Discover the 'hidden' user control panel in Windows XP
Most folks who have used Windows XP are familiar with
the Users section of the control panel which exposes some user controls
but not others. There is in fact another user account panel in XP which
isn't directly exposed through the control panel interface, but which
can be accessed manually and provides some more options that normally
aren't available.
To access the other User Accounts control section, type control userpasswords2 from the command line or in the Run
dialog box (and press Enter or click OK). The dialog that appears will
list all the available users on the computer and provides you with some
other controls:
Add / Remove / Properties: Clicking Add will open
a simple Add User wizard, functionally similar to the one already in
Control Panel, but with a slightly different presentation. Remove will delete the selected user, and Properties will let you change their user name, description, or their group membership (standard user / restricted user / admin / etc.).
The Users must enter a user name and password to use this computer
checkbox is ticked by default. If for whatever reason you want to allow
people to log on without specifying any credentials, you can uncheck
this box. You will be prompted for a specific user account to log on
under by default.
The Reset Password button will allow you to reset the
system password for the Administrator account. Be warned that this can
have unexpected side effects if you use the Encrypted File System under
that user account. (Read "Resetting Local Passwords on Windows XP" in this document.)
The Advanced tab lets you manage stored passwords and
.NET Passport information, and open the Local Users and Groups snap-in
for detailed user account editing.
The Require users to press Ctrl+Alt+Delete option,
normally used to protect the login screen, is not enabled by default.
This was originally devised to prevent programs that mimic a logon from
stealing password information, but its effectiveness has been
questioned and it is now disabled by default in Windows XP.