How to Delete Windows Login - How to Speed up Windows Startup
Windows Login and User Profiles – An Introduction
With the installation of Windows on any computer, some system profiles are created automatically. These system profiles are treated as normal user profiles though most of them are not visible in Control Panel’s User Account. Two well-known automatically created system profiles are the Administrator account and the Guest account. In addition, few more system user accounts are created to facilitate tasks such as Remote Desktop Assistance and Anonymous Surfing.
The User Account window displays only the standard profiles, if any. Other than the standard profiles, you can see the Guest account. Even the Administrator account is not displayed in the User Account Window.
As soon as your computer boots up, you are presented with the Windows Login Screen. This screen presents the list of standard user accounts and sometimes, the Guest Account (if it is turned ON in the Control Panel). The Administrator account is not visible on the Windows Login Screen except when you start the computer in Safe Mode.
The problem is that the system will wait (forever) for you to click on any of the user name before allowing you access to the Windows desktop. This becomes very irritating when you are the sole user and do not want to wait every time you boot the computer.
In my case, I would like to turn on the machine and go to get a cup of coffee while Windows loads my profile. But thanks to the Windows Login Screen, I have to wait for the login screen to appear so that I can select my profile before moving to the coffee machine.
Similar issues compel people into looking for answers to the question – How to delete Windows Login? Once the Windows Login is removed, all you need to do is to turn on the power button to access the Windows Desktop. Not only do you get rid of waiting, you also save time on the login process, which results in faster Windows startup.
If the system is on a network, there is nothing you can do to delete Windows Login, as most options will be blocked by the network administrator. However, if it is a standalone system and you are the only person who uses the computer, this article is the answer to your question on how to delete Windows Login.
Why can’t you Auto Login even After Deleting all User Accounts in Control Panel?
As explained in the above section, there are several hidden system user accounts created when you install Windows. Besides, there is no option to delete the Guest Account visible in the User Accounts window. You also cannot access the Administrator account from within the User Accounts window.
This is why even if you delete all the standard user accounts in the User Account window and disable the Guest account, you cannot get to the login without the Windows Login Screen. You cannot bypass the Windows Login Screen until you delete the Windows Login or create an auto login for the Administrator account.
Note: You can also create an auto login to any standard user login for faster Windows Startup. Locate the key HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\WindowsNT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon in the registry. Double click on the DefaultUserName in the right pane, enter your account name, and click OK. Similarly, enter your password in the DefaultPassword. Set the value of AutoAdminLogon to 1. Close the registry and reboot to get the Windows desktop with faster Windows startup.
The next page answers your question - How to delete Windows Login. It also offers a breifing on increasing the security of a multiple user system by forcing users to press CTRL + ALT + DEL to enter their ID and password for login instead the default Windows login system that offers a list of all user IDs on the login screen itself.
How to Delete Windows Login - Step by Step Guide
1. Log in to a user account that has administrator privileges.
2. Click on the Start button to open the Start Menu and click on the Run command.
3. In the text box of Run Dialog Box, type “control userpasswords2” without the quotes.
4. You will get a User Accounts Dialog box with two tabs: Users and Advanced.
5. Click on the “Users” Tab (See Fig 1 below), and uncheck the option “Users must enter a name and password to use this computer”.
6. Click OK.
7. You will be prompted for a default username and password (see Fig 2). Enter the username that you wish to use or keep the default user “Administrator” already displayed in the Username field. In the Password field and Confirm Password field, type in the related password. If you do not want any password, simply press Enter in both fields. Click OK to delete Windows Login.
TIP: You can also use this dialog box to remove unwanted profiles. Click on the “Advanced” tab and then click Advanced button. Double click Users folder (See Fig 3) in the left pane of the Advanced Dialog box to see all the users, including the hidden ones.
NOTE: On the contrary, if you wish to increase the security of your computer where it is used by multiple users, you can use the same dialog box to increase the security. You can remove the default Windows login that lists all the users by way of icons on the screen. When you click the Advanced tab on the dialog box, the last section has the option to use the traditional method of logging in, where instead of icons, users are required to press CTRL + ALT + DEL to access the Windows Login Dialog where they have to type in both their username and password. Thus, the same dialog which helps you to delete Windows login also helps you increase the security by checking the option “Require Users to Press Control+Alt+Delete” under the Advanced tab (see fig 3, left dialog box).
As you now know how to delete Windows Logon, you can also remove other standard and system user profiles (except Administrator, IWAM_CENTRAL, and the one you used in step number 7, as they are required for proper functioning of the computer).
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