I recently helped a friend set up his PC to automatically login when it gets rebooted and found it to be useful enough to pass along. I found a way to set up an XP or Vista system to automatically login while still using an ID and Password – as opposed to setting a blank password and deleting all other user accounts, which is a nig no-no in the security world.
All you need to do is:
1. Click Start > Run
2. Type "Control Userpasswords2" and press enter. You will get the following dialog box:
3. Uncheck the box for "Users must enter a user name and password to use this computer."
4. Click Ok
5. Enter the ID and Password you wish to use – after doing this, each time the system is rebooted it will automatically enter this ID and Password without prompting you.
6. Click Ok
That is all there is to it! For best results, use the ID and Password that you currently use to access your system – if you use another account, you will see that user’s desktop (icons, documents, favorites, etc). This isn’t a real problem, but it could cause a panic if you see a different desktop than what you expect.
For further hands-off authentication, be sure to check your screensaver settings and Uncheck “On resume, display login screen.”
You may still expect to be prompted for login upon resuming from hibernation or sleep mode, so don’t get complacent and forget your password!
You can easily disable automatic login by running "Control Userpasswords2" again and Checking the box for "Users must enter a user name and password to use this computer."
Try it out and let us know what you think…