Automatically log in= to Vista and still be

January 24, 2008

password protected

By Greg Shultz<= /o:p>

In “ Bypass= the Windows Vista’s logon procedure ,̶= 1; I showed you how to access a hidden tool called the Advanced =

User Accounts Control Panel and configure your system to automatically log you on when it starts = up. This simply

involves selecting y= our name in the User Accounts dialog box and clearing the Users Must Enter A Us= er Name

And Password To Use = This Computer check box.

Of course, configuri= ng an automatic logon procedure really makes sense only in a home setting, whe= re you’re the

only one who ever us= es your Windows Vista system. (This technique will not work in your Windows Vi= sta system

is connected to a domain.)

Several readers commented that they thought that this technique was unwise because it leaves your system wide

open to anyone who m= ay get access to your computer. Even though this technique does provide you wi= th a

convenience, it will indeed make your system accessible to anyone who happens to turn on your computer.

Fortunately, you can have your cake and eat it too. Let’s see how you can take advantage of the automatic logon

procedure while still keep your Windows Vista system password protected.

Locking your system<= o:p>

When you’re working on your Vista system

and decide to take a break, you can lock your

system down by click= ing the Start button and

clicking the Lock ic= on that appears at the

bottom of the right = hand panel of the Start

menu, shown in Figure= A . You can also lock

your system by press= ing [Windows]+L. When

your system is locke= d, the only way to get

access to it again i= s to type in your password.

However, most folks don’t know that you can

also lock your syste= m by typing a series of

commands in the comm= and line. All you need

to do is open the Run dialog box by pressing

[Windows]+R and type= :

rundll32.exe user32.= dll,

LockWorkStation=

As soon as you click= OK, your Windows Vista

system will be insta= ntly locked.

The trick we’ll take advantage of here is that

anything that is run= ning when you lock your

system will continue= to run while is it locked.

Figure A<= /span>

Page 1

For more downloads and a free TechRepublic membership, please visit http://techrepublic.com.com/2001= -6240-0.html

Automatically log in= to Vista and still be password protected

Creating a shortcut = to lock your system

Because a series of = command-line commands will lock your Vista system, you can create a shortcut that will a= llow

you to instantly lock your system, simply by double-clicking an icon.

First, right-click on the desktop and select

New | Shortcut from = the context menu to

launch the Create Shortcut wizard. Next,

type the following i= nto the Type the

location of the item text box, as shown in

Figure B . =

rundll32.exe user32.= dll,

LockWorkStation=

(Take note of the uppercase letters

in LockWorkStation as you type it—

if you don’t m= atch the case, the

shortcut will fail.)=

Click Next and type <= span style=3D'font-size:11.0pt;mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"'>Lock I= t Down in the Type A Name For This Shortcut text box. Then, click Finish. Just to mak= e =

sure that it works correctly, double-click the Lock It Down shortcut.

Running the Lock It = Down shortcut at startup

Once you ensure that= the Lock It Down shortcut works, you can place it in the Startup folder. Just d= rag it from the

desktop and hover ov= er the Start button. When the Start menu opens, hover over All Programs and th= en over the

Startup folder until= it opens. Finally, drop the shortcut into the Startup folder.

Using your protected system

Now when you turn on= or reboot your system, it will automatically log on to your account and then immediately

display the Welcome screen indicating that the system is in a Locked state. However, all your o= ther startup

programs continue to load in the background.

With this technique,= you can turn on your computer in the morning and go get a cup of coffee. When y= ou return,

your system has logg= ed on, loaded all the start up programs, and is ready for you to sit down and = go to work. All

you have to do is ty= pe your password.

Page 2