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Tech Tips / Windows NT / Startup and Shutdown

Enabling automatic logons

Although it does seem to go against basic security rules, there are some situations when you might need to set up an Windows NT machine to log on automatically, completely bypassing the standard logon sequence. This might be necessary for a remote print server or other specialized application server, for example. The following registry edit is required for automatic logon.

1. Open the Registry Editor and navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\ Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon.
2. Determine which user account to use for the automatic logon and then change the value of DefaultUserName to the desired user account name.
3. Add a new value entry called AutoAdminLogon. Set its data type to REG_SZ and its value to 1.
4. Add another new value entry called DefaultPassword. Set its data type to REG_SZ and its value to the password of the account specified in step 2.

When you log off, Windows NT automatically logs on the user that you specified in step 2. Whenever anyone logs off this computer, NT logs the default user on again. If you want to revert to requiring a normal logon, change the AutoAdminLogon value entry that you created in step 3 to a value of 0.

Note: As always we'll remind you that registry editing is risky, so be sure you have a verified backup before making any changes.