f13.net

Ok. Sorry if this is an utter newb question, but it's driving me nuts and the last bug I need to squash in this current computer setup.

How do I get the Welcome Screen in XP if I only have one user available?

I've hidden the admin user (ctrl-alt-del twice to login style). I just want the single Public user for people to click when they use the machine, as I have a timer set up from login.

There are a gajillion sites on the web on how to get RID of the welcome screen, but I can't find one on forcing it for a single user. My google-fu was weak in this case  :cry:

XP Home or Pro?

I'm on a network at work, so I can check at home with XP Pro.

Pro. No domain, though, just a standalone workstation.

I believe you go into the users and passwords applet in control panel and uncheck the box for "allow quick user login". I think this forces the welcome screen to come up.

No such thing. If it were in the User ctrl panel, I wouldn't be asking here!

I, of course, have 'Use the Welcome Screen' checked. Thing is, when you only have one user available to the Welcome Screen, it auto-logs on as that user.

I'd suggest editing registry and getting to HKLM/Software/Microsoft/Windows NT/CurrentVersion/Winlogon and setting AutoAdminLogon to 0 and ShowLogonOptions to 1, but I've tried that on an XP Home machine and it doesn't work.

That's how it's set now.

try running

rundll32 netplwiz.dll,ClearAutoLogon

?

I think this article (http://support.microsoft.com/KB/305281) describes the problem, and their suggestion is to create a second account in order to make the welcome icons appear (for both your original and the new account).

You can create a regular user account and then (while logged into Admin), go to Administrative Tools -> Computer Management -> Users and Groups -> Users -> userid, right-click properties, check "disable account", or,

Create regular user account and then (while logged into Admin), go to Administrative Tools, -> Local Security Policy -> Local Policies -> User Rights Assignment, and add the account to Deny Logon Locally (which will remove it from the welcome screen list), or,

Don't create a new account, and simply put a password on the Public account that you have.

No.
No. I already tried the disabled user, in any event. Passwording the public account is not an option.

Ok, I take it back. Ajax wins the thread.

I hadn't used the local policy to deny the disabled account local logon.

Thanks, man. I had a messy workaround I didn't want to use as a kludge (letting an idle timer kick the user to login before we open).

You win a woman's bowling trophy.

(http://www.trophies2go.com/images/productimages/December06images/30.jpg)

Woot.   :wink:

For future reference, you might try TweakUI (or Powertools or whatever they're calling it for XP).  It lets you hide users from the Welcome screen and there is an option to not auto-login.