How do I change boot of Windows XP home.

[MotorMouth]

I have been trying to set my other HTPC with link to boot right to desktop. It has XP SP2 installed. I have went in and changed the way users boot. All it does is change the GUI and it gives me the old Win98 GUI. I would like it to boot straight to desktop like it did before SP2.

[DonK]

Start... run... "control userpasswords2" in the dialog box, click OK.
uncheck the box at the top that specifies users must hit ctl-alt-del to start, put in your username and password to log in with.

[queonda]

yes, as Donk said or download Tweak UI and there is an option to do so.

[Darkk]

Originally Posted by DonK

Start... run... "control userpasswords2" in the dialog box, click OK.
uncheck the box at the top that specifies users must hit ctl-alt-del to start, put in your username and password to log in with.

Will this also work if the machine is a member of the domain?

Darkk

[richt]

Will this also work if the machine is a member of the domain?

No. For that you have to set up auto login parameters in the registry. I don't recall if TweakUI does this or not, but the registry set up is pretty easy.
HKLM\Software\Microsoft Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon
Specify or add the following StringValues (REG_SZ) if not already present
DefaultDomainName - value = your domain name
DefaultUserName - value = desired user name
DefaultPassword - value = password for above user
AutoAdminLogon - Set the value of this to "1" (without quotes)

[Darkk]

Originally Posted by richt

No. For that you have to set up auto login parameters in the registry. I don't recall if TweakUI does this or not, but the registry set up is pretty easy.
HKLM\Software\Microsoft Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon
Specify or add the following StringValues (REG_SZ) if not already present
DefaultDomainName - value = your domain name
DefaultUserName - value = desired user name
DefaultPassword - value = password for above user
AutoAdminLogon - Set the value of this to "1" (without quotes)

Yeah that is what I figured about domain members which is why I use TweakUI for it. I don't like adding a password in the registery since it's a easy way to find out the domain password! Should be fine for home users but in a corporate world it's not a good idea. It's really against my own personal policy to have a server auto login after a reboot but if the server is secured in the server room behind a locked door then it's not too bad.

Darkk

[richt]

Yeah that is what I figured about domain members which is why I use TweakUI for it.

I could be mistaken, but i thought TweakUI just made the appropriate registry updates for you. I agree though as a network admin, I would NEVER recommend this on the domains I manage.

[MotorMouth]

Thanks

[enigma9o7]

Originally Posted by Darkk

Yeah that is what I figured about domain members which is why I use TweakUI for it. I don't like adding a password in the registery since it's a easy way to find out the domain password!

I'm not sure I understand this. Are you saying if I do as described above (adding those 4 strings), then somehow the domain password will also be visible in the registry? Or what's the easy way to find the domain password if I set those strings so my work computer logs in upon bootup?

[Darkk]

This link will explain it further..

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/315231

[enigma9o7]

I read that whole microsoft article. It doesn't say anything about about the domain password.

[Darkk]

The auto login works on both domain and non-domain PCs and Servers. Depending how the system is setup the system administrator may actually use domain admin account to auto login the PCs and Servers into the domain thus revealing the password in the registery.

I do not believe Tweak UI stores this in the registery.

Darkk

[DonK]

Both methods store the user ID and Password in the registry.

If a machine is on a domain then you do it at your own risk. I'd be setting the machine up with a domain login that has no rights to anything on the domain and then setting the login to autologin if you're that intent on running a domain at your home, and if you're in a business doing that, as an administrator I'd be kicking someone off the lan entirely if they did that.

[enigma9o7]

I don't care about the autologin stuff myself, I was just hoping there was an easy way to get the domain admin password. I work for a large multinational company where everything's a hassle, domain admin is offshore, getting them to add a box to the domain that they didn't pre-configure is a hassle and takes months... can't actually talk to a domain admin, gotta call global support desk, they make a ticket, submit a request, blah blah blah, gets escalated, have to explain the reqeust to ten different people with varying levels of competancy. I just want the password to save all the hassle and delay and take care of it myself. I bought a NAS box in December (Promise Smartstor), it took til march to get it added, then it had issues with nobody at all being able to connect to it thru AD/SMB/CIFS whatever, I call tech support of the company who made the nas box, they tell me to disconnect it from the domain and try reconnecting, well I'm not about to do that and wait another 4 months, so I was really excited when I read that using autologin would be an easy way to get the domain password I've already been bitched out by my boss for buying the NAS box and four 1TB drives and its completely useless. It's probably Promise's fault in didnt work the first time, but I can't even try waht they tell me do.

If anyone does actually know an easy way to get the domain password, pm me! Hell, even a not-so-easy way, would be fine as long as I can understand it.

[Darkk]

enigma9o7,

I know exactly what you're going through and it is a pain. But getting ahold of their domain admin password isn't the right thing to do.

Legally you need to complain to your bosses about this and maybe they'll modify your account to allow PCs to join into the domain.

Darkk