, so, what if i do/did delete the guest account? i havent, but, what if
i do, will the computer still reboot normally, without a default guest
account?

then, if i do get some corruption on my own administrator account, and
switch over and login to the one that xp creates by default, that one wont be
affected by whatever has corrupted my usual login/profile would it? and why
would someone want to login to that initial administrator account? what is
the point of having two separate administrator accounts? id have used the
first, original one, but it only operates in safe mode, and ive never really
tried it.

thanks

 

[Rock]

hey rock,

okay, so, what if i do/did delete the guest account? i havent, but, what
if
i do, will the computer still reboot normally, without a default guest
account?

then, if i do get some corruption on my own administrator account, and
switch over and login to the one that xp creates by default, that one wont
be
affected by whatever has corrupted my usual login/profile would it? and
why
would someone want to login to that initial administrator account? what is
the point of having two separate administrator accounts? id have used the
first, original one, but it only operates in safe mode, and ive never
really
tried it.

thanks

There is a possibility that something could affect all accounts on the
computer. The only way to protect against his is always have a full and
complete backup. I use drive imaging software (currently Acronis True Image
Home, version 10) to regularly make an image of the system on an external
drive connected by USB.

There are many circumstances in which only the current logged on account is
corrupted. A bad shutdown, for example, can cause that. In such a case,
logging into the Administrator account or any other account with admin
privileges, will allow you to copy the data and settings from the corrupted
account to a new account, hence salvaging the situation. If there is only
one account with Admin privileges, and something happens to it, then your
sunk.

You have XP Home. In XP Pro the Administrator account is accessible in
normal mode, but it's normally hidden. In XP Home some features can only be
accessed through the Administrator account, such as access to the security
tab to take Ownership of files and folders, and set permissions on them.

If you remove the guest account then it will still boot. The guest account
is normally used in networking situations. If it's removed then those
features will not work.

Description of the Guest account in Windows XP
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/300489/en-us

I don't know how one deletes that account. I don't think it's can be done
in the normal fashion. I've not looked into this. I'm also not sure, come
to think of it, if you can disable the Guest account in XP Home. If that
can't be done then just assign a strong password to it.