With a couple of quick registry tweaks, you can configure a
Windows NT machine to both log on and power down automatically.

Automatic logons

Enabling a machine for automatic logons may seem to
contradict basic security rules. However, in some situations, you might need to
set up a Windows NT machine to log on automatically, completely bypassing the
standard logon sequence.

For example, this might be necessary for a remote print
server or another specialized application server. You can make this change with
a registry edit.

Follow these steps:

  1. To open the Registry Editor, go to Start | Run,
    enter regedt32 in the Open text box, and click OK.
  2. Navigate
    to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon.
  3. Choose
    a user account to use for the automatic logon, and change the value of
    DefaultUserName to the user account name.
  4. Add a
    new value, and name it AutoAdminLogon.
  5. Set
    the value’s data type to REG_SZ, and set its value to 1.
  6. Add
    another new value, and name it DefaultPassword.
  7. Set
    this value’s data type to REG_SZ, and set its value to the password of the
    user account.
  8. Exit
    the Registry Editor, and restart the system.

Whenever anyone logs off this computer, NT automatically logs
on the default user again, as specified in Step 3. To revert to requiring a
normal logon, change the value of AutoAdminLogon to 0.

Automatic power downs

You can also make a quick registry tweak to enable automatic
power downs in Windows NT—a nice feature Microsoft included in Windows 9x and
other editions but not in NT. You’re probably already familiar with this
feature, which you can recognize by Windows’ message, “It is now safe to
turn off your computer.”

Although you can’t make that message appear in NT, you can
still create the same result. By making a quick registry edit, you can
configure an NT system to automatically shut down when the user exits.

Follow these steps:

  1. Open the Registry Editor, and navigate to the
    same registry key as before.
  2. Double-click
    the PowerdownAfterShutdown entry, and change the value to 1.
  3. Exit
    the Registry Editor, and restart the system.

(Successful implementation of this tip requires the
installation of Service Pack 4, and you must have applied all flash BIOS
updates. In addition, some versions of the AwardBIOS don’t support this
registry edit.)

Note: Editing the
registry is risky, so be sure you have a verified backup before making any
changes.