Auto logon for Windows XP

Would you rather not have to log on after your computer starts? If you’re the only person who uses your computer, you can make life a little easier by skipping the Welcome screen completely and having Microsoft Windows XP take you straight to your desktop.

To automatically log on to Windows XP upon startup

Click Start, and then click Run.

Note: Remember your user name at the top of the Start menu, because you’ll need it later.

In the Open box, type control userpasswords2 and click OK.

Clear the Users must enter a user name and password to use this computer check box. Click OK.

Click the User name box, type the user name that was displayed on the Start menu in step 1. If you normally type a password to log on, type your password in both the Password and Confirm Password boxes. Otherwise, leave these boxes blank. Click OK.

Automatically Log On dialog box

Auto logon now allows anyone to start and use your computer without typing a password.

Source: http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/setup/tips/advanced/autologon.mspx

How can I hide a user from the Welcome Screen in Windows XP?

To hide a user’s account from the welcome screen in Windows XP:

1. Open Registry Editor.

2. In Registry Editor, navigate to the following registry key:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon\SpecialAccounts\UserList

1. Create the following entry:

Username: REG_DWORD

(Where Username is the username of the user you want to hide from the Welcome Screen).

1. Assign a value of 0.

2. Close Registry Editor.

3. Reboot.

This will prevent the user from showing up on the welcome screen. You will need to press CTRL-ALT-DEL twice at the logon screen to get the old W2K logon style box to be able to logon to the account you’ve hidden. Adding a username and setting the value to 1 will cause that user, such as Administrator, to show up on the Welcome screen as well.

Source: http://www.petri.co.il/hide_a_user_from_the_welcome_screen_in_windows_xp.htm