Autologon and AutoLogonCount Parameters for Windows Unattended Setup (221477)


The information in this article applies to:

  • Microsoft Windows 2000 Server
  • Microsoft Windows 2000 Advanced Server
  • Microsoft Windows 2000 Professional
  • Microsoft Windows 2000 Datacenter Server
This article was previously published under Q221477

SUMMARY

Windows unattended Setup parameters include an option to log on the administrator automatically and the number of times this will occur. These items are specified in the [GuiUnattended] section of the answer file:

Autologon = YES|NO
AutoLogonCount = %number_of_logons%

This behavior may be useful in deployment scenarios in which a reboot is required before continuing, but you do not want to leave this feature enabled.

MORE INFORMATION

The values are placed in the following registry location:

HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon

Each time the computer is restarted and the administrator is automatically logged on, the AutoLogonCount value is decremented by one until the count reaches zero. The automatic logon occurs only when the computer is rebooted, not when the user logs off. Once the AutoLogonCount value reaches zero, the AutoAdminLogon value is set to 0 (disabled), and the AutoLogonCount value in the Winlogon key is removed.

NOTE: For the automatic administrator logon to work, the Administrator account must have a password. a null passwords is allowed only one time before the AutoAdminLogon value is set to 0 (disabled).
Modification Type:MajorLast Reviewed:5/26/2006
Keywords:kbenv kbinfo kbsetup KB221477
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