Member Avatar for Loopah

I wanted to have Windows XP prompt me for CTRL+ALT+DEL on startup but after viewing this site ()
I couldn't find an Advanced Tab. Why does my PC not have the Advanced Tab?

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Short expert note on what went wrong (and how to finish this safely).

The missing Advanced tab that saw is usually a UI/edition issue, not a bug. If the friendly "Welcome" logon is active the normal User Accounts panel hides the secure-logon option; using the Advanced User Accounts dialog (netplwiz / control userpasswords2) or turning off the Welcome screen exposes the secure-logon controls. Also, the Local Security Policy snap‑in (secpol.msc) is provided with Windows XP Professional — XP Home does not include it, so you won’t see that Administrative Tools option there. (learn.microsoft.com)

Important clarification about the policy value (this fixes the confusion in ’s first post): the policy name is deliberately awkward. “Interactive logon: Do not require CTRL+ALT+DEL” — if that policy is Enabled, users do NOT have to press Ctrl+Alt+Del. If it is Disabled, users MUST press Ctrl+Alt+Del before the logon dialog appears. Domain Group Policy can also override local settings, so check domain policy if applicable. (learn.microsoft.com)

If you do not have secpol.msc (XP Home) or prefer the registry, the system uses a DisableCAD DWORD to control this behaviour. The Local Security Policy writes a DisableCAD value under Policies\System; older/legacy locations (Winlogon) are also used by some builds — value 0 = require Ctrl+Alt+Del, 1 = do not require. Always back up the registry before changing it and reboot to apply. Example (run from an elevated command prompt): 

reg add "HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon" /v DisableCAD /t REG_DWORD /d 0 /f

Verify both registry locations if one change doesn’t take effect. (learn.microsoft.com)

If, after configuring, the Secure Logon still doesn’t appear, test with a different keyboard or the on‑screen keyboard (to rule out a hardware/KVM issue), and remember you can temporarily force the classic logon at the Welcome screen by pressing Ctrl+Alt+Del twice. Keep a restore point or registry backup before edits. (forums.tomshardware.com)

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Member Avatar for Dortz

They changed things around for XP i think... i don't know why M$ didn't update thier site...

anyway, here's a step-by-step:

Control panel:
Administrative Tools:
Local Security Settings:
Local Policies:
Security Options:

Look over in the right side now for
Interactive Logon: Do Not Require CTRL+ALT+DELETE:

switch 'Interactive Logon' to 'Enable' and apply.

there you go, enjoy!

Member Avatar for Loopah

Thank you.

Member Avatar for Loopah

Hmmm... I enabled and it didn't work, and I disabled it and it didn't work. Not sure what the deal is.

Member Avatar for Dortz

ok, i went and made an ass of myself for not making sure the method worked first...

you need to disable the windows logon screen, so that the 'secure' logon box comes up instead. with that done (control panel, user accounts, change the way users logon) go back to 'Interactive Logon' and select 'Disable.'

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