I know this is really, really old – but, I was asked this question the other day and wanted to bookmark it on my site for future reference.
Problem:
When I boot my Windows XP computer, I would like to always boot into a specific user account and I would like that user account to run an executable other than Windows Explorer (explorer.exe), such as a LabVIEW executable, otherwise known as Kiosk Mode. How can I accomplish this?
Solution:
Kiosk Mode is useful when you want to have a dedicated computer or user account to boot directly into a specific executable other than Windows Explorer (explorer.exe). This restricts the user’s access to other aspects of the computer.
To configure the computer to automatically log into a specific user account, you will need to modify the Windows Registry. Do this carefully by following these steps:
Click Start»Run.
Type the command regedit. Click OK.
Browse to the following registry key:HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE»Software»Microsoft»Windows NT»CurrentVersion»Winlogon.
Double-click the DefaultUserName entry and enter in the name of the user account that you want to automatically log into. Click OK.
Double-click the DefaultPassword entry and enter in the password for the user account that you want to log into. Click OKIf there is not a DefaultPassword entry, create the value using the following steps:
Go to Edit»New»String Value.
Name the new value DefaultPassword and press Enter.
Double-click the newly created entry and enter in the password for the user account that you want to log into. Click OK.
NOTE: If no DefaultPassword string is specified, Windows XP automatically changes the value of the AutoAdminLogon registry key from 1 (true) to 0 (false) to turn off the AutoAdminLogonfeature.
Double click the AutoAdminLogon entry and enter in 1 for its Value Data. Click OK.If there is not an AutoAdminLogon entry, create the value using the following steps:
Go to Edit»New»String Value.
Name the new value AutoAdminLogon and press Enter.
Double-click the newly created entry and enter in 1 for its Value Data. Click OK.
Close the Registry Editor by going to File»Exit or by clicking the red X in the top right corner of the window.
Restart the computer by going to Start»Shutdown and then select Restart.
To configure a specific account to boot into Kiosk Mode, you will need to modify the Windows Registry. Do this carefully by following these steps:
Log into the user account that you wish to boot into Kiosk Mode.
Click Start»Run.
Type the command regedit. Click OK.
Browse toHKEY_CURRENT_USER»Software»Microsoft»Windows NT»CurrentVersion»Winlogon.
Add a new string value to this registry by going to Edit»New»String Value and name it Shell.
Double-click on this new string value and enter in the path to the executable you want to run instead of explorer.exe (e.g. C:LV StartupMyLabVIEWVI.exe).
Log out of the user account and log back in.
By combining these two configurations, you can set up your Windows XP machine to automatically bypass the user logon screen and boot into a specific user account that will run any executable you build instead of Windows Explorer (explorer.exe). You may want to customize the appearance of the executable by modifying its VI Properties. For example, you can have the executable maximize to fill the entire screen by changing the Position option is set to Maximized in the Window Run-Time Position category. You can also customize the Windows Appearance category so that user cannot close or resize the executable.
TIP: If you want to change the executable that is being run for a specific account, but are having trouble getting back to the Registry Editor because there is no longer a Start Menu, you can press Ctrl-Alt-Delete and select to run the Task Manager (if it not already running). Then select File»New Task (Run…) and type regedit in the box that pops up and click OK. This will run the Registry Editor.