Windows 7: Using the regedit command

I know this is not strictly 7 but I am trying to get rid of the original login procedure on some old school XP machines I have been given so that the kids I give them to can just login or just power up without the one that has been set - namely the Windows start up then > push ctrl/alt/del then it goes to > an agreement screen > OK > onto a login screen, finally ending with Windows running.

Now the set up cannot be controlled through UAC and I Googled a site that referred me to changing / deleting the login details using the regedit command. I have found the entries that contain the admin details and whatever the Education dept set up but am wary re changing / deleting these.

Is there anyone who can give me a little advice on what to do please? as the way it is now makes for an awfully tedious boot and get to Windows.

It would be nice to be able to do this as for the last three days I have been trying to install a new XP on two machines and the copies are so old it will not load past a plain Windows - no updates no nothing.

Were you able to solve this?

No F5ing I haven't got round to that one yet and I think I am going to have to do it by trial and error - if I muck the machine up then well I'll just get an OEM 7 and stick that in.

Now I have the very tedious Vista fix done I shall have a go and just delete the reg entries that are the department one ones specific. I'll do this one by one and well see what happens.

It may be that these machines boards were specifically made for the department perhaps and cannot be changed with out a total re-install. That would be hard in nay case because apart form finding some old XP installation disks - have run out now there is no ISO as like for 7 and worse no stickers on the case.

When I work on stuff like that (trial and error) I'll make a full image (OS/apps/data) of the machine first. That way I know that if I mess up I can just restore it back and start over.

I make another image when I'm done with it. If the owner severely screws something up I can copy out their user data, restore the last image, put his user data back on and do any updates. Those images also come in handy for those folks that seem to be a little rough on their hard drives.

Takes some extra time to image but it's easy to do. The downside is the storage space that gets taken up by all these images of other's machines. I keep only the last image per machine (but two copies or sometimes it's back-to-back images, each on different drives), but even that takes up a lot of space. I delete the oldest images when I need room for new ones. Their potential usefulness diminishes over time, and by the time they get deleted they're usually about a year and half to two years old anyway.

Hum perhaps I could even do a clone or two as well F5ing but good point though

It does make it a lot easier when attacking a messed up machine, knowing you've got a good image to fall back on. That is, if the machine is in a state that's worth imaging.

Yeah I get what you mean F5ing I just do not like being beaten by things like that. The machines are XP and I have been giving them away to friends and their kids but they have had to put up with the tedious login procedure. The are capable of running 7 but it's the cost that is prohibitive for them - even if I do a CPU and RAM upgrade and get the OEM.

To be honest it's always seemed a waste of time as I've been lucky enough to never have to fall back on the initial image (except data recovery for failing drives), I'm always tempted to jump into it and just fix the darn thing. But for simple fixes I end up not making a final image and just keep the original with notes about what was fixed.

Very commendable of you for doing this for them.

Which version of XP are you dealing with?

Do you think it's Education Dept. stuff interfering or is it standard Windows?

I've still got a couple of XP machines and may be able to help if you can clarify the exact login problem a little more (if it's only a Windows issue).

If you're comfortable with Regedit you can make sure System Restore (and/or something like ERUNT) is turned on, create a restore point (verify it gets created) and make your registry change to see if it works. If it doesn't you've got backup.

It's Pro mate and it is the department stuff that is annoying the dickens out of me - I'd like to get it sorted as I might be able to pick up 7 more machines get some stage of the game.

The Windows starts up perfectly then it goes to [ctrl/alt/del then an agreement that you click OK the to a login screen with ID and password] - it's that sequence [] that is causing the tedium and long delay in getting to the desktop.

Like you say if the machine were for me I would just whack in 7 but people I do this for are not as able to afford that. Oh well I shall just do a clone and try my luck with those reg entries that quote the department items / refs.

Ah, if XP Pro you should be able to get it done via local policy rather than the registry:

Go to control panel, admin tools, local security policy. In the left under security settings, open local policies, click security options, and on the right look for something like "interactive logon: do not require Ctrl+Alt+Del".

You should find a similar setting for that security agreement in the same area.