Problem: Windows XP computer goes straight into the user account and bypasses the standard logon screen. Even worse, it is compounded by the fact it goes into a Limited User account and this freezes on logout. Here’s what I did to fix this:
- Booted up in Safe Mode
- Logged off (this time it worked as there were no freezing issues in Safe Mode)
- Logged on as Admin
- Start, Run and type in “control userpasswords2” then hit Enter.
- Tick the box “Users must enter a user name and password”
- OK and restart the computer
You should now see the login screen back again. One last thing you can try (if this doesn’t work for you) is the following command:
Start, Run and type in “rundll32 netplwiz.dll,ClearAutoLogon” (without the quotes) then hit Enter. Note the spacing and comma!
Let me know if this works for you.
PCRepairMan Top Tips
With Win XP Home you can only access the built in Administrator account when booting into safe mode. By default, on XP Home only, this Administrator account has no password.
With Win XP Pro the Administrator account is only shown on the Welcome Screen if no other account is part of the “Administrator” Group. You can still login using the account if holding down CTRL & ALT and pressing DEL twice.
A WinXP account is only shown on the Welcome Screen, if it belongs to either the “Administrators”, “Power Users”, or “Users” groups.