There are times when in it's a
pain having to type a password in order to logon to your Windows 8 machine. AutoAdminLogon is idea
for situations where you are operating in a secure environment, or where you
are testing endless reboots and want auto login. Althought the
techique is very different, the principle is the same as having a website
remember your username and password.
Navigate to: HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\winlogon Set: AutoAdminLogon = 1 (one means
automatic, zero means off, normal logon.)
Quick method: Use Regedit's 'Find': AutoAdminLogon.
Crucial Point you need to set the UserName's password.
Create a new String Value called
DefaultPassword Set: DefaultPassword = "WhatPwd".
Check for the existence of a REG_SZ called DefaultUserName. The value should reflect the user
you are going to logon
automatically. If this value does not exist, then right-click in the right pane, New, REG_SZ, name it, DefaultUserName. Set the string value to the required UserName,
for example GuyT or Administrator.
Optional Item: If your Windows 8 Machine has joined a domain, then create a String Value called DefaultDomainName. Set: DefaultDomainName = "YourDomain"
Here is a summary of the 4 registry REG_SZ values to enable Auto Logon
AutoAdminLogon = "1" Enabled (Zero would mean turn off)
DefaultUserName = "Guyt" (Your logon username) DefaultPassword =
"Passw0rd" (Remember this or change) DefaultDomainName = "dom.com".
(Only needed if this computer has joined a domain)
Disable Auto Logon in Registry
It's easy to disable the auto login with regedit; you just need to find, then
change AutoAdminLogon from 1 to zero. You can leave the other
settings, especially if you change your mind later!
After you launch regedit, do you find AutoAdminLogon in HKCU** or
HKLM? Answer: HKLM
For AutoAdminLogon do you add a REG_SZ key, or modify an existing value? Answer: Modify
the value of 0
(Disabled) --> 1 (Enabled).
Is AutoAdminLogon a String Value or a DWORD? Answer: These types are all REG_SZ (String values)
Do you need to Restart, or merely Logoff / Logon? Answer: Reboot the machine
Extra Information:
To enable Auto Logon with regedit you also need to create a REG_SZ called, DefaultPassword, and possibly another called DefaultDomainName.
Should you ever need to breakout or bypass
AutoAdminLogon, then hold down the Shift key as Windows 8 initializes, if
you are quick enough you get the normal logon box. The benefit of
holding down the shift key is that you can logon as a different user.
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The number one reason for this registry hack failing is that you
forget to ad DefaultPassword. I know exposing the password in
the registry is insecure, but it's the only way to get AutoAdminLogon to
work. If you leave DefaultPassword's
value blank than Windows 8 sets AutoAdminLogon = 0.
DefaultDomainName - Check the name if you really are in a domain and
a Workgroup / Homegroup.
The AutoLogonCount registry value is mainly used
during setup. The idea is for a machine to automatically
reboot during installation for a set number of times, then revert to
a normal logon box.
Each time the computer is restarted AutoAdminLogon kicks-in and the
administrator (defined UserName) is logged on automatically, furthermore, the
AutoLogonCount value is decremented by one until the count reaches zero.
Once its value reaches zero, the AutoLogonCount value under the Winlogon key is removed.
Launch Regedit.
Navigate to: HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\winlogon
Create a Reg_DWORD: AutoLogonCount
I have
been using AutoAdminLogon since NT 3.5, however, in Windows 8 Home editions there is a
simpler, but boring alternative, namely
to tick: 'Users must enter a user name and password'.
Unlike Vista, in Windows 8 you need to launch a native, but hidden applet
called NetPlwiz. Once the User Accounts interface appears select the
user who you want Auto Logon, now remove the tick in the checkbox. 'Users must enter a user name and password'.
Click OK
All you need to do next is type the required password in the, 'Automatically Log On' dialog box. See
screenshot. Once you restart Windows 8, it will logon that user automatically.
Please review the logic of what you are ticking.
Also, when you set a registry value to one or zero, read the value carefully. Half of all people who write and say 'Guy
that registry hack did not work', have not understood the logic, double negatives are a particularly
confusing.
If you are going to try this configuration, please note: I
did not find this setting in a machine which had joined an Active Directory domain.
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One of Guy's computing
laws states: 'The more security that you have, then the more work there will be'. This law
particularly applies in the case of complex passwords,
it's never easy to remember a combination of uppercase, lowercase, number and squiggles (non-alphanumeric characters).
Let me give you an example of why I like the registry setting AutoAdminLogon, I was training a new
Windows 8 course containing
two delegates from hell. The other ingredient was a new technician, who installed the default American keyboard layout;
despite the fact the course was in Worcester England, where naturally the keyboard
hardware had the UK layout.
The
course started with the delegates logging on to their Windows 8 machines as Administrator with the password of P@ssw0rd. Have you guessed the problem? The @ was not
at the place on the keyboard where the delegates and I expected, namely
above the comma. Thanks to the USA / UK mixed setup, the @ was above the numeric 2.
Most of the first session was spent getting the
10 delegates just to logon. For the second exercise, they had to join a domain - that took the rest of the
morning because after the restart they had to grapple with the complex password - again.
Over lunchtime I edited the
registry, and set AutoAdminLogon to login without delegate input. You can see above how I achieved this
sanity preserver in the: Instructions for Setting AutoAdminLogon.
Creating a .Reg File
Actually, for my solution to work, I needed the same settings on all 10 machines.
What I did was get AutoAdminLogon working on the instructor machine, then I exported the HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\winlogon branch of the registry to a .reg file.
From a network share, I imported this .reg file to each of the delegates machines.
I had no more problems with delegates logging on after that.
Training is a great place to try these naughty but nice tricks. Another
application of this auto login technique is for test machines not connected to a production network.
Thanks to regedit, Auto Logon can be enabled so that you can logon
automatically without having to enter a password. Such configurations
are most useful for testing or training course. You could also justify editing the
registry, and setting AutoAdminLogon on a private machine in a room that is
physically secure.
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