Done a windows update, now it wants me to log in each time I start the PC

**frogbeastegg** · 07-04-2009, 10:40

I have XP home edition. I did a windows update this morning; now it wants me to log in each time the PC boots up. Since this is my PC and I'm the only person who uses it understandably I don't want to have to bother logging in.

Could someone please tell me how to kill this latest 'feature'?

**Husar** · 07-04-2009, 12:00

Go to control panel, user accounts and delete all user accounts except the one you want to use, which should be an admin account and have no password set. I think I had that happen before, somehow another account(which was of some technical nature and did not show on the login screen) was created by an update, deleted it and the login screen was gone.

**caravel** · 07-04-2009, 13:05

I advise against automatically login and password-less user accounts under any circumstances but if you want to do it here's how:

1) Go to start -> run and enter "control userpasswords"
2) Under "pick a task" click on "change the way users log on or off" option.
3) Uncheck "use the welcome screen"
4) Now go to start -> run and enter "control userpasswords2" (the "2" is important)
5) Uncheck "users must enter a name and password to use this computer"
6) Click "OK" and the "automatically log in" box will appear
7) Enter your username and password (twice). If you don't have a password leave that last two boxes blank. Click "OK".

Now you should have proper automatic login without the tiresome welcome screen.

**frogbeastegg** · 07-04-2009, 13:09

Great; that's fixed that. Thank you.

Now if my msconfig editing keeps the stupid indexing service* shut down I shall be back to normal. Hurray for windows updates

*Why do microsoft think I want a program running in the background accessing all of my hard drives and whining that my trying to use the PC is slowing it down? Why do they think that I want them to relaunch the accursed thing aparently at random? I'm quite sure that it's responsible for my PC freezing and needing a hard reboot 5 minutes ago. Right when I was in the middle of an install and a large download. Both of which are now ruined.

**LeftEyeNine** · 07-04-2009, 13:55

Caravel, you're an unsung hero.

Btw, M2TW updates cause that login window to appear.

**LeftEyeNine** · 07-05-2009, 10:59

Il Caravelo, done as you did, yes it removed the welcome screen however it automatically logged on the Administrator account rather than my personalized account (with administrative privileges) I was using till now.

Any idea ? 'Cause whole arrangement of desktop, even the startup programs are configured differently which makes it a bit of mess :/

**frogbeastegg** · 07-05-2009, 11:06

Originally Posted by LeftEyeNine

Il Caravelo, done as you did, yes it removed the welcome screen however it automatically logged on the Administrator account rather than my personalized account (with administrative privileges) I was using till now.

Any idea ? 'Cause whole arrangement of desktop, even the startup programs are configured differently which makes it a bit of mess :/

I used Husar's method as Caravel gave his while I was typing up my second post. It's returned things to how they used to be: one account with my settings and admin control.

**caravel** · 07-05-2009, 13:32

Originally Posted by LeftEyeNine

Il Caravelo, done as you did, yes it removed the welcome screen however it automatically logged on the Administrator account rather than my personalized account (with administrative privileges) I was using till now.

Any idea ? 'Cause whole arrangement of desktop, even the startup programs are configured differently which makes it a bit of mess :/

You may have missed this step. If you don't enter your username and password the default account is "Administrator". Just follow the above again and it will work.

Originally Posted by Caravel

7) Enter your username and password (twice). If you don't have a password leave that last two boxes blank. Click "OK".

"control userpasswords2" should bring up this control panel applet:

Uncheck the box and click apply...

to see the "automatically log in" prompt. This always defaults to "Administrator":

Enter your own user account details instead

Click ok and ok again and you're all done.

Sorry about whitespace in those images, they were exported through MS Paint. As I've not long reinstalled Windows.

**Xiahou** · 07-07-2009, 05:01

Originally Posted by frogbeastegg

I used Husar's method as Caravel gave his while I was typing up my second post. It's returned things to how they used to be: one account with my settings and admin control.

I would also strongly advise against having administrative (or any) user accounts with no password. Should someone ever gain illicit access to your computer, you're just making their job easier for them.

**frogbeastegg** · 07-07-2009, 17:30

Originally Posted by Xiahou

I would also strongly advise against having administrative (or any) user accounts with no password. Should someone ever gain illicit access to your computer, you're just making their job easier for them.

I'm the only person in the house who knows how to use a PC. If someone knowledgeable gets to it then chances are very high that they will know how to bypass any password I put in place.

**Xiahou** · 07-07-2009, 22:47

Suit yourself.

**LeftEyeNine** · 07-08-2009, 09:35

Karaverü-sama, sorry I mistook that step, and yes, re-doing the step by checking and un-checking that box so as to bring up the dialog box where it asks for the account login and password, I entered my account's details and voila!

Thanks for this GREAT tip. It gets me frustrated like hell coming back to PC to see that is waiting for a click to load the most troublesome part of log on.