XP Home Ed. User Accounts

[Wallace Dickson]

I have configured my newly installed XPSP2 Home Ed. to run
two user accounts, me and a guest, both password protected.
This morning I find an additional account set up for
ASP.NET Machine A...
How does this happen so automatically, and why? It is a
limited account, but I did not set it up! My machine was
turned off over night as usual.
Should I simple delete this account? Or is it vital for
some reason? Or have I been hacked into by some nefarious
hacker?

 

[Dan DiNicolo]

I have configured my newly installed XPSP2 Home Ed. to run
two user accounts, me and a guest, both password protected.
This morning I find an additional account set up for
ASP.NET Machine A...
How does this happen so automatically, and why? It is a
limited account, but I did not set it up! My machine was
turned off over night as usual.
Should I simple delete this account? Or is it vital for
some reason? Or have I been hacked into by some nefarious
hacker?

There's an piece on that account here:

http://www.mvps.org/marksxp/WindowsXP/aspdot.php

 

[David Candy]

You aren't the only user. XP has several user accounts it uses. Other programs use other user accounts. It's a way of preventing programs running with YOUR security permissions.

Take a web server, if it's hacked you don't want the hacker to format your drive. So web servers get a user account that just allows web serving.

 

[Alex Nichol]

I have configured my newly installed XPSP2 Home Ed. to run
two user accounts, me and a guest, both password protected.
This morning I find an additional account set up for
ASP.NET Machine A...
How does this happen so automatically, and why?

It is associated with installing the .NET framework software from
Windows Update. Use TweakUI - one of the XP Powertoys from
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/pro/downloads/powertoys.asp

Once installed you will find it in Start - All Programs - Powertoys for
Windows XP

Its Logon page, uncheck 'Show ASPNET on Welcome screen'