Logging On to Microsoft Windows

Introduction

As you know, you have to log on to your Windows computer every time you start it up in the morning. You either type or click on your user name, and then type your password. This is how you identify yourself to your computer in a secure manner, so it can load your personalized settings and give you access to the programs and files you're allowed to use.

This article covers some basics about logging on, and how to deal with common problems. There is a new section on logging in through Remote Desktop near the end. This article is geared for computers that are part of a properly-configured business network with at least one Windows Server. The descriptions and instructions here won't apply to computers on a serverless office network or at your home. With such computers, depending on how they're configured, logging on to your user account is a much simpler process.

How to Log On

To get started, you might have to press the Ctrl+Alt+Delete key combination to activate the logon screen. If you're completely unfamiliar with this or not sure how to do it, click here (the link opens in a new window).

For highly secure networks, your company may issue smart cards for logging on instead of assigning you a user name and password. In this case, you don't have to know your password—it's stored on the smart card, and no one can log on to your account without that physical card. For additional security, you have to type a numerical PIN to use the card (usually 4 to 8 digits); this prevents someone from easily logging on with your account by stealing your card. To log on with a smart card, insert the card into the slot, press Ctrl+Alt+Delete, click on your name if you see it, and enter your PIN. If you are trying to log on using a computer that does not have a slot for your card, you cannot log on with your card.

Problems Logging On

Most networks utilize user names and passwords, not smart cards, so that's what we'll cover in the rest of this article. And the most common problem you will have when logging on is that the user name or password are wrong. When this happens, you will see a message like one of the two below, depending on your version of Windows.

Windows 2000 and Windows XP:

Windows Vista and Windows 7:

Windows is cagey on purpose about whether it's the user name or the password you got wrong. The idea is to make it harder for someone to guess a correct combination.

If you see a message that your account has been disabled or the logon server is unavailable, then your problem has nothing to do with your user name or password, and you should contact your system administrator for help.

Wrong Password

Many users think there is a problem with their account and call for help, but they are simply typing the password wrong. This is more likely to happen on a Monday (seriously!).

But, it is not always that the password happened to slip your mind. There are other causes, such as a sticky key on the keyboard or a "fat finger". Or, the Caps Lock might be enabled. Since your Windows password is case-sensitive, typing it with Caps Lock will mean you're typing it wrong, but you can't tell because you can't see what you're typing. This problem is less likely in current versions of Windows, which can detect Caps Lock and warn you if it is on.

A similar problem can occur if you use the number pad on the right side of your keyboard when you have digits in your password. If the Number Lock is not enabled, keypresses on the number pad won't be registered. It's not always easy to tell if the Number Lock is enabled; so, to avoid this problem, get in the habit of always using the number keys that run horizontally above the letters on your keyboard for typing passwords.

What's frustrating is that all of these problems would be avoided if Windows allowed you the option to see what you're typing when entering your password. But, conventional security practice forbids this, so secure versions of Windows do not allow it.

Sometimes it's not a typo or keyboard problem; you might simply have gotten your Windows password mixed up with the password for something else. Many users run various programs that they must log on to throughout the day. Examples include a specialized billing application, customer management software, web-based e-mail, or a password-protected QuickBooks file. If this sounds like your situation, consider whether you have absent-mindedly typed the password for something else when having problems logging on to Windows.

Finally, you might be typing the wrong password through no fault of your own, because an IT system administrator changed your password overnight. If an IT system administrator needs to log on to your computer using your account (for example, to test a new application or fix a problem particular to your user account), and you've already left for the day, he will change your password first to something he knows, then use that to log on as you. This is because there is no mechanism for anyone, even an administrator, to see what your password is. Of course, a good administrator will notify you in advance that he's going to change your password, instead of relying on your calling the Help Desk when you come in the next morning and find you can't log on. But, there are sloppy administrators out there.

Wrong User Name

In its default configuration, Windows will remember the last user that logged on, and display that user name automatically, so you only have to type your password. Windows was designed this way for convenience, but it can cause problems.

See, some people get so used to this that they never look. They come in to start their day, hit Ctrl+Alt+Delete, type their password, press Enter, and they're in. The problem is, if someone else with an account on the network logs on to the same computer overnight or over the weekend, that last person's name will now appear on the logon screen. When the regular user comes in and types his password without looking, he will get one of the two messages shown above, saying his user name or password is wrong.

So, to avoid this problem, make sure your user name is correct before you type your password.

If you have Windows XP (or still run Windows 2000), your logon screen will look something like the picture below. If the user name is not yours, just move the cursor into the "User name" box, and replace what's there with your user name.

In Windows Vista and Windows 7, entering your user name is a bit more complicated. The main logon screen looks like this:

To enter a different user name, you first must click the Switch User button. That will bring up this screen:

Click Other User, and you will then see the screen below, which allows you to type in your user name as well as your password. (Windows Vista and Windows 7 present the intermediary screen above to give you a chance to select a smart card to log on with; here you would see a separate icon for each smart card that's inserted into the computer.)

Windows Vista and Windows 7 allow multiple users to be logged on to the same computer at once (see the article on Logging off Windows for more information about this). If there is anyone logged on already, then when you hit Ctrl+Alt+Delete, you will see icons for all the users that are logged on, which might look something like this:

If you're logged on already, you can click on the icon for your account, enter your password, and get back in to your active logon session. If not, you can still click Other User and log on with another account.

By the way, the flower icon is the default image for all user accounts. You can change yours in the Control Panel.

Additional Troubleshooting Notes

Keep in mind that none of the advice or instructions above will help if you don't know your user name and password. Some users don't know their password because they leave their computer logged on day after day. That's fine until the power goes out or your computer crashes and reboots. Similarly, a user who does log off and on regularly can go for years without ever typing his user name if no one else ever uses his computer. If this sounds familiar, you might find yourself at a loss trying to log back on after someone else logs on to your computer with another account.

If you're observant, you might have noticed a few references to a domain above. On virtually all networks, selecting the correct domain will not be an issue. However, if you'd like to read about domains and their role in logging on, click here.

Remote Desktop

You can use Remote Desktop to log on to your computer from another computer across your office network or over the Internet, if your IT system administrator has enabled the capability. If you connect to a computer that you share with others, keep in mind that only one person can be actively logged on to the computer at a time, and how this is handled depends on the version of Windows running on the target computer.

Windows XP

Windows Vista and Windows 7

So, that's how Remote Desktop works between two different users. If you don't share your computer, Remote Desktop logons are much easier to deal with. Even if you leave your user account logged on to your computer at the office, when you connect from home using Remote Desktop with the same logon account, the active logon session will simply switch to your remote computer, with everything open exactly as it appeared on the other computer, with no warning messages necessary. To anyone who sits down at your office computer, it will appear no one is logged on, providing you with privacy.

Read the article about a related topic: Logging off Microsoft Windows

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