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DADDY BOB'S COMPUTER Q & A
September 13, 2009
Q.
I want to be able to start my computer and
go directly to my desktop without having to
enter a password even though there are other
users on the computer. Can I do this and if
so, how?
A.
Yes, you can do this and it isn't too
difficult to set up. This method of signing
on can be very useful if one has more than
one account is set up on a computer. I have
several accounts, some that are restricted
access type that I use for testing. I only
want to use these on special occasions, so
for the normal usage, I just want to sign-on
my normal account without having to choose
or enter a password.
Another
good use for this type of sign-on setup is
where a parent wants to control access to a
child's account. When the computer is
started, it automatically signs on to the
parents account. The parent then manually
switches to the child's account for them to
use the computer. This is of course, not
fool proof, but can be very effective.
To set
this up, click on Start, (or the Windows orb
in Vista or Win7) then Run and enter
"control userpasswords2" without the quotes
and click OK. If entered correctly, this
dialog will display.
Click the
box in front of "Users must enter a user
name and password......". This must be
checked in order for the next step to
be possible. Locate the user name you want
to be signed on automatically and select
(highlight it). Now, go back and uncheck the
box in front of "Users must enter a
username.......". This must now be unchecked
in order for the next dialog to display.
Click OK and this dialog will display.
Be sure
that the user name that you want to use to
sign-on is displayed in the User Name space,
leave the password and confirm password
spaces completely blank, and click OK.
That's it. Now when you start the computer
your preferred account will be automatically
selected and signed on with no user input
required.
To allow
another account to sign on, start the
computer and when open to your desktop, in
Vista and Windows 7 click the ORB then the
little right arrow then choose Switch User.
In XP, click Start, then Sign-off, then the
Switch user icon. All accounts on the
computer with the possible exception of the
hidden Administrator account will be
displayed, and any can be chosen. |
