Logging In to Windows XP


At this point, you should have Windows XP Professional installed. But before you explore the OS, you have to log in. There are often several steps required before you gain access to your system. First, the OS must be installedthat was covered back in Chapter 3. Second, you must power up the system if it is not already. Booting can take several minutes depending on the installed components and network membership. Be sure that all bootable CDs are removed from the CD drives and that no floppies or Zip/Jaz disks are present in their respective drives (you want to allow the system to boot from the hard drive, not to attempt a boot from some other media).

Once the system is fully booted, you need to log on. Depending on which logon mode the system is using, you need to either click on a username/icon on the Welcome screen, or press Ctrl+Alt+Del twice to provide logon credentials to gain access to the system. If your system was a network member before an upgrade install, or you altered the default settings of the network components during a manual or unattended installation, you'll need to use the secure logon, which is covered in the section, "Using the Classic Logon." Otherwise, Windows XP presents you with the Welcome screen for one click access to the desktop.

NOTE

It's likely that shortly after installing, or upon booting the first time and logging in, you'll see a "balloon" notification at the bottom of your screen, warning you that your computer might be at risk, due to not having anti-virus protection. Clicking on the balloon brings up the Security Center (new as of SP2). Please see the section "Security Center" in Chapter 24, "Configuration via Control Panel Applets," for more about the Security Center.


Logging On from the Welcome Screen

If you see the Welcome screen, just click on your user account to log on. The Welcome screen presents a list of available user accounts that can be employed to access this system. If a password is associated with a selected account, you will be prompted to provide it. If you need a hint (and a hint is defined), click the question mark.

Every time you boot your system, you must log in. Also, any time you return to your system after another user has logged off, you must log in. The Welcome screen is the default logon mode for Windows XP. In this mode, the screen lists all local user accounts available for accessing this system. This mode offers no real logon security; it is simply a means by which the system maintains unique user environments (that is, profiles) that it can easily switch between. (As mentioned in Chapter 1, even running applications are maintained in memory as users sign in and out.) If passwords are defined for an account, they are requested.

Using the Classic Logon

The classic logon mechanism accessed by pressing Ctrl+Alt+Del twice from the Welcome screen is a secure logon method for accessing the machine you're using on a domain. Keep in mind that the logon credentials required for a secure logon are username, password, and logon location. The logon location is either local (indicated by the computer name) or domain. If your system is a member of a workgroup, you will log in locally. We'll talk more about the issues of networking, workgroups, and domains in later chapters (see Part IV).

If you don't have a user account with which to log in, go to the secure logon screen and log on using the Administrator account (if you know the password). Keep in mind that to log on as the system administrator, you must use the secure logon screen. If you want to create other user accounts (either for yourself or others), see the section "Working with User Accounts," later in this chapter.

The classic logon method is labeled as secure for two specific reasons. First, you must always provide a password. Even though a blank password can be assigned, thus making an insecure account, the password field must be addressed at logon. Second, you must provide a valid username. By default, the last username to successfully log on will be displayed, but that's the only user account name you get to see, unlike the Welcome logon screen which openly displays the names of all defined user accounts.

If you see a Press CTRL-ALT-DEL to logon message, follow these steps:

1.

Press Ctrl+Alt+Del. The Log On to Windows dialog box appears.

2.

In the User name field, type in your user account name.

3.

If your computer is not part of a network and you did not upgrade a system that had local user accounts with passwords, then you can ignore the password field. If you are a member of a network domain or using an account upgraded from a previous system, you'll need to provide the password you used to log in before you upgraded to Windows XP. If you've forgotten your password, talk with your network administrator or jump to Chapter 28, "Managing Users," or Chapter 33, "Troubleshooting and Repairing Windows XP."

4.

The logon location will be the same as the last successful user logon. If you are not sure what this was, click Options to reveal the Location pull-down list. Select the domain or local computer name (for standalone or workgroup).

5.

Click OK to continue.

NOTE

Those of you unfamiliar with processes involved in using a networked OS (like Windows XP) are no doubt finding much of this material, like managing accounts, or having to log on to your computer using an account, new to you. All you need to know for now is the following:

  • A domain is a logical collection of computers who are all members of the same network. A domain is centrally controlledwhich means one (or few) server(s) define the domain, control access to resources, and verify your identity at logon (a.k.a. credential authorization).

  • The Administrator is a default user account on every Windows NT, 2000, and XP system which has full and unrestricted access to the system. The Administrator account is typically used to configure hardware and software, install new applications, and define user access to resources.

If you'd like to know more about domains, please see Part IV where networking is discussed, and if you'd like to know more about the Administrator account take a look at Chapter 28.


Changing the Default Logon Mode

Changing the default Logon mode requires the following steps (note: this action can only be performed if the computer is not a domain member):

1.

Click the Start button, and then click on Control Panel. The Control Panel appears.

2.

In Category mode or Classic mode, click User Accounts. The User Accounts interface appears. If the User Accounts interface does not appear, your system probably is configured as a domain client.

NOTE

The layout and presentation of many aspects of Windows XP is different from any previous Microsoft OS. The default setting is to use the new XP layout, but if you prefer the more familiar look and feel of previous versions of Windows, look for options that let you display windows and dialog boxes like the Control Panel in "Classic mode." This most often means returning to a Windows 2000 or Windows Me layout. The main difference between the two is that the Category mode displays links only to common actions that it has grouped into categories, whereas (in the case of the Control Panel) Classic mode displays all of the individual Control Panel applets.

3.

Click on Change the Way Users Log On or Off. The Select Logon and Logoff options page appears, as shown in Figure 4.1.

Figure 4.1. The Select logon and logoff options page of the User Accounts interface.


4.

If you leave the Use the Welcome Screen box checked, the system will continue to use the Welcome logon screen in which you just choose an account by selecting it from the list of accounts available to that machine. If you uncheck the box, the system will use the classic logon method, in which you must type in the account to which you want to log in.

5.

If you leave the Use the Welcome Screen check box checked, an additional check box of Use Fast User Switching is available. This lets users quickly log on and off, while keeping their programs actively running and operating in the background. It's an easy and efficient way for people to share a computer.

6.

Click OK to save your changes and close the Select logon and logoff options.

7.

Click the Red X button on the title bar to close the User Accounts interface and then do the same to close the Control Panel.

Your changes will take effect the next time you log out and log back in.

After you've logged in, it's time to explore the user interface, or as Microsoft likes to call it, the user experience.

Working with User Accounts

During the installation of Windows XP, you defined a password for the Administrator account. If you also defined additional user accounts during that process, Windows considers these accounts to be equal to the Administrator account. If you performed an upgrade install on a system with pre-existing user accounts, any pre-existing accounts were retained, and their access levels were converted into their XP equivalents. There are two types of local accounts available on Windows XP Pro:

NOTE

If you purchase a system with XP pre-installed, the system will prompt you for a few specifics, such as a computer name and an administrator password, during the first bootup.

  • Computer administrator Can create, change, and delete user accounts; can make system level changes; can install programs; and can access all files

  • Limited A restricted user with only minimal system access and no ability to alter system configuration


If your system is connected to a network, then when you are logged in to the domain you will be using a domain-level user account.

There is always at least one user account on Windows XPnamely the Administrator account. This account is always protected by a password. There is also another default account, the Guest account. This account has restricted system access and can be disabled, so it may not always be available for use as a login. Plus, even if it is enabled, you won't be able to make any system changes or even create other user accounts under its security restrictions.

When performing normal tasks on your system, you should always log in with a limited user account instead of the Administrator account or any account with computer administrator level access. Why? Because it's too easy to make a system level change that damages or significantly alters your system. By removing your ability to make sweeping changes you'll limit your exposure to this risk.

Creating New User Accounts

User account management is performed by the Administrator or any other user account with computer administrator level access. This access includes creating new users and altering the settings on existing users. Lets explore new user creation first:

1.

Open the Control Panel by clicking on the Start menu, and then clicking on Control Panel. The Control Panel appears.

2.

Click on User Accounts. The User Accounts interface appears (see Figure 4.2).

Figure 4.2. The User Accounts interface.


3.

Click Create a New Account.

4.

The first prompt is for the name of the user account. Type a name into the field (for example, Joe or lab1user), and then click Next. Your account name may consist of upper- and lowercase letters, numbers, and symbols except for /\[]":;|<>+=,?*. The account name can be up to 20 characters long.

5.

The second prompt is to select the access level for the account. Select the Limited radio button, and then click Create Account.

6.

You'll be returned to the User Accounts interface. The newly created user account will appear in the list of user accounts at the bottom on this window.

Modifying an Existing Account

After you create an account, there are several changes you can make to it that tailor it to that user's needs. To alter the settings on an existing account from the User Accounts interface

1.

With the User Accounts window open (as described in the previous section), click Change an Account.

2.

Click on the name/icon of the account to alter.

3.

A menu of options for this account is displayed (see Figure 4.3).

Figure 4.3. The alter user account menu.


For a standard account, these include

  • Change the name

  • Create a password

  • Change the picture

  • Change the account type

  • Delete the account

Click on one of these selections and follow the prompts to make the desired change to the selected account.

4.

Once you complete altering the current account, click the Back button. This returns you to the account to change the selection list. If you wish to alter a different account, go back to step 2.

5.

If you are finished altering accounts, click the Back button again to return to the User Accounts interface.

6.

Go ahead and click the X button to close the User Accounts windows, and then do the same for the Control Panel.

Using Passwords

By default, new accounts do not have passwords. After you define a password for an account, you are prompted for that password whenever you attempt to log on with that user account, whether through the Welcome screen or Ctrl+Alt+Del. Through the Welcome screen, if you forget your password, click on the ? button to obtain a hint (if you defined one when you created the password). The password hint is not accessible through the Ctrl+Alt+Del logon mode.

You'll want to create a unique user account for every user of this system. Plus, be sure to grant computer administrator access only to those users who actually need it, in other words, those users who will be installing a lot of hardware and software and performing systemwide configuration changes. Plus, if anyone is concerned about other users snooping into their stuff, define passwords for each user account. Password-protected user accounts are a necessity in office environments, but even if you're using Windows XP Professional at home, it might be a blessing there, too.

NOTE

There is a lot more to working with user accounts than what is described here. For more exhaustive coverage of user account management, please see Chapter 28, "Managing Users."


When you first log on to Windows XP, you are deposited directly into your so-called Windows XP user experience. This consists of a desktop with a recycle bin and a taskbar with a Start menu and a clock/icon tray. Microsoft has finally provided a clean, elegant first logon screen. It's up to you to populate your desktop and customize your environment to fit your needs, habits, and desires. This could be a little disconcerting at first if you are a veteran Windows user. You'll wonder where the icons such as My Computer, Internet Explorer, and Network Neighborhood are. Don't worry, you'll figure out other ways to get to these, and you can add them to the desktop later. But for now you can access them through the Start menu.



Special Edition Using Microsoft Windows XP Professional
Special Edition Using Microsoft Windows XP Professional (3rd Edition)
ISBN: 0789732807
EAN: 2147483647
Year: 2003
Pages: 450

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