First, please note that this is for Windows XP users only. It may work with Win2K, but I doubt it will work with other versions. Only having XP, I can't test this.
If you don't have a password (the computer automatically logs you on) then this article doesn't apply to you.
But if your account requires you to log on every time, and you're the only user of the machine (or the one that uses it most), this article is for you.
In this article, I will describe how to set up your PC to load all the startup items before you enter your password. It doesn't decrease the overall startup time, it just makes it all into one. So instead of taking, say, a minute to get to the logon screen and then, after you enter your password, 2 minutes to get to the desktop and ready for use, it'll take 3 minutes to get to the stage where you enter your password and it'll be ready for use. So you can go and leave it to load up while you have a cup of coffee or something, and you won't need to wait after you enter your password.
On with the article.
First, download and install
Microsoft's free TweakUI tool, which has many uses besides what it is used for here.
Then open it up, and expand the "logon" item in the left hand column.
Click "Autologon".
Check the box that says “Log on automatically at system startup”
Click the “Set Password” button and enter in your windows login password
Click OK and close Tweak UI.
Go to Start > Run and type in “regedit” and press OK. Browse to [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run] and create a new String Value. Name it “Lock Computer on Startup“, and set the value to “rundll32.exe user32.dll, LockWorkStation“
Note: While you are in the registry, be very careful and change nothing else. It's very easy to turn a PC into a doorstop with the wrong change.Now, when you boot up your computer, it will automatically log you in to your desktop and start up your programs. However, it will lock your computer, requiring you to enter your password to access it.
I use this trick, because I frequently leave my PC booting up whilst I am elsewhere. It used to annoy me that nothing would load whilst it was on the logon screen, so this seemed the ideal solution - it now loads while I am elsewhere, and when I unlock my PC it's ready to roll.
Remember that this will not reduce startup time though.
Another important thing to note is that starting in safe mode bypasses all startup items, including this, so starting in safe mode doesn't require a password, which can reduce security.
