Knowledge Base Article

Enabling Automatic Logon and Logoff in Windows and DeltaV

Article ID: AP-0800-0075

Publish Date: 10 Oct 2017
Article Status: Approved
Article Type: General Product Technical Information
Required Action: Information Only

Recent Article Revision History:

Revision/Publish Description of Revision
10 Oct 2017 Updated the Note in Table 1 to indicate that DeltaV v13.3.1 does not support Windows
Autologon.
(See end of article for a complete revision history listing.)

Affected Products:
Product Line Category Device Version
DeltaV Upgrade Offline Upgrade
DeltaV Upgrade Online Upgrade
DeltaV Workstation Software VE210x DeltaV Workstation v7.x, v8.x,
v9.x, v10.x,
v11.3.x,
v12.3.x,
v13.3.x
 IMPORTANT:
This procedure could create security vulnerabilities. Best practice is to only enable auto logon for users without
administrative privilege.
On Windows Embedded operating systems, the Legal Caption Notice informs users that Microsoft licensing
prohibits the computer to be used as a general purpose computer; it is only licensed as a DeltaV appliance. Each
user is required to agree to the End User License Agreement (EULA) that is found at the root folder of the C:\ drive.

This Knowledge Base Article, AP-0800-0075, details the procedures for configuring Windows Auto Logon and DeltaV
Auto Logon and Auto Logoff. Follow the procedure that applies to you:
A. Windows Auto Logon
B. DeltaV Auto Logon using the UserSettings.grf file
C. DeltaV Auto Logon and Auto Logoff using the DeltaV Screen Saver
The following table shows the applicable procedures per DeltaV version:

DeltaV System Version A B C

7.2 X X X (1)
7.3 X X X (1)
7.4.x X X X (1)
8.3 X X X (1)
8.4.x X X X (1)
9.3.x X X X (1)
10.3.x X X (3) X (2)
11.3.x X X (3) X (2)
12.3 X X (3) X (2)
12.3.1 X X(3) X (2)
13.3 X X(3) X (2)
13.3.1 (4) X(3) X (2)

Note:
X – The procedure applies to this DeltaV version
(1) – DeltaV Screen Saver is not supported on remote terminal sessions for this DeltaV version.
(2) – Refer to the DeltaV Book s Online topic, Using DeltaV Screen Saver and DeltaV Autologon, for details
on these functions.
(3) – DeltaV Autologon can be used instead of the modifications to the UserSettings.grf to perform this
function. Refer to the DeltaV Book s Online topic DeltaV FlexLock (DeltaV Autologon section) for details on
this function.
(4) DeltaV v13.3.1 does not support Windows Auto Logon. For more information, please contact the Global
Service Center.
A. Windows Auto Logon
Follow these steps to use the Registry Editor to set up the logon information:

WARNING: Serious issues might occur if you modify the registry incorrectly. These issues might require that
you reinstall the operating system. Please follow the steps below carefully.

The following procedure is also available on the Microsoft Help and Support site.
1. Click Start, and then Run. Type “regedit”, and then click OK.
2. Locate the following registry key:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHI NE\SOFTWARE\ Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon
3. Double-click on the DefaultUserName registry string value. Type the desired username, and then click OK.
If there is no DefaultUserName registry string value, create it by doing the following:
a. In the Registry Editor, click Edit  New, and then select String Value.
b. Type “DefaultUserName” as the value name, and then press the ENTER key.
c. Double-click the newly-created key, and then type the username in the Value Data box.
4. Double-click the on DefaultPassword registry string value. Type the desired password in the Value Data box,
and then click OK.
If there is no DefaultPassword registry string value, create it by doing the following steps:
a. In the Registry Editor, click Edit New, and then select String Value.
b. Type DefaultPassword as the value name, and then press the ENTER key.
c. Double-click the newly-created key, and then type the password in the Value Data box.
5. Double-click on the DefaultDomainName registry string value. Type the computername (local user) or
domainname (domain user) in the Value Data box, and then click OK.
If there is no DefaultDomainName registry string value, create it by doing the following steps:
a. In the Registry Editor, click Edit  New, and then select String Value.
b. Type the DefaultDomainName as the value name, and then press the ENTER key.
c. Double-click the newly created key, and then type the computername or the domainname in the Value Data
box.
6. Double-click on the AutoAdminLogon registry string value. Type “1” in the Value Data box, and then click OK.
If there is no AutoAdminLogon registry string value, create it by doing the following steps:
7. In the Registry Editor, click Edit  New, and then select String Value.
a. Type “AutoAdminLogon” as the value name, and then press the ENTER key.
b. Double-click on the newly-created key, and then type “1” in the Value Data box.

