Windows 7 Annoyances

Logon and Profile Options

Here’s the dilemma: you’ve set up multiple user accounts on a machine, and you’ve gone the extra mile to ensure that your data is properly protected by configuring permissions and employing encryption. Now you find Windows so locked down that you can’t do anything without having to enter a password first. Fortunately, you can streamline the logon process to suit your needs and tolerance for cumbersome logon procedures, or use some lesser known features to lock it down even further.

Hide the List of User Accounts

The friendly Welcome screen is the default interface you see when you log on to Windows 7.

Back in the old days, we didn’t have any fancy pictures to click; we actually had to type our usernames and passwords to log on. In the snow. Uphill, both ways.

If you long for those simpler times, or perhaps if you just realize that it’s wise not to show a list of all the user accounts on a PC, you can opt for a more retro-style login box.

Unfortunately, Microsoft removed the bare-bones, “classic” Windows NT-style logon window that was present even in Windows XP, but there is an alternative. To get a login screen with both username and password fields, albeit with a look reminiscent of Windows 7’s Welcome screen, follow these steps:

1. Open the Start menu Search box, type secpol.msc, and press Enter to display the Local Security Policy editor.

   Note

   The Local Security Policy tool is only available in the Windows 7 Professional and Ultimate editions; for Home Premium, ...