Is it possible to create a User account that has access to a share, but won't show up on the Login screen?

Question

My two roommates and I all have Windows 7. I've shared two folders on one of my drives, I want to have Read-Write from my actual Admin account but I'd like for them to only have Read access.

I set up another User on my computer and gave that user Read permissions to the share, then I just told my roommates to go to Network -> log in to my shared folders using the new user + password I created.

I'm not sure if that's working for them, they haven't tried it yet, but that's irrelevant I guess. I don't want to have to select my own Admin account every time I boot up my PC when the other user I've created will never be physically accessing my computer directly so my question is this:

How can I prevent this regular User from showing up at the Login screen when I boot my computer? Or otherwise make it so that my Admin account is the "default" that gets prompted for a password so I don't need to click on it.

Answer 1

The user account for access to the share

Creating the user account isn't special. Just create a user account on the host machine as normal (according to your comments you have already done this). Ensure the user account that you have created have access to the share. The guest machine(s) (your roommate's machine) doesn't have to have an account by that name. The only thing he needs for logging in, access-wise, is to know the username and password.

To help you understand it better, he doesn't even need to have a windows machine. He could use a tablet a smart phone or any device including a scanner (most printers allow you to scan directly to a shared folder).

So the criterion for access to the shared folder is the provided username and password that you setup.

In this case the username and passwords you have already setup. Your username for administrator, read/write, and the other username for read only.

Hiding special account usernames

Edit the Registry adding the a dword value of the user's name with the value of "0".

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon\SpecialAccounts\UserList

In this key create a dword entry of the username. Right click on the username and specify the value of "0". By the way, zero is the default value of a new dword entry.

You can also save this as a file with the .reg extension and click on it to create the entry.

File named myreg.reg:

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon\SpecialAccounts\UserList]
"username"=dword:00000000

Be sure the file extension is *.reg" and not *.txt". You might have to check the extension using the cmd console.

Answer 2

You have done it... not quite right.

You should:

• Run lusrmgr (Win+r, type lusrmgr.msc).
• If you don't have a password for your user you have to add it now (security!) - select your user from Users and add a password ('RMB', 'Password setup...').
• Select Guests group from Groups.
• Add new users to Guests (Enter, Add... button, Localizations... button) from their machines by Network Neighbourhood.

You should consider adjustment of Guests group policies.

You don't need strictly to hide added Guests accounts, but autologon your default user:

• Run netplwiz (Win+r, type netplwiz).
• Select your user from user list.
• Uncheck Users must enter user name and password to use this computer.
• Apply and enter you password - password is not validated here, so you have to enter correct password to autologon successfully.

And of course you should then:

• Share desired folders with Guests user group.