Daddy Bob

DADDY BOB'S COMPUTER Q & A

 

January 8, 2006

 

Q. For some reason, my computer is now requiring me to click on my user name when Windows is starting up. It used to just start up and go to my desktop. How can I make it bypass this unnecessary screen?

A. I suspect that this change occurred after you downloaded a Windows XP update from Microsoft. This could have been a manual or automatic update.

Normally, when XP is installed, if you only enter one user, there are two user accounts created. One is the one you entered, and the other is a "Guest" account which by default is created turned off. If there is only one active account, Windows will bypass the sign-on screen where your icon is displayed, requiring you to click on it to sign on.

Some of Microsoft's updates add an invisible user's name to your computer. This is to aid Microsoft in helping you should you contact them and need assistance. Since with this new account, there is more than one active account, the extra sign on screen is displayed. Here is how to remove that extra user account that you will never need.

Open the Control Panel, (Click Start then Control Panel), and click on the User icon. When it opens, you will probably see three accounts. One is yours, another is the Guest Account, turned off, and the third is one called ASP.NET. It is this asp.net that you want to remove. To do this, double click on its icon, and when the dialog opens, click Delete Account, then click delete files, then delete account again. That should do it. From now on, you won't be given that extra screen when you sign on Windows.

Q. I downloaded an update from the Microsoft Update website for my video adapter, and now my screen looks terrible. It is in a 640 X 460 resolution, and can display only 16 colors. How can I fix this?

A. Hardware updates from Microsoft are usually correct for the hardware you have. However, on occasions, the manufacturer of the computer may make little changes to their hardware. These changes can make the device just different enough so that the standard drivers do not work correctly.

Fortunately, Microsoft built into Windows XP a method to "roll back" drivers to their previous state. This is what you need to do. Boot up your computer and let it go all the way to the Windows XP desktop. Everything will probably look big, and the color will be terrible, but that's OK.

When Windows has started up and the desktop is displayed, RIGHT click on the "My Desktop" icon, and select Properties. If you cannot find the My Computer icon, click Start, the open the Control Panel, and click on System. Either way will open the same dialog. Click on the Hardware tab, then Device Manager.

Click the little+ in front of the Display Adapter, and your video card should display. RIGHT click on it, then click on Properties, then the Driver tab. Now, click on the button labeled, "Roll Back Driver". Let the process complete, and you will have to reboot the computer. When you do, the screen resolution will be restored and the color depth reset.

If the settings are not the way you want them once the desktop is displayed, you can RIGHT click on a blank spot on the desktop, click on Properties, then the Settings tab. There you will be able to change the resolution and color depth to suit.

One final note. This driver "Roll Back" feature can be used for any hardware that may have had the wrong driver installed, either from Microsoft or some other source.

 

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