Windows 8.1: The Missing Manual

Four Ways Life Is Different on a Domain

The domain and workgroup personalities of Windows are quite different. Here are some of the most important differences.

Logging On

What you see when you log onto your PC is somewhat different when you’re part of a domain. Instead of the standard Welcome screen, you generally encounter a two-step sign-in process:

• First, the Lock screen instructs you to press Ctrl+Alt+Delete to log on. (This step is a security precaution, described in the box on The Double-Thick Security Trick.)

• When you click at the Login screen, you can click “Other User” and then log into the domain you joined (see Figure 26-1).

Figure 26-1. Even if your computer is part of a domain, you can still log in to a local account. But to connect to the domain, you have to click the button and choose Other User.

Tip

You can turn off the requirement to press Ctrl+Alt+Delete, if you like. Open the Control Panel; then click User Accounts and Family Safety→User Accounts. Next, click Manage User Accounts. Authenticate if asked. Now select the Advanced tab and turn off the “Require users to press Ctrl+Alt+Delete” checkbox.

You can now type your user name and password. To save you time, Windows fills ...