Automatically login Windows XP

Don says, "I am the only one who uses my home computer, is there a way to do away with the windows log on screen?"

Keep in mind automatically logging a user in without a password is a potential security risk. Even when you are the only person who uses your computer, there is potential for your computer to be stolen and with it any personal information contained within. Realizing it's fairly unlikely anyone will steal your computer from your house, there's a great deal of convenience in having your computer automatically log you in during the boot process. The update for Windows XP for .NET 1.1, which is required for many applications to function properly, switches off automatic login on your computer because it adds a special user account to your system. You need to keep this special user account on your system, but you can restore the automatic login by changing a few settings.

To change your login settings, click Start > Run (Windows Key+R) and type control userpasswords2. Uncheck the box next to Users must enter a user name and password to use this computer.

When you click the Apply button, the Automatically Log On window will pop up. Enter your username and password in the appropriate boxes. The next time you reboot your system, it should log you in automatically.

A second option is to download TweakUI from Microsoft's PowerToys collection. Expand the Logon options and click Autologon. Check the box next to Log on automatically at system startup. Enter your username and password.