Setting a default user NAME for the login screen but still password blank

[teddysnips]

When I first bought our PC it had only the standard "Administrator"
user set up.

This was fine for me, as I'm a software developer and comfortable with
having admin rights.

However, as our children got more interested in using the computer, I
found the "Content Advisor" in IE rather irritating, and I thought
(without any research) that if I set up a user account for the
children I could set the "Content Advisor" ON for that account and
leave it OFF for ours (the adults).

Sadly, IE's "Content Advisor" settings are not user-sensitive, so the
idea of a separate account for them was irrelevant.

However, the way the "Log On To Windows" box works now is subtly, but
irritatingly different.

Whereas before, when pressing CTRL+ALT+DEL to bring up the login (I
like that approach) the user name field would be pre-filled with
"Administrator", and all I'd have to do is type in the password, now
the user name field is blank. I've looked at various options such as
TweakUI and control userpasswords2 but they don't quite do what I
want.

In brief, when pressing CTRL+ALT+DEL the window shows a "default" user
name, but password must be filled in.

Thoughts?

Edward

 

[VanguardLH]

When I first bought our PC it had only the standard "Administrator"
user set up.

This was fine for me, as I'm a software developer and comfortable
with
having admin rights.

However, as our children got more interested in using the computer,
I
found the "Content Advisor" in IE rather irritating, and I thought
(without any research) that if I set up a user account for the
children I could set the "Content Advisor" ON for that account and
leave it OFF for ours (the adults).

Sadly, IE's "Content Advisor" settings are not user-sensitive, so
the
idea of a separate account for them was irrelevant.

However, the way the "Log On To Windows" box works now is subtly,
but
irritatingly different.

Whereas before, when pressing CTRL+ALT+DEL to bring up the login (I
like that approach) the user name field would be pre-filled with
"Administrator", and all I'd have to do is type in the password, now
the user name field is blank. I've looked at various options such as
TweakUI and control userpasswords2 but they don't quite do what I
want.

In brief, when pressing CTRL+ALT+DEL the window shows a "default"
user
name, but password must be filled in.

Thoughts?

Edward

So what is it that you want? Do you want the username (last used for
login) to be shown and only have the password field to be blank? Or
do you want both the username and password fields to be blank?

 

[teddysnips]

So what is it that you want? Do you want the username (last used for
login) to be shown and only have the password field to be blank?

Yes.

 

[VanguardLH]

Yes.

Here's an equally obtuse reply:

Okay.

 

[teddysnips]

Here's an equally obtuse reply:

Okay.- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

I've just re-read my original post and I can see that I made a rather
dumb boo-boo. I missed the word "not" out of the final sentence,
which should have read:

In brief, when pressing CTRL+ALT+DEL the window shows a "default" user
name, but password must NOT be filled in.

I didn't think my reply was obtuse - merely pithy. It did actually
answer the question you posed:

"Do you want the username (last used for login) to be shown and only
have the password field to be blank? "

The real question is - do you know the answer and, if so, are you
willing to share it - not just with me, but with the whole of usenet?

Thanks in case you do!

Edward

 

[VanguardLH]

The default behavior of Windows is to include the username of the last
logged in user and leave the password field blank.

If you want both the username and password to be blank (so as not to
reduce your secure login by half of its value), set the policy.

- Run gpedit.msc.
- Computer Configuration -> Windows Settings -> Security Settings.
- Local policies.
- Security options.
- Enable "Interactive Login: Do not display last user name".

That will leave both the username and password fields as blank for
login. There is no setting for making the password field blank
because that is the way it always is supposed to be. If the password
field is not blank then you have installed some software, like
TweakUI, that prefills in the field.

I have never operated a version of Windows where the username and
password were not required for logging in to establish a Windows
session. If you run "control.exe userpasswords2", there is an option
"users must enter a user anme and password to use this computer". I
always have this enabled. Perhaps when disabled then you get the
behavior that you noted. Unless something like TweakUI is running to
prefill in the login fields or you follow
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/315231, I haven't see the password
field pre-filled in the login screen.

I've also not bothered using the Home version of WinXP. Too many
features lacking and the method to get admin privs and login sucks. I
believe when a new account is defined under WinXP home that a password
is not specified nor required and that the account has to be changed
(or the global option via registry policy enabled) to require a
password. Give http://www.kellys-korner-xp.com/win_xp_passwords.htm a
read.

 

[teddysnips]

The default behavior of Windows is to include the username of the last
logged in user and leave the password field blank.

If you want both the username and password to be blank (so as not to
reduce your secure login by half of its value), set the policy.

- Run gpedit.msc.
- Computer Configuration -> Windows Settings -> Security Settings.
- Local policies.
- Security options.
- Enable "Interactive Login: Do not display last user name".

That will leave both the username and password fields as blank for
login. There is no setting for making the password field blank
because that is the way it always is supposed to be. If the password
field is not blank then you have installed some software, like
TweakUI, that prefills in the field.

I have never operated a version of Windows where the username and
password were not required for logging in to establish a Windows
session. If you run "control.exe userpasswords2", there is an option
"users must enter a user anme and password to use this computer". I
always have this enabled. Perhaps when disabled then you get the
behavior that you noted. Unless something like TweakUI is running to
prefill in the login fields or you followhttp://support.microsoft.com/kb/315231, I haven't see the password
field pre-filled in the login screen.

I've also not bothered using the Home version of WinXP. Too many
features lacking and the method to get admin privs and login sucks. I
believe when a new account is defined under WinXP home that a password
is not specified nor required and that the account has to be changed
(or the global option via registry policy enabled) to require a
password. Givehttp://www.kellys-korner-xp.com/win_xp_passwords.htma
read.

Very many thanks. Extremely useful, and told me exactly what I needed
to know.

Edward