Want to login using icons, not entering names

tgm1024 · 04 Jul 2015

Windows 7/64 Professional SP1

We just inherited a decommissioned laptop from my wife's work, and the login requires entering in a user name by the keyboard. There is no initial presentation of all the login names with icons.

I've never been clear about this, and if I actually had the install disks I'd just punt and re-install the thing from scratch (my normal MO).

Is it possible that because this came from a work environment that they have a login domain setup of some kind and that this removes the ability to just click on icons? I can login by typing the user name ("Administrator", "Kids", etc.), but how do I put back the icons?

The links that I've searched online all seem to solve different problems, such as Icons suddenly vanishing, or folks trying to disable the ctrl-alt-del login style. And I can't find anything in

(Start)->Administrative Tools->Local Security Policy->Local Policies->Security Options

that can turn this on or off.

derekimo · 04 Jul 2015

There's a couple of options here,

Log On with User Name and Password

There are options to disable as well. Option three sounds like you were in that area.

Ztruker · 05 Jul 2015

Also check to see if there is a recovery partition on the hard drive. If yes then restore to factory new state.

Fort Dell, press F11 at boot as soon as the Dell logo appears to start the recovery process.

tgm1024 · 05 Jul 2015

Ok, it took a couple options to change in the Local Security Policy, but it's now working. Frankly, I've gone back and forth over this so many times, I'm too dizzy to remember what's what.

In any case, I do not have a recovery partition, just a diagnostic one. The reboot with F11 does nothing, only F12, and there's no recovery partition option.

There are times when an option is grayed out claiming "These options have been disabled by your security manager for your safety". I've seen this with IT departments before. Is this a Group Policy thing that I can unset? Is there a 3rd party app I can run to clean these things up to default in safe mode or elsewhere?

Thanks!

alphanumeric · 05 Jul 2015

Do you have a Windows 7 DVD, or can you borrow one, doesn't matter what version? If yes you can do this to make it a universal install disk, Windows 7 Universal Installation Disc - Create . Then use the product code on the COA sticker to do a clean install.

Ztruker · 05 Jul 2015

Post a snapshot of a fullscreen Disk Management Window:

To open Disk Management, press Windows key+r, type diskmgmt.msc and press Enter or click GO. Make it full screen. Expand the fields as necessary so everything can be seen.

Vista and Windows 7: How to Use the Snipping Tool in Vista - Vista Forums (says it's for Vista but also works with Win 7/8).

Once you have the image saved, click the Go Advanced button then click on the Paperclip Icon next to the Smiley Icon. In the Manage Attachments window, click Browse and navigate to where you saved the image and select it.
Click the Upload button.
Close the Manage Attachments window.
Click on the Paperclip Icon again and select the image you uploaded. It will be placed in your post.

tgm1024 · 06 Jul 2015

Ztruker said:

Post a snapshot of a fullscreen Disk Management Window:

To open Disk Management, press Windows key+r, type diskmgmt.msc and press Enter or click GO. Make it full screen. Expand the fields as necessary so everything can be seen.

Vista and Windows 7: How to Use the Snipping Tool in Vista - Vista Forums (says it's for Vista but also works with Win 7/8).

Once you have the image saved, click the Go Advanced button then click on the Paperclip Icon next to the Smiley Icon. In the Manage Attachments window, click Browse and navigate to where you saved the image and select it.
Click the Upload button.
Close the Manage Attachments window.
Click on the Paperclip Icon again and select the image you uploaded. It will be placed in your post.

When I boot to it via F12, a diagnostic runs. {shrug} What can you tell from disk management?

tgm1024 · 06 Jul 2015

alphanumeric said:

Do you have a Windows 7 DVD, or can you borrow one, doesn't matter what version? If yes you can do this to make it a universal install disk, Windows 7 Universal Installation Disc - Create . Then use the product code on the COA sticker to do a clean install.

I have a Win 7/64/Ultimate DVD (for the desktop at home). I can somehow use this to reset this Win7/64/Pro machine?

alphanumeric · 06 Jul 2015

tgm1024 said:

Ztruker said:

Post a snapshot of a fullscreen Disk Management Window:

To open Disk Management, press Windows key+r, type diskmgmt.msc and press Enter or click GO. Make it full screen. Expand the fields as necessary so everything can be seen.

Vista and Windows 7: How to Use the Snipping Tool in Vista - Vista Forums (says it's for Vista but also works with Win 7/8).

Once you have the image saved, click the Go Advanced button then click on the Paperclip Icon next to the Smiley Icon. In the Manage Attachments window, click Browse and navigate to where you saved the image and select it.
Click the Upload button.
Close the Manage Attachments window.
Click on the Paperclip Icon again and select the image you uploaded. It will be placed in your post.

When I boot to it via F12, a diagnostic runs. {shrug} What can you tell from disk management?

Your partitions are backwards. The data partition should after the system partition not before it. It looks like that's preventing Windows from creating the partitions it wants where it wants.
Usually there is a small 350 MB or so System Reserved partition ( may also be called recovery), then the Windows partition, then the EFI partition, then the data partition. I would copy all you files to external media and then redo all the partitions on the drive during the install process.

alphanumeric · 06 Jul 2015

tgm1024 said:

alphanumeric said:

Do you have a Windows 7 DVD, or can you borrow one, doesn't matter what version? If yes you can do this to make it a universal install disk, Windows 7 Universal Installation Disc - Create . Then use the product code on the COA sticker to do a clean install.

I have a Win 7/64/Ultimate DVD (for the desktop at home). I can somehow use this to reset this Win7/64/Pro machine?

Possibly? If you make a bootable install thumb drive from it, you can then delete the ei.cfg file, as in the tutorial. That unlocks all the versions and gives you a menu to select what one to install. You can then select the matching version to what is already installed and look at the options that come up. You should get a repair option.