How to fix the Cancel Logon problem, Method II
The problem: You have set up several Windows passwords for the users working with your computer. You hope that from now on a user will have to enter a correct user name and password before s/he will be allowed to start working with Windows. This protection, however, can be easily bypassed (unless your computer is connected to a secure network): Anyone can logon to Windows as a new user - simply by typing a new user name at the logon prompt. Or an unauthorized user can just press the Cancel button at the logon prompt and start using the computer as the default user. One method of fixing this problem is as follows:
- Make sure you know how to reboot Windows in the safe mode. If something works not as you expected, you can always reboot your computer in the safe mode and correct the problems.
- Enable and create user profiles, as needed. Make sure that a separate profile is created for each user of your computer. That is, when you logon for the first time as a particular user, and Windows asks you: You have not loggged on at this computer before. Would you like to retain your individual settings?, make sure you are replying Yes to this prompt!
- After you are all done creating the user profiles, logon as the "default" user. That is, restart Windows, and when it prompts for the user name and password, press Cancel.
- Now, choose a Windows screen saver that you don't normally use. (You can browse screen saver files with Windows Explorer; They are usually located in the C:\Windows or C:\Windows\System folders). In this example, we will choose the Flying Windows screensaver.
- Open Control Panel - Display, select the Screen Saver page, and select the screen saver you have chosen. Also, check the Password protected box on this screen, and click on the Change button to enter the password (users will be prompted for this password when they attempt to cancel the logon prompt). Close the Display screen, as well as the Control Panel itself.
- Run Registry Editor (RegEdit.exe). Please be very careful when using this tool, because if you do something wrong with it, you may end up reinstalling Windows from scratch!
- Find the following key in the Registry:
HKEY_USERS .Default Software Microsoft Windows CurrentVersion Run - Create a new string value under this key and rename it to FixLogon (or use some other name if you like). (To create the string value: right-click on Run, select New - String Value from the shortcut menu, and then enter FixLogon as the name of the new entry.)
- Now open the FixLogon entry you've just created (by double-clicking it in the right pane of the Registry Editor window) and specify the following command as its Value data: "Flying Windows.scr" /s Note the quotes around the sreensaver's file name; they are necessary because the name contains spaces. Also note a space in front of the /s command line argument. If you use a screensaver that is located not in the C:\Windows or C:\Windows\System folders, specify its full DOS path here.
- Close Registry Editor and logoff from the "default" user account.
From now on, whenever someone logs on by pressing Cancel on the logon prompt, or by entering a new user name in the logon screen, the screen saver you have chosen will run at startup and the password prompt will be shown. Other user accounts may be used as usual: since each user has a separate user profile, the change in the Registry described above will not affect other users. To restore the original functionality, simply delete the FixLogon entry you've created in the Registry.
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