Bypass the Windows Vista Logon Screen on Multiaccount PCs
Having to type in your logon information on a system with two or more user accounts can be a pain. This hack shows you how to tell Windows Vista to log on to your primary account immediately.
When you have more than one user account on a Windows Vista PC, every time you restart your PC, you’ll be presented with a welcome screen listing all the accounts on the machine, forcing you to click one and type in your logon information.
But what if, like many people, you use one primary account nearly all the time, and use others only on occasion—and you’d like to bypass the screen listing all the user accounts and be logged in automatically? You’re apparently out of luck; Windows Vista can’t seem to do it.
Figure 1-8. The User Accounts screen lists all your user accounts, and lets you customize them
Note: Remember, if you use auto logon, anyone can user your PC without your password, so only use this hack if you’re sure that no one will log on and do harm to your system. This is particularly relevant if you use an administrator account to auto logon, because that account can do many things to a Windows Vista system that a normal account can’t do.
Actually, though, it can, as you’ll see in this simple hack. Follow it, and you’ll automatically log in to your primary account, and then be able to switch to any other account when you wish:
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At the Search box or a command prompt, type control userpasswords2. The User Accounts screen, shown in Figure 1-8, appears.
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The Automatically Log On dialog box appears, as seen in Figure 1-9. Type in the password for the account that you want to log on automatically. If the account shown isn’t the one that you want to log on automatically, type in the username and password for the account that you want to use. Click OK.
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From now on, you’ll automatically log in using that account. When you’re logged in, if you want to switch to another account, use Fast User Switching by clicking the Start button, then clicking the arrow in the lower righthand corner of the Start menu, and selecting “Switch User.” You’ll come to a screen listing all users on your PC, where you can log in as any other user.
Auto Logons for Domain-Connected PCs
If you’re on a company network and part of a domain, the “Users must enter a user name and password to use this computer” choice won’t appear on the User Accounts screen, because domain users always have to enter a username and password to log on to their computer. So this hack won’t work for them.
However, there is a way for even domain users to automatically log on, by using any of several command-line utilities. Good ones include Autologon for Windows (www.microsoft.com/technet/sysinternals/utilities/Autologon.mspx), and autologon.exe (shellrevealed.com/files/folders/code/entry4411.aspx).
See Also
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“Unlock the Super-Secret Administrator Account” [Hack #109]