Note: If the DefaultPassword registry string value does not exist, Windows automatically changes the value
of the AutoAdminLogon registry string value from “1” (true) to “0” (false) to turn off the AutoAdminLogon
feature.

8. If the AutoLogonCount registry value exists, delete it.

9. Close the Registry Editor.
 10. Click StartShutdownRestart, and then click OK. Windows will log on automatically after the computer
restarted.

Note:
This procedure applies only to the first logon. To enforce this setting for future logoffs, locate the following
registry string value and set the value of ForceAutoLogon to 1.
If the ForceAutoLogon registry string value does not exist, create it by doing the following:
1. In the Registry Editor, click Edit, then New. Click String Value.
2. Type ForceAutoLogon as the value name, then press the ENTER k ey.
3. Double-click the newly-created k ey, then type 1 in the Value Data box.
To bypass the Windows Auto Logon and logon as a different user, hold down the SHIFT k ey after logoff or
after Windows restarts. On Windows Vista, press and hold down the SHIFT k ey just before the Windows
Vista splash screen is displayed during restart.
In a Windows Embedded Operating System, the legal notice caption may be disabled by doing the following
steps:
1. Locate the following registry k ey:
2. [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWA RE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\P olicies\System]
3. Click on "legalnoticecaption" and delete the content.
4. Click on "legalnoticetext" and delete the content.

B. DeltaV Auto Logon using the UserSettings.grf file

This procedure shows you how to modify the UserSettings.grf file when adding scripts, thereby enabling DeltaV Auto
Logon, and to modify it for system-wide application.
For information on setting up the UserSettings.grf file, refer to AP-0600-0092: Changes in DeltaV Operate in DeltaV v8.4
and v8.4.1:
1. Open the UserSettings.grf file in DeltaV Operate (Configure) mode to edit the script.
2. Locate the declarations at the top. Below Option Explicit, add the following line:
Dim RetVal As Integer
3. Under On Error GoTo ErrorHandler, add the following line. Replace “administrator” and “deltav” with the
username and corresponding password of the user account that will be automatically logged on to DeltaV.
RetVal = Shell("c:\deltav\bin\hlo.exe -user administrator -password deltav", vbHide)

Note: For a Windows Server 2016 domain controller, specify the domain name with the login credentials on
the script. Example, if v1331 is the domain name, the script to use is:
RetVal = Shell("c:\deltav\bin\hlo.exe -user v1331\administrator -password deltav", vbHide)

4. Save and exit from Microsoft Visual Basic – Project_UserSettings.

5. On the DeltaV FlexLock , click Autorun DeltaV Operate.

6. Restart the machine to launch DeltaV Operate in Run mode. Note that in the DeltaV Operate application window,
the Username will show the specified user. For example, in step 3, Administrator is shown as the logged-in user
in DeltaV, while the current user in DeltaV Logon window is <none>.
 7. Close and re-open the DeltaV Logon window. This will refresh the Current user field.

Note: To enable DeltaV Autologon for DeltaV v10.3, select DeltaV Autologon as shown below.

In Windows XP or Vista work station with enabled Autologon feature, an issue may occur wherein initial logon
to DeltaV is unsuccessful when the machine is restarted and the user is immediately logged in to Windows –
either manually or via Autologon. If this issue is encountered, refer to AP-0900-0138: Initial DeltaV Logon
May Fail When "DeltaV Autologon" and Windows Auto Logon Are Enabled on Windows XP SP3 and
Windows Vista SP1 Work stations.

