Windows 10 Pro. Force the Login Screen to appear on every Boot-up.

This is a "Real Question" though it may not sound like one.

I have a User whose Surface Pro has two user accounts. One is her Microsoft Account, one is a "local account".
The purpose for the local account is to provide her with a way to open Windows in the event she cannot get her normal Microsoft account to open. This usually happens due to password problems, (she forgets what it currently is). I gave her a local account with no password so she could access the Web to contact me for help with accessing her Microsoft Account when needed.

I have seen plenty of of methods for "By Passing" the login screen but in her case I need the opposite. When the Login screen is bypassed, Windows opens to her Local Account where all of her "things" are gone. (Yes, this is a Real Problem I am not making this up

The 'fix' for this (once it happens) is to Right click START, Choose "Sign out, which takes her to the normal Sign In screen where she can choose her Microsoft Account.

The Best "fix" would be a way to get Windows 10 to always display the Login Screen at Start even if her Local Account has no password? She probably accidentally logged in as "Local" and afterward it becomes the default login. Is there a key somewhere in the registry or setting in SecPol to make the login screen appear every time the system starts?

I think one of Murphy's Corollaries states that "The road to Hell is paved with Good Intentions" . Having that local account has saved her many times but now it has become a problem in its own right. Giving it a password would defeat the usefulness as she simply cannot remember it no matter what I make it.

PS: As a possible partial help, is there a one-step command that would take her directly to the login screen. Then I could make a Desktop Shortcut for it as she has a hard time with right click vs left click on START?

You could force Ctrl+Alt+Del on every log on. Then you always have to pick the user.

https://www.tenforums.com/tutorials/1...dows-10-a.html

Would that help?

Unfortunately, it doesn't seem to help. Once Windows gets logged in to the "User with no password", for whatever reason, even this doesn't help. Windows defaults to the "User with No Password" is the problem. Even with this enabled, once you press Ctrl+Alt+Del, it goes direct to that user. Windows is not offering the login screen choices is the problem. I can still get there the same way by Signing out, then signing back in. But it still has to be done.

questorfla said:

PS: As a possible partial help, is there a one-step command that would take her directly to the login screen. Then I could make a Desktop Shortcut for it as she has a hard time with right click vs left click on START?

That is a shame.

Perhaps as an interim measure you could make this shortcut which will force (-f) log off (-l)

Make the target C:\Windows\System32\shutdown.exe -l -f

Thanks Ix07, I will try that one too. I also just found another work-around for how to get back to the sign in screen (if you have the latest version of windows 10). Clicking Start now shows the 'Universal Blob' that is your user, in the far left column at the top where you can you can just click it and choose sign out with no right click needed and then you are taken to the sign in screen.


But I am still puzzled by the default action locking you to the user with no password as the default login if you ever use it. Which then requires that you somehow go back to the login screen to be able to choose to login with the correct user which HAS a password. Otherwise rebooting takes you directly into the user with No Password until you do that.

If you want to show windows spotlight at every startup then you can use this trick:

- Go to "C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows"
- Get yourself proper permission to open and write "SystemData" folder (if you don't know how then google it)
- There should be a 2 folder in there, one of them is "S-1-5-18" and the other one is random i think
- Continue open "S-1-5-18\ReadOnly" and you will find a folder name "LockScreen_Z", backup that folder then delete it
- Open Cmd (not PowerShell) and enter the following command:

"mklink /j \C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\SystemData\S-1-5-18\ReadOnly\LockScreen_Z C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\SystemData\THE-OTHER-FOLDER\ReadOnly\LockScreen_O"

- Replace "THE-OTHER-FOLDER" with the name of the other folder that i mentioned before
- Done, enjoy, just avoid refresh the image manualy because there is a chance windows will use a local image instead of the online one and make your startup screen turn blank blue (in that case, simply wait until windows finished download a new online picture and you good to go)