Auto logon should not be configured if more than one user is working with a computer or if the computer is part of a local area network. A PC that is only used by one user could be configured to automatically log that user in when he boots his computer. I have auto logon enabled in Windows XP and really enjoy the faster boot speed.
There is however a discrepancy among users on how to enable automatic logons in Windows XP. If you search for this on the Internet you will find the advice to configure it directly in the Registry. This works fine but has the disadvantage that the password of the user is stored in clear text.
While this is not really that problematic if you are the single user of the computer it still poses a greater security risk than storing the auto logon password unencrypted. Since it is not difficulty to store the encrypted password you should always use this way to store it.
Tweak UI for Windows XP offers an auto logon function that makes it possible to enable auto logon in Windows XP and store the password that has to be saved in encrypted form.
Another way would be to simply change the password of that user account to one that does not reveal any information about the user and that also is not similar to passwords normally used by the user. I do prefer the Tweak UI solution though.
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6 Responses to “Auto logon into Windows”
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This is already built-in to Windows with encryption, just type control userpasswords2 on the Run window. Here’s our full directions:
http://cybernetnews.com/2006/08/03/cybernotes-how-to-automatically-login-to-windows-xp/
This is a horrible practice. Being a computer science major this is one of the first bad things to do with a personal computer. What if you were to lose your computer? The person who found your computer could easily boot up your computer and take every file which they wanted.
This might not seem like a big deal. I mean what do you have on your computer anyways, a few word files for school and some pictures. What you don’t know is your computer could store quite a bit of information including passwords and user names. I don’t know about you but I use my computer to access very secure information like bank accounts and PayPal.
This is not something that should be used, even if it does speed up your boot time. Use the extra one to two minutes and wait it out.
I find the auto logon very useful for desktops. All that waiting out time builds up and is a waste, especially for the general desktop computer user who turns his computer on and off a lot or restarts frequently. If you surf secure sites, just delete the cache or use a third-party tool to securely wipe it.
I think security is an over hyped issue!
Auto Logon is works best for most home users
@ Opinionted Blogger ..
If someone physically stole your computer (or just the hard disk) then he/she can access the data using just any other OS. Accessing data if you’re physically reachable to the computer is a child’s play.
So, even WITH the login password, you’re data is still unsafe!
Best practice here is to not save any passwords in browser. That’s all you need.
Of course, comments/arguments invited :)
PS: I agree with Ryan. “control userpasswords2″ is the simplest solution
Vivek is on the right track. If you have physical access to the machine then passwords wont help you. A computers can only be as secure as the place it’s housed in. If you gain physical access to any computer no matter what os all you need to have is a cd and your god.Oh yeah and another thing. If your using windows forget about security. Do you really think security’s on the top of the list of Microsoft’s concerns. If you do then you have some serious delusions.