I’m far to lazy to type my user name in every time I start up, I tried and searched for a solution to no avail, I asked on the ubuntu forums and user KryTarik pointed me at the document I needed.
Solution
1. The settings are stored in /etc/gdm/custom.conf
2. We need to edit that file (Applications > Accessories > Terminal), and execute the following command.
3. I am going to add my domain user object, and hide the local user I created, by adding the following.
I’m in the United Kingdom, and even when I set the UK Keyboard layout, Ubuntu wants to use a US keyboard layout for the logon/login screen. For most people this won’t be a problem, but if you log into a domain you need the @ symbol. A US Keyboard has that in a different place, it’s only a small niggle because I know where it is, but if it annoys me, it will be annoying someone else.
Solution
1. Login and open a terminal window (Applications > Accessories > Terminal,) and issue the following command.
[box]sud nano /etc/default/console-setupo[/box]
2. You will be asked for your password, supply it and edit the file as shown below, set the XKBMODEL value to pc105 (assuming you have a standard 105 key keyboard), and XKBLAYOUT set to gb.
3. Press CTRL+X to exit and save the file, after a reboot you should be on the correct keyboard layout on your logon screen.
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By default Windows will display the last user that successfully logged on, on shared machines or in a secure domain environment you might not want this..
Solution
On a Single (stand alone) machine.
1. Click start and in the run/search box type gpedit.msc{enter}
2. Navigate to > Computer Configuration > Windows settings > Security Settings > Local Policies > Security Options > “Interactive Logon: Do not display last user name”.
3. Simply enable the policy.
4. Reboot the PC or run gpupdate /force.
In a Windows Domain Environment
Note: This procedure was carried out Server 2008 R2.
1. On one of your domain controllers > Start > Administrative Tools > Group Policy Management Console > Either select and existing policy or create and link one to the COMPUTERS you want this policy to affect. Then edit the policy.
2. Navigate to > Computer Configuration > Policies > Windows settings > Security Settings > Local Policies > Security Options > “Interactive Logon: Do not display last user name”.
3. Tick to define the policy, and set it to enabled.
4. Reboot the PC or run gpupdate /force.
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Did a migration of a school the other week, afterwards it seems the “little darlings” had discovered that they could (from the logon screen) access the “Ease of access” settings and enable “High Contrast”, which is obviously hilarious, but annoying for their teachers.
Ease of Access, is designed as part of the accessibility options, and as such has no GPO settings, (I’m assuming because a policy that excludes disabled people would not be the best of things in a modern society). However when these options start to harm productivity we need a mechanism to enable and disable them. (At least then we can enable them for only the people that need them).
Anyway, it took me ages to get it turned off, heres how to do it.
Solution
1. On your domain controller , Start > Administrative Tools > Group Policy Management Console > Either create a new policy and link it to your targeted COMPUTERS or edit an existing one, then navigate to:
2. Right click “File system” > Add File > Type in the following;
[box]C:WindowsSystem32Utilman.exe[/box]
3. Click OK > Add in the Everyone group > Deny the following, Read and Execute, List Folder Contents, and Read > Apply > Yes > “Replace existing permissions….” > OK.
4. Then either reboot the clients, wait a couple of hours, or manually run “gpupdate /force” on them.
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This was asked on EE the other day, and I’ve been asked it before, so I put it on my list of “Articles to write up”. Windows by default will display all “Enabled” accounts on the welcome screen. In most cases that’s fine, but the poster had installed SQL and all the service accounts were listed.
Solution
Option 1
Updated 09/08/12
Site visitor (Fehlmann Paolo ) Emailed in to suggest a better method of removing users from the logon screen. Essentially this removes ALL the local accounts from the login screen and only leaves the username and password option.
1. Here’s my test machine setup with multiple local accounts.
2. Log as a user with administrative access > Start > In the Search/Run box type regedit {enter} > Navigate to the following key;
[box]HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE > SOFTWARE > Microsoft > Windows > CurrentVersion > Policies > System[/box]
Locate the ‘dontdisplaylastusername’ DWORD and change its value to 1 (number one).
3. Now you will get the following.
Option 2
1. Log on as a user with administrative rights and launch the registry editor.
4. Right click the SpecialAccounts key, and create a new key.
5. Call this one UserList.
6. In the right hand window, right click and create a new DWORD (32 bit) value.
7. Create a value for each account you want to hide. By default its value will be 0 (zero) to stop hiding an account (in you require this in the future), you can delete the DWORD or change its value to 1 (one).
Note: You CAN create a value for Administrator and hide that in this way, however it’s considered “Good Practice” to have the local administrators account disabled, so that’s what I’m going to do.
8. Right click Computer and select Manage.
9. Navigate to “Local Users and Groups” > Users > Administrator > Right click >Properties.
10. Set “Account is disabled” > Apply > OK.
11. Now we have a much cleaner welcome screen.
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