Auto Login And Lock Windows 7

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Personally, I find the feature of Windows allowing users to disable the logon screen, totally unsecure. When you enter the password on the logon screen, it takes some time to load windows explorer and all startup programs. This can also be quite annoying and time consuming. So what is the solution?

There should be a way to auto login and then auto lock Windows, so that when you hit the Power button and return a few minutes later to login, you won’t need to wait for all those startup programs to load.

Thankfully, there is a brilliant tweak that makes it possible and is a must have for every geek out there. Auto Logon & Lock has been tested to work on both Windows Vista (32-bit and 64-bit) and Windows 7 (32-bit and 64-bit).

The installation is quite easy, I have created a simple screencast below which will walk you through the installation and configuration procedure. You will need to reboot the system to test it.


Using this tweak has multiple benefits, some of them include:

  • Faster boot time.
  • Automatically resume downloads if your computer restarts due to power failure.
  • Protect ‘Safe Mode’ and ‘Safe Mode with Command Prompt’(Existing Auto Logon methods leave Safe Mode unprotected).
  • It locks the desktop before Windows Explorer is started(Other methods auto lock after all startup programs have finished loading which can take several minutes).

Download Auto Logon & Lock

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  • http://twitter.com/David_Levine David Levine

    I think the screencast quality is great. Everything appears crystal clear. My only complaint is the fact the screen keeps moving. I'm guessing this might have to do with the screen resolution you are using. Also, I would like to either have audio explaining what is being done or a list of written steps. This makes it easier to follow along with the screencast.

    • Nakodari

      The steps are listed on the product page, but sorry about no audio. I think people can get an idea after watching the video. In future, we will include audio as well.

      PS… The screen that keeps moving is not due to resolution. The video moves along the pointer making it easier for users to know where i have clicked and moved the pointer.

  • Name

    can you post video when it is running? i mean after installation.
    anyway.. thanks for this post.

    • Nakodari

      There is nothing to record after this. Once the installation is complete, just restart the computer. Now you will be shown the usual logon screen, enter the password and hit Enter, you will find all startup items loaded.

      This app loads the desktop and startup programs even though you are still on logon screen. Thus, saving time.

      • Name

        thanks for your previous reply.
        i've tried on my vm win7 and it works just like you said earlier.. it says 'locked' but i just click on my acc and it just went through without entering my password.

        • http://kurian2z5.blogspot.com/ Kurian

          If thats the case then the regular Windows Key+L to lock the desktop will also not ask for the password (which is exactly what my app invokes).

          You password probably got blanked somehow.

  • Gandalf

    The link seems to be dead.
    Does anybody knows an alternative downloadlocation?

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  • Anonymous

    LogonExpert for Windows has exactly feature “autologon” then
    “Locking a PC after logon
    Any logged-on session can be secured with automatic workstation locking.”

  • Alan

    I dont have the option to untick “Users must enter a user name and password to use this computer”, possibly because my PC is on a domain. Is there any way around that?

    • Nakodari

      There is no other way that I know of. Sorry!

    • Kurian

      Yes there is a registry tweak for that. Google it.

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  • Somniloquist

    Dude…Have you experienced this situation where you crave for some imaginary thing in life and voila! u see it in front of your eyes… That is my state now…

    I have been trying to search for something like this for a very very very long time..
    Have used some to some effect but none as what this promises to do.
    I’ve not yet installed nor tested this…
    But Great going guys… This is called meaningful innovation…

    Regards,
    Somniloquist

  • tugas2khas

    Avira call this WORM/Citeary.D. I just add it to safelist though.

  • RudyD

    Try to run it against online scanners like virustotal.com or novirusthanks.org . You going to see that not only avira says that. It replaces the shell. It means it loads itself before your windows workspace. I think with that malware ratio it is a huge … khm. unsecure move.
    Always check unknown stuff on multiple av scanners.

    • http://www.addicitivetips.com Nakodari

      Thats the point of this application. It loads the desktop explorer and then locks the computer. The detection is false positive which means the applications itself is awesome. I am using it myself.

      • RudyD

        Found this post once again. B-)
        Sure – but anything which loads itself before your shell can be dangerous.
        I haven’t investigated it myself – so that could be false positive.
        Albeit – I would trust better something which is open source.
        p.e.: an autoit script which does the same things and I can re-create myself the binary ones.

  • aNTARES

    Be careful cause IT IS a worm…. all you have to do is the procedure starting at 1m:12s and it works just fine, DON’T install shit this lightly, especially when your anti-virus tells you not to!

  • pokemon

    when I run the lockcmd.reg, it says “… is not a valid win32 application”. how can i fix this? (using win vista home premium)

    • http://www.addicitivetips.com Nakodari

      We have tested it to work on both Windows 7 32-bit and 64-bit OS only.

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  • Naeem

    This is a great utility… I have clients who need to run xp mode (because all their apps work in xp only) and they want to rdp into xp. This allowed me to do that by automatically logging into win7 and adding xp mode in startup.
    Now win7 starts up and xp gets launched and in few seconds is available for them to remote into while win7 is locked.

    Thanks a lot for saving the day!!! great creation.

  • Joseph

    The link is broken

  • hans

    Guys you can look at this tool for Windows 7 autologon named Logonexpert that support locking workstation after successful user logged-on

  • Hicham

    Exactly what I have been looking for, thanks a lot.

  • Sach

    For some reason, this won’t work on my computer. Everything has been done correctly, but when I restart my computer, it says my password is incorrect (before I enter it). Then, when enter my password, it immediately logs me out, and I have to type it in again to access my computer. Any ideas?

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  • lony

    Since today avast antivir shows Lock.exe try to reach strange sites. Could the program include any malware?

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  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_NSZKPIYGFXDOFHEOWWEZ7MB63A Moosa

    haiiiiiii

  • Akasyaha

    is dis mean after restart the cmputer… the window is still ask for password….n we dont need to put the pass?

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=667459726 Akasyah de SwordMaster

    is dis mean after restart the cmputer… the window is still ask for password….n we dont need to put the pass?

  • bal bal

    personally, i find it better tweaking ”control userpasswords2>uncheck ‘have to enter pass…’>ok>pwd>repeat pwd” for logging in automatically. then a hkey_local_machine>run entry: new>string: ‘lockmachine’ (or whatever you please)>rundll32 user32.dll,LockWorkStation.
    the above two steps would log in the default selected user (at userpasswords cpl), then just a second after explorer launches, locks the system to the default lock screen.
    this works in safe mode too. anyone can google the above steps for a clearer explanation.
    however, the script as above more or less does the same thing. kudos!

    • Dauntless Dragon

      Thanks

  • bal bal

    @kurian: have you tried running the script rundll32 user32.dll,LockWorkStation directly instead of going win+L way? sometimes, keystrokes such as the windows+nn are intercepted by trojans/worms which then get a trigger to reproduce/infect. the script way is much easier and directly invokes the win system api. however, your app is good!

    • Dauntless Dragon

      Thanks bal bal,
      This worked great for me.
      Although switching users requires two password entries the first time.

      [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWAREMicrosoftWindowsCurrentVersionRun]
      “LockMachine”=”rundll32 user32.dll,LockWorkStation”

      netplwiz
      Uncheck the password requirement for the user you need logged in.