4
On one of my computers with Windows 7 I have a fairly long list of users, while I'm the only one using it locally with some regularity.
Is there any way to have a certain (or simply the last) user automatically be selected so I don't have to tab/mouse through the list every time the computer starts up?
oKtosiTe
Posted 2011-02-28T14:32:49.440
Reputation: 7 949
1
This has been answered previously on social.technet.microsoft.com and unfortunately, the answer seems to be No.
Logon screen shows the user accounts in alphabetical order based on the names first given to the account when it is created. If you change the user account name later, it does no longer change the order accounts are presented. Reason is simple: even if you change the user account name later, the user account folder keeps the original name. Renaming the user subfolders in C:\Users does not change the situation.
What all this means is that you have to think the logon screen account order already when creating accounts.
Mehper C. Palavuzlar
Posted 2011-02-28T14:32:49.440
Reputation: 51 093
Although the answer probably is no, the order is of no interest to me. On older versions of Windows (2000 springs to mind) it was at least possible to show the last used user name, shortening the login process slightly. If there would be a way to simply type my user name instead of having to select it from a list, that would already be a great step forward. – oKtosiTe – 2011-02-28T22:21:23.820
@oKtosiTe: You mean you can't do that? // The "classic" login screen is still present and can be re-enabled. In Windows XP you could also invoke it by pressing Ctrl-Alt-Del twice while in the Welcome screen; I heard this has been removed in Vista in favor of making the username itself editable. – user1686 – 2011-03-16T12:00:27.463
0
What works fairly well for me now, is to have Windows "not display [the] last user name".
This way I'm simply asked to enter my username manually, which —considering my four letter name— requires far fewer keypresses than navigating the list.
To change this setting (on Windows 7):
%WinDir%\System32\gpedit.mscComputer Configuration > Windows Settings > Security Settings > Local Policies > Security OptionsInteractive logon: Do not display last user name" oKtosiTe
Posted 2011-02-28T14:32:49.440
Reputation: 7 949
-1
Using the Fast User Switching changes the order. The last logged is user will be the first. "Set" the order with it, then: disable the Lock Screen then disable Fast User Switching.
It is works on Win 10. (i have tested it)
(delete my answear if is doesn't help, but this worked for me)
Soma01
Posted 2011-02-28T14:32:49.440
Reputation: 1
1Without using an auto-login, which defeats the purpose of your password? Probably not. – Iszi – 2011-02-28T16:18:09.023
Its all about security, if MS made that possible malware would have a party on your PC. – Moab – 2011-02-28T16:35:23.670
1@Moab: How does automatically picking a user account make it less secure? – user1686 – 2011-02-28T17:25:33.413
Anything that removes user interaction to log on is less secure. – Moab – 2011-02-28T17:51:46.630
5@Moab: No, since 1) all user accounts are publicly listed, it's just a matter of convenience and 2) the poster does not ask for the password to be entered automatically. – user1686 – 2011-02-28T18:55:41.730
1This is not about bypassing the password, but about having a certain user selected in the list. On a home computer, I don't see the security issue. @Moab – oKtosiTe – 2011-02-28T22:18:46.160
@Iszi: I have previously had an autologin, followed by an immediate autolock (supposedly the Vista/7 startup items cannot be bypassed; can't confirm that), but the security implications of that are what prompted me to ask this question. – oKtosiTe – 2011-02-28T22:27:22.627
1@oKtosiTe, it definitely can be bypassed. Try starting up in safe mode, or just pressing and holding the
Shiftkey as you log in, and that will be bypassed. – nhinkle – 2011-03-03T19:57:06.097@nhinkle: Thanks for the heads-up. – oKtosiTe – 2013-05-30T08:14:23.723