Controlling How Users Log On
By Raymond Garcia
WinXpFix.com
If your the administrator of the Windows XP computer,
you can choose how Windows XP has people long on. You
have two choices:
The Windows XP Welcome screen displays a picture and
name for each user account, so that users click the one
they want. If the user account has a password, a white
box appears in which the user types a password.
Classic logon screen Windows Me/9x-style logon screen,
in which you type the user account name and password.
Fast User Switching isn't available if you use the Classic
logon screen.
If you use the Welcome screen, you can also choose whether
or not to enable Fast User Switching. To choose between
the Welcome screen and the Classic login screen, and to
enable or disable Fast User Switching, you must be logged
in with an administrator account. WinXpFix.com
Use these steps:
You have to make sure you're the only user who is logged
on.
Now you need to choose Start, then Control Panel, and
then click on User Accounts to display the User.
Click on Change the Way Users Log On Or Off. You see
the User Accounts window
Now make your selections using the the Welcome Screen
check box and the Use Fast User Switching check box, and
click on the Apply Options button.
If security is a big concern for you, use the Classic
logon screen, that doesn't display all the names of the
user accounts. Now the person has to type both a user
name and a password, they need to know twice as hard to
break into your system.
How to create and Deleting Groups: Windows comes
with groups for the four types of user accounts: Administrator
user accounts are in the Administrators group, limited
user accounts are in the Users group, and the Guest account
is alone in the Guest group. Windows XP Professional has
other groups (Backup Operators, Network Configuration
Operators, Power Users, Remote Desktop Users, Replicator,
and HelpServicesGroup) which are usually used only on
domain-based LANs.
If you using Windows XP Professional, you can create
all new groups, assign users to those groups, and delete
groups by using the Local Users And Groups item in the
Computer Management window. The Windows XP Home Edition
doesn't include the Local Users And Groups program, but
you can change a group's name and its members, and you
can grant the members of the group permission to use specific
files and folders.
Domain-based accounts, which are stored in the Active
Directory program running on a Windows server, have domain
groups. You can't define or change domain groups unless
you have access to the Windows authentication services
that control the domain's user accounts and groups.
How to create a local group, follow these steps:
Log on with an administrator account. Choose Start,
right-click My Computer, and choose Manage to display
the Computer Management window.
Open the Local Users And Groups folder and then the
Groups folder.
Now choose action > then new Group to display the
New Group window.
Type a name for the group, and don't use the name of
an existing group, and the description is optional.
Click Create. Then click Close. The new group appears
on the list of groups.
To add members to a group, select the group from the
list in the Groups folder and choose Action > Add To
Group. When you see the group Properties dialog box, click
Add to see the Select User dialog box, type the user account
name in the Name box, and click OK.. The other settings
in the Select User dialog box apply to domain-based networks.
I you need to remove a user from a group, click on the
user account name in the group Properties dialog box and
click on Remove. WinXpFix.com
To rename a group, select it and choose Action > Rename.
Feel free to rename groups that you have created, but don't
rename any of the groups that come with Windows, because
these names may be referred to in Windows utility programs.
To change the rights that a group gives to its members,
the next section describes how to see and change the User
Rights Assignment settings. WinXpFix.com
Other Security Options: Only Windows XP Professional
(not Home Edition) has many other security options, but
most are of interest only if your computer is on a domain-based
LAN. Here's a quick once-over of policy settings--settings
that control how accounts, passwords, and groups work.
If you want to look at policy settings that control users'
passwords, how many times someone can type the wrong password
before Windows locks the user account, and which rights
are assigned to which groups, you can open the Local Security
Settings window. Go to Start > Control Panel, click
on Performance And Maintenance, and click Administrative
Tools. From the Administrative Tools window, run the Local
Security Policy program. (Or you can - go to Start>
Run and type secpol.msc and press ENTER.)
The folders listed on the left side of the window
contain groups of policy settings: Right-click the
setting and choose Properties or click a setting and click
the Properties button on the toolbar to see what the options
are for that policy setting.
Audit Policy (in the Local Policies folder) Control
what security events are included in audit log files.
Password Policy (in the Account Policies folder)
Control whether user accounts need passwords, how complex
they need to be, and how often people have to change them.
Account Lockout Policy (in the Account Policies
folder) Control whether user accounts are locked out if
someone types the wrong password more than a specified
number of times.
User Rights Assignment (in the Local Policies
folder) Control which groups of user accounts can perform
which types of tasks.
Security Options (in the Local Policies folder)
Include a variety of security settings, including who
may install printers, use the CD-ROM and floppy drives,
and whether you can shut the system down without logging
on.
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