Published by

**Brink** · 04 Sep 2007

How to Make Vista Require a User Name and Password at Logon

Information

This will change the logon procedure in Vista to require all users to type in their user name and password instead of selecting their user icon and typing in just their password to logon their user account. This is like the old classic Windows logon screen.

Note

For the user name, you would type your account's User name, or to logon to a domain, you would type Domain Name (Computer Name)/User name instead. If you have no password, then just leave the field empty. You can press TAB or SHIFT+TAB to move between the User name and Password fields if you entered something incorrectly. See the example screenshot below.

EXAMPLE: User Name and Password Logon Screen
NOTE: See the NOTE box at the top of the tutorial. However, with this option the user display picture will be blank, since there is no actual user icon now.

OPTION ONE

Using a REG File Download

1. To Enable User Name and Password Logon

A) Click on the Download button below to download the file below.

Enable_Username&Password_Logon.reg

B) Go to step 3.

2. To Restore the Default Logon

A) Click on the Download button below to download the file below.

Restore_Default_Logon.reg

3. Click on Save, and save the .reg file to the Desktop.

4. Right click on the download .reg file and click on Merge.

5. Click on Run, Continue (UAC), Yes, and then OK when prompted.

6. When done, you can delete the downloaded .reg file if you like.
NOTE: The next time you go to a log on screen, you will be required to enter your user name and password to logon to Vista in your user account.

7. You may also wish to set the same setting for the locked computer screen: How to Display User Information or Not when a Windows Session is Locked

OPTION TWO

Manually in Registry Editor

1. Open the Start Menu.

2. In the white line (Start Search) area, type regedit and press Enter.

3. Click on Continue in the UAC prompt.

4. In regedit, go to: (See screenshot below step 5)

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\System

5. In the right pane, right click on dontdisplaylastusername and click on Modify.

6. To Enable User Name and Password Logon

A) Type 1 and click on OK. (See screenshot below step 7)

B) Go to step 8.

7. To Restore the Default Logon

A) Type 0 (number zero) and click on OK.

8. Close regedit.
NOTE: The next time you go to a logon screen, you will be required to enter your user name and password to logon to Vista for your user account.

9. You may also wish to set the same setting for the locked computer screen: How to Display User Information or Not when a Windows Session is Locked

That's it,
Shawn

Related Tutorials

**Mikhayah** · 14 Jan 2008

i tried this and it errored out when i clicked okay. i did this from a user account that is not the admin. Any suggestions? i need this TO get Vista to prompt for the username so i can type in the correct username for the admin account.

**Brink** · 14 Jan 2008

Hi Mikhayah,

Yes, this is normal. You will need to do this tutorial in a Administrator account or provide the Administrator password when prompted by UAC.

Shawn

**Mikhayah** · 15 Jan 2008

Man, that's really rough. It's hard to believe that MS never thought that someone might put in a wrong Username and need to type it in correct; as there is no way to type in a correct password for a wrong Username. That's really a HUGE flaw of Vista. People type things in wrong and need to be able to change it without reinstalling the entire OS.

**Brink** · 15 Jan 2008

LOL Mikhayah,

I thought you were talking about doing the tutorial. LOL

You can press Tab or Shift+Tab to go back to Username to re-enter it.

Shawn

**Mikhayah** · 15 Jan 2008

Nah, the tutorial seems fine, but it's just not working in my case.

Also, i just tried tab and tab-shift and it just moved around to everything (as tab does), but didn't open a field for Username.

**Brink** · 15 Jan 2008

Mikhayah,

Strange. After I entered a wrong username and password on purpose, I got the error like you. I clicked OK, then was able to press Tab to move back and forth between the Username and Password field.

Shawn

**Mikhayah** · 15 Jan 2008

Crap. That stinks man. It's just not happening on my end.

**Brink** · 15 Jan 2008

Mikhayah,

I would just go back to the default of just typing in the password for the user account.

Is it not showing your Administrator account display picture asking for the password using the default logon?

Shawn

**Mikhayah** · 16 Jan 2008

Yeah, it's super weird man... i type in the password and it says it's denied and that it is "either" a wrong password "or" a wrong username...

Well the thing is that under users, there is the ORIGINAL name and not the saved one, AND the password hint is the original password hint.

The image is the image that was used for the original username. Only the typed in name for the username is different... a name my wife was trying to change it to, but it said it didn't happen (and again, under users it is not listed). i just can't get it to prompt me for a different username.

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