Never created a password yet locked out

[Pat]

Never created a password for xp home edition, yet after
using for many months, tonight I got a "Unlock Computer"
screen saying that "this computer is in use and has been
locked......only [lists user names] can unlock this
computer"..........then I'm to type in a user name and
password.......since I have never created a password what
do I do? Also, why did this happen in the first place?

Thank you for any help.

 

[Yuen Fai Lo [MSFT]]

Hi Pat,

If the account doesn't have a password, then you can simply type in your
username, leaving the password blank, and click OK on the Unlock Computer
screen to unlock the computer.

The reason you are seeing it, provided that you didn't lock the computer
yourself (e.g. WindowsKey + L), probably is because of the Screen Saver.
You can check your Screen Saver setting by going to the Display Properties
through Control Panel. If the checkbox for "On resume, password protect" is
checked, the computer will be locked after it goes into screen saver mode.

Thanks,
Yuenfai