C. DeltaV Auto Logon and Auto Logoff using the DeltaV Screen Saver
The DeltaV screen saver can be used to automatically log off the current DeltaV user after being idle for a certain number
of minutes. It can also be used to automatically log on a user. Each workstation must be separately configured to use the
DeltaV screen saver.
Instructions for setting up the DeltaV screen saver for auto logoff and auto logon are detailed in DeltaV Book s Online
under System Administration and Maintenance > Recommended Maintenance Practices.
The following section shows the procedures to configure a group policy to enable the DeltaV Screen Saver auto logon and
logoff
 on multiple users on a machine,
 on Remote Desktop (terminal) sessions, and/or
 on multiple machines on a domain.

I. Configuring the Screen Saver Group Policy on Windows Server 2003

Note: If the machine is in a work group type “gpedit.msc” in Start -> Run, then click OK to open the Group
Policy Object Editor window.

1. Configure the DeltaV Screen Saver as desired for auto logon or logoff. Follow the procedure in DeltaV Books
Online.
2. Set up an organizational unit that should contain the domain users. Use Active Directory Users and Computers.
3. Create and add a Screen Saver group policy to this organizational unit. In Active Directory Users and Computers,
right-click on the organizational unit, click Properties, and then go to Group Policy tab.
 4. In the Group Policy Object Editor, navigate to User Configuration | Administrative Templates | Control Panel |
Display or User Configuration | Administrative Templates | Control Panel | Personalization.
Specify the following settings:
 Hide Screen Saver tab — Enable. This setting is optional, but recommended. After setting up the DeltaV
Screen Saver as a group policy, any changes to its settings must be done here rather than in the Display
Properties for the desktop.
 Screen Saver (or Enable Screen Saver) — Enable
 Screen Saver executable name (or Force Specific Screen Saver) — Enabled. Specify
DeltaVScreenSaver.scr.
 Password protect the screen saver — Disabled
 Screen Saver timeout — Enabled. Specify the number of seconds of idle timeout before auto-logoff occurs.

Note: User Group Policy may fail to apply, and will require giving Authenticated Users group with Read
Permissions and/or Domain Computers group with Read Permissions. Please see MS Article 3163622 for
more details.

II. Configuring the Screen Saver Group Policy on Windows Server 2008

Note: If the machine is in a work group, sk ip steps 2 to 5. Instead, type “gpedit.msc” in Start -> Run then
select OK to open the Group Policy Object Editor window.

1. Configure the DeltaV Screen Saver as desired for auto logon or logoff. Follow the procedure in DeltaV Books
Online.
2. Set up an organizational unit that should contain the domain users. Go to Control Panel | Administrative Tools |
Group Policy Management.
3. Create new Organization Unit (OU). Right-click on the Group Policy Object, and the click New. Type the GPO
name, and then click OK.
4. Add the Domain Users on the newly created OU. Choose the newly created OU. Under the Delegation tab, click
the Add button, and then type “Domain Users”. Click OK.
5. Edit the OU. Right-click on the newly created OU, and then click Edit.
6. In Group Policy Object Editor, navigate to User Configuration | Policies | Administrative Templates | Control Panel
| Display or User Configuration | Policies | Administrative Templates | Control Panel | Personalization. Specify the
following settings:
 Hide Screen Saver tab — Enable. This setting is optional but recommended. After setting up the DeltaV
Screen Saver as a group policy, any changes to its settings must be made here rather than in the Display
Properties for the desktop.
 Screen Saver (or Enable Screen Saver) — Enable
 Screen Saver executable name (or Force Specific Screen Saver) — Enabled. Specify
DeltaVScreenSaver.scr.
 Password protect the screen saver — Disabled
 Screen Saver timeout — Enabled. Specify the number of seconds of idle timeout before auto-logoff occurs.

Note: User Group Policy may fail to apply, and will require giving Authenticated Users group with