Logon

[Ian Hoare]

Hi,

Two possibly related questions to do with Windows behaviour at login.

When installing XP pro on my machine, which is used almost exclusively by
me, but which my wife might use once in a while, I set up two users. "Ian" &
"Jacquie".

When the computer boots, it arrives at the "choose user" screen and waits
for me to choose a user. That's all right and proper, of course. However,
what I'd like it to do is to have it wait for a certain amount of time and
then carry on to log me in as if I'd pressed my button. Is that possible?

Secondly. I'm left handed and so once my profile is loaded, I have left
handed mouse. Obviously, before I log in, it isn't. So when I try to "left
click" on the mouse button to choose my name, I am in fact left clicking. I
know I should remember, but then again, why should I? If I can't set a
default login (I have no password, btw), can I set up a default left hand
mouse?

 

[Michael Solomon \(MS-MVP\)]

Responses inline below:

--
Michael Solomon MS-MVP
Windows Shell/User
Backup is a PC User's Best Friend
DTS-L.Org: http://www.dts-l.org/

Hi,

Two possibly related questions to do with Windows behaviour at login.

When installing XP pro on my machine, which is used almost exclusively by
me, but which my wife might use once in a while, I set up two users. "Ian"
&
"Jacquie".

When the computer boots, it arrives at the "choose user" screen and waits
for me to choose a user. That's all right and proper, of course. However,
what I'd like it to do is to have it wait for a certain amount of time and
then carry on to log me in as if I'd pressed my button. Is that possible?

As far as I know, it can only do that if you are the only user. Other than
that, you'd have to find some third party software.

Secondly. I'm left handed and so once my profile is loaded, I have left
handed mouse. Obviously, before I log in, it isn't. So when I try to "left
click" on the mouse button to choose my name, I am in fact left clicking.
I
know I should remember, but then again, why should I? If I can't set a
default login (I have no password, btw), can I set up a default left hand
mouse?

I don't understand this question. I'm left handed, I have the mouse sent to
use the left button as the primary for what appears to be the same functions
you have it set which is also the default setting for the mouse and I always
use the left mouse button when I wish to select my profile.

If yous is not doing that, you may have a driver issue but the XP default
setup for the mouse is the left button as you describe.

Please describe the issue in more detail.

 

[Ian Hoare]

Salut/Hi Michael Solomon (MS-MVP),

le/on Mon, 17 Jan 2005 13:23:54 -0800, tu disais/you said:-

As far as I know, it can only do that if you are the only user. Other than
that, you'd have to find some third party software.

Okay, I'll go on line and see if I can find such a beast, though goodness
knows what search string to use! Thanks. Seems a shame, though, and not a
rare thing to want to do, it seems to me.

I don't understand this question. I'm left handed, I have the mouse sent to
use the left button as the primary for what appears to be the same functions
you have it set which is also the default setting for the mouse and I always
use the left mouse button when I wish to select my profile.

If yous is not doing that, you may have a driver issue but the XP default
setup for the mouse is the left button as you describe.

Please describe the issue in more detail.

Sorry, I've not explained myself properly.

Let's define some terms. I use a trackball mouse with buttons on the side,
not at the end. I have one button on the right and another on the left of
the trackball. This means that I operate the mouse with my thumb on one side
and my ring finger on the other. This means I scroll the rollerball with my
index and middle fingers.

For me the "thumb button" on a right hand mouse is on the left, and is the
one used to click normally. The other button is the "context" button, and on
a right hand mouse is on the right. OK? That's the Windows default setting.

On a left hand mouse, these are reversed, and the thumb (normal click or
double click to select or launch) button is on the right. OK?

Windows launches with a right hand mouse, and it's only AFTER I've clicked
to select "Ian" as user, that it switches to a left hand mouse. It's no
great deal, but I keep using the wrong button to choose me as user. If I
could get windows to set a default user after 10 secs, I'd not bother,
(which is why I brought both these subjects up in one post)

Hope I've made myself clearer this time. Sorry.

 

[max]

This doesn't "wait" much, , but it automates logon to one of the
users.
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;315231

--max

 

[Michael Solomon \(MS-MVP\)]

Ah, yes, I see and understand your frustration. Being left handed myself
I'd find that a royal pain. I believe this is tied into the drivers for the
device. Have you checked the trackball manufacturer's website for
information about this issue as well as for the latest XP compatible
drivers.

Device drivers are the responsibility of the manufacturers and even drivers
that are included with the operating system are usually supplied by the
device manufacturer. If they tell you the device should work with the
generic Windows drivers, the next question is, which version of Windows? If
you were using this device with a previous version, first, it likely wasn't
designed with login in mind and second, if they tell you to use the generic
or default drivers as the system will recognize it, essentially, that means
they have no drivers and aren't supporting the device in XP.

As to the logon issue, you might try doing a search for login scripts.

 

[Ian Hoare]

Salut/Hi Michael Solomon (MS-MVP),

le/on Tue, 18 Jan 2005 11:37:20 -0800, tu disais/you said:-

Ah, yes, I see and understand your frustration. Being left handed myself
I'd find that a royal pain.

Thanks. Though as a left hander (actually, at my age I've had perforce to
become virtually ambidextrous - or perhaps more accurately ambi-clumsy),
this is merely one tiny example of the way in which assumptions of
right-handedness are made.

I believe this is tied into the drivers for the device. Have you checked the trackball manufacturer's website for
information about this issue as well as for the latest XP compatible drivers.

Nope, to be honest, I've not. Life's too short. As it is, I've discovered
another workaround, which does more or less what I wanted, but at the cost
of some hypothetical loss of security. I mentioned this elsewhere, but
basically, using control userpasswords2 I suppressed alternative login
possibilities and enabled login by default under my moniker. So I don't have
remember anything!

As to the logon issue, you might try doing a search for login scripts.

What I might want to do is to find out how to produce a script that will
allow me to log Jacquie in, without re-enabling login at bootup. I suspect
it could be done via Management tools, or some such, but it would be good to
have it automated. However, it's sensible for me to learn to walk before I
run. XP is less than a week old on my machine!!

Thanks for your help, and thanks to the others who've contributed in this
thread.

 

[Michael Solomon \(MS-MVP\)]

You're welcome, glad you've found at least a temporary workaround.

Yes, I'm familiar with ambidextrous and close relative, ambi-clumsy!<VBG>

Since you want the other user to log in, I believe the script would have to
be for you since you want the system to automatically log you in after a
specified time. Nonetheless, login scripts are fairly common, you should be
able to find plenty of examples.

Good luck.

 

[Sharon F]

What I might want to do is to find out how to produce a script that will
allow me to log Jacquie in, without re-enabling login at bootup.

When you've set up autologon using the control userpasswords2 method,
pressing Shift during startup will cause the welcome screen to appear. From
there Jacquie can log on.

 

[Ian Hoare]

Salut/Hi Sharon F,

le/on Wed, 19 Jan 2005 13:42:01 -0600, tu disais/you said:-

When you've set up autologon using the control userpasswords2 method,
pressing Shift during startup will cause the welcome screen to appear. From
there Jacquie can log on.

Brilliant, thanks very much, sharon! Now THAT's what I call service.

 

[Sharon F]

Brilliant, thanks very much, sharon! Now THAT's what I call service.

You're very welcome! Enjoy!

 

[Michael Solomon \(MS-MVP\)]

And I thank you as well, Sharon.

 

[Sharon F]

And I thank you as well, Sharon.

You're welcome! I appreciate the assists I get from you, too. I hope you
don't mind my chiming in now and then but I enjoy seeing newsgroups working
like they should (group effort to work through an issue). We seem to team
up quite often in the basics group, Michael.

 

[Michael Solomon \(MS-MVP\)]

I don't mind in the least.

Yea team, yea team, yea team...!!!