Re: What's the difference between User Accounts and User Accounts2 (userpasswords2)

From: Wesley VogelX (123WVogel955_at_comcast.net)
Date: 11/23/03 

Date: Sun, 23 Nov 2003 05:47:53 GMT

Roger;
    I appreciate the reply. Catch 22. I'm trying to learn XP. It's like when
I was learning Electronics. We were taught using the Conventional Current
Theory, where electrons flow form - to +, then I got a hold of a book using the
Electron Current Theory, were electrons flow from + to -. Talk about confusing.
:o)
Thanks.
Wes

In news:%23PsQN2XsDHA.2244@TK2MSFTNGP09.phx.gbl,
Roger Abell <mvpNOSpam@asu.edu> hunted and pecked at the keyboard:
> As I recall, late in the beta they changed from having
> three levels of non-guest account to have only the two
> (admin and limited/restricted).
> At that point, the control userpasswords2 interface became
> "wrong" for Home, but not for Pro where Power Users was
> left as a defined group (just not surfaced in the control panel
> applet).
>
> Somehow they overlooked the switch for automatic login,
> leaving it only in the pwd 2 interface. However, when a
> person changes an account using that interface to no longer
> be a limited account and also makes it not an admin account
> then the account effectively disappears from all interfaces.
> There is no UI way to select it so that it can be made a member
> of Users (at which point it becomes again visible in the UI
> interfaces). When someone falls into this trap the route out is
> net localgroup Users accountname /add
>
> This is one of those places where there is no right/wrong.
> There is just history of how it is, and pragmatics of what to do.
>
>> Hi Roger;
>> That is all well and good. Which MS "rule" takes precedence?
>>
>> From KB817365
>> [The userpasswords2 applet should not be used on WINDOWS XP Home Edition as a
>> tool to edit or modify users. It is reserved for WINDOWS XP Professional
>> Edition. The reason for this is that userpasswords2 allows the user to
>> access to the 'Power Users' group which doesn't exist on WINDOWS XP Home
>> Edition.]
>>
>> Local Users and Groups (Local)
>> [This computer is running Windows XP Home Edition. This snapin may not be
>> used with that version of Windows. To manage user accounts for this
>> computer, use the User Accounts tool
>> in the Control Panel]
>> That is [control userpasswords]
>>
>> From KB315231
>> [You can also use the following steps to enable automatic logon without
>> editing the registry in Windows XP Home Edition and Windows XP Professional
>> (not joined to a domain):
>> Click Start, and then click Run.
>> In the Open box, type control userpasswords2, and then click OK.
>> In the dialog box that appears, clear the Users must enter a user name and
>> password to use this computer check box, and then click OK.]
>>
>> Or you can:
>> HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\WindowsNT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon
>> Value: AutoAdminLogon
>> Type: REG_SZ
>> Data: 1
>>
>> I don't know which MS "rule" would take precedence, so if someone does
>> not wish to edit the Registry, I would propose:
>> TweakUI
>> Logon
>> Autologon
>> Log on automatically at system startup
>> User name: XXXXXXXX
>> Description
>> Check the "Log on automatically at system startup" box to bypass the initial
>> logon dialog box by using the values provided above.
>> The password is stored in encrypted form.
>> To suppress autologon, hold the shift key while the system is starting.
>> ---
>> Wes
>>
>> In news:uiMKWCNsDHA.556@TK2MSFTNGP11.phx.gbl,
>> Roger Abell <mvpNOSpam@asu.edu> hunted and pecked at the keyboard:
>> > There seems to be one checkbox, for enabling/disabling automatic
>> > login, which is mentioned in the Help system as being in User Accounts,
>> > but which is available only in the pwds 2 interface.
>> >
>> >> Kent;
>> >> I don't quite understand what you mean by ["control userpasswords2" is
>> >> the 2K version.]
>> >> I missed the part about being on a network. On a stand alone machine,
>> >> with XP Home.
>> >> control userpasswords2 Brings up User Accounts, the one you would get
>> >> from My Computer/Manage/Local Users and Groups.
>> >> --
>> >> From KB817365
>> >> [The userpasswords2 applet should not be used on WINDOWS XP Home Edition
>> >> as a tool to edit or modify users. It is reserved for WINDOWS XP
>> >> Professional Edition. The reason for this is that userpasswords2 allows
>> >> the user to access to the 'Power Users' group which doesn't exist on
>> >> WINDOWS XP Home Edition.] Interesting, I see people recommending
>> >> using userpasswords2 all the time without regard to which version a user
>> >> has. --
>> >> control userpasswords Brings up User Accounts, the one you get from
>> >> Control Panel/User Accounts. This also brings up mshta.exe = Microsoft
>> >> (R) HTML Application host.
>> >> --
>> >> Wes
>> >>
>> >> In news:%23KloEx%23rDHA.4060@TK2MSFTNGP11.phx.gbl,
>> >> Kent W. England [MVP] <kwe@mvps.org> hunted and pecked at the keyboard:
>> >> > User Accounts is the XP version and "control userpasswords2" is the 2K
>> >> > version. They sure look different to me on a stand-alone computer.
>> >> >
>> >> >
>> >> > "Mike Matheny" <mikematheny@swbelldotnet> wrote in
>> >> > message news:eQTNKw7rDHA.540@tk2msftngp13.phx.gbl...
>> >> >> They both look identical to me (XP Pro part of a Win2K3 domain)

Relevant Pages