Hide User Account

[jemshault]

In windows 7 profeessional three accounts have been created. one is default with administration privilage and two with normal user right.
Then in registry:
Hkeylocalmachine\software\microsoft\windowsnt\currentvirsion\winlogon

new ragistry named SpecialAccounts and there under UserList is created.
In user list the other two user's names are saved as Dword value.

But when at winlogon Control+Alt+Del pressing the welcome screen is not changed.
whether anything remains to do.

 

[Brink]

Hello Jemshault, and welcome to Seven Forums.

Double check all of the steps in the tutorial below to see if you may have missed or made a mistake somewhere in hidding a user account.

User Account - Hide - Vista Forums

Hope this helps,
Shawn

 

[jemshault]

Dear Shawn
I have hide the user account but it can not be accessed by pressing Control + Alter + Delete at welcome screen. I just want to use this feature as we can in windows xp. is there any way to do it in Windows 7 or Vista?

 

[Brink]

Unfortunately when you hide a user account in Vista or Windows 7, it is no longer available at log on or Switch User. It's basically the same as disabling the user account.

An alternative is to unhide the user account, and use the log on with user name and password option along with the CTRL+ALT+DEL secure log on screen. This way none of the user account's names are displayed, and you have to know the user name and password to log on to a user account.

 

[logicearth]

You hid the only administrator account...correct? That is....problematic.

 

[Brink]

If you do not have a administrator account that you can log on to normally, then you might be able to boot into Safe Mode to enable the built-in Administrator account to log on to it to unhide your normal administratrator account.

 

[BigJim3333]

On a related point: is it smart to have more than 1 administrator account (the built-in Administrator plus another that I'd create)?

 

[Brink]

Hello Jim, and welcome to Seven Forums.

Yes, having 2 administrator accounts makes a great fallback to make it easier to access the system in case something happens to the administrator account that you normally use.

 

[BigJim3333]

Smart to password protect Admin accounts, then hide?

So what a single user at home like me should do to set up a new install is:

1. Password protect the built-in Administrator account and disable it (keeping it as the safety in case #2 becomes corrupted)
2. Create another administrator-level account, make it visible and password protected, and use it only when needed
3. Plus create another standard account to use in daily activity

Is that right? Thanks for your reply and this excellent forum.

 

[Brink]

Doing it like that would definitely give you better protection, and make it alot easier to recover if you get locked out of one of the other admiistrator accounts.