Change How a User Logs In to Windows XP

If you work in an environment with a low security risk, you may wish to set your computer to automatically log you in to your account at start-up. Conversely, you may rather have your computer require the login screen in order to use the computer, but are having trouble figuring out exactly where to change this setting in Windows XP.

Like many users, you may have tried going to your Control Panel and choosing User Accounts only to find a surprising lack of options regarding this subject.

There is a lesser-known User Accounts menu that will give you more options and flexibility. To access this menu, go to Start > Run and in the dialog box type the following:

control userpasswords2

This will bring you to a menu where you can choose whether or not the users must enter a user name and password to use the computer and, if this option is de-selected, you can choose which user is to be automatically logged in.

If you’re logged in as an Administrator, you also have other options such as password management and a simple interface to add and remove users.

Choosing the Advanced tab at the top of this menu will give you access to advanced user management tasks. You can also enable/disable the Secure Logon feature which is an added security measure that requires a user to press Ctrl+Alt+Delete in order to access the regular Windows XP login screen.