AUTOMATIC LOGIN sometimes fails

I have Windows 7 Pro 32 bit on an Email Server. I have set the user login list so that users ARE NOT required to login on startup. This feature works MOST of the time. However, about once a week, I will find the computer sitting at the login window waiting for someone to enter the login password. Since the system is on a UPS, power failure is not how it got there. My guess is that either Windows Update or perhaps Norton AV caused a system restart and that in that instance the "automatic login" failed to work.

My question: How do I REALLY eliminate 100% of the manual login on boot up requests?

Thanks
Joe

You get rid of Norton. Get something like Avast to manage viruses and spyware. But definately remove Norton. If you don't want to get rid of Norton, can you tell if this issue coinsides with when Norton is scheduled to update signatures and or the engine itself? MIght be a clue.

-JazMac

I did have AVAST as my AV program, but it let thru a Trojan so I gave that one up. Then I put in BitDefender and it worked fine, BUT it was continuously putting up messages "patting itself on the back" for a job well done. Since I have installed Norton, I have had no more virus problems so I would like to keep it.

No. At this time, I cannot say that it is Norton AV that is rebooting and failing to "automatically login" But as far as I know, only Win7 autoupdate and Norton are doing reboots due to autoupdates. I will turn the Norton AutoUpdates OFF and see if that fixes the problem.

Any other suggestions welcome.

Thanks.

Hi w2jo - Welcome to w7forums

Sooner or later any virus program will miss catching a virus. Might as well not use a virus program at all If you are going to turn your back when it misses one. Because eventually they all miss one.

Here is an article on your login issue - Automatic Login

I usually disable the guest login and delete all other accounts. If there is only one account, the login screen should not show during bootup. However if you have created a password for the account, the login screen will still show.

Thanks Clifford.. As noted in my original post.. I have already set up the Automatic Login feature (control userpasswords2). Unfortunately, I am occasionally getting a wait at the login screen despite that setup. I have deleted all users but the administrator.

I just noticed that Norton was waiting for me to authorize a reboot for a program update. I did authorize a reboot and the computer came back up running without any login screen. While not proof positive, this suggests that it is not Norton AV that is causing a reboot that stalls erroneously at the login window.

As to AV programs.. Well.. I have never gotten a virus or Trojan through while using BitDefender in about 6 computers in 2 years and now I have Norton in three more computers and it has not let one through either. While any AV program can make a mistake and let thru a virus because of not having the proper AV signature files, I will go with the ones that have not made a mistake for me as YET!

Thanks for your reply.

Joe

I am curious if you have found a fix for this issue. We are having similar intermittent issues now that we are deploying new POS systems with Windows 7 Enterprise.

We log on as the store account once so that the credentials are cached. Then we run the sysinternals autologon.exe to set the registry entries for automatic logon.

It works and the systems will auto login "most of the time" but not "every time".

Thanks,
Rickey

I got another version of Norton AV (the one from Comcast) and I have had no more problems. I did also remove the "guest" login so I cannot say for certain which one did the job.