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Windows NT Tips

Do your housekeeping before you upgrade to Windows NT.

  

Automatic Log-On

I run NT in my home office and don't need the boot-up dialog box to secure my PC. Can I bypass it?

Jim Decklan, Cleveland

That prompt serves a critical function, ensuring that only authorized people gain access to your system. But if you're like many home-based users, that dialog box is unnecessary. You can eliminate it by tweaking the NT Registry, as follows:

  1. Select Start, Run and type regedit in the Open text box. Click OK.

  2. Next, make your way to the key HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft \Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon. You should then see the following items (among others) in the right pane of this key: DefaultDomainName, DefaultPassword, and DefaultUserName.

  3. If the DefaultPassword item is missing, you'll need to add it. Right-click an empty portion of the right pane and select New, String Value. Enter DefaultPassword as the name of the item. Double-click the new icon, and enter your password into the 'Value data' text box.

  4. Right-click the right pane, pick New, String Value, and type AutoAdminLogon.

  5. Set the value of the AutoAdminLogon item to 1 by double-clicking the item and entering 1 into the 'Value data' text box. Click OK and exit the Registry Editor.

  6. Restart the system. Windows NT will boot directly to the working desktop.

If you want to log on as a different user, just hold down Shift as you log off. The log-in dialog box will appear the next time you start up.

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