http://www.tweakxp.com/display.aspx?id=460
NumLock does not toggle on by default (system-wide), even if you have it set
in your PC's BIOS, because of XP's multi-user functionality. Guess Microsoft
doesn't know everyone actually turns it on, which should be reason enough
for what acts as "default"...
Anyway, you can hack the Windows Registry to change this behavior, or run a
script at logon to turn NumLock on.
1. To enable NumLock through the Registry:
* Open Windows' Registry Editor (START > RUN, type "REGEDIT").
*. Navigate to HKEY_USERS\.Default\Control Panel\Keyboard.
*. Change the value for InitialKeyboardIndicators from 0 to 2.
2. To enable NumLock using a script, see this MS Knowledgebase article for
complete instructions:
http://support.microsoft.com/directory/article.asp?ID=KB;EN-US;Q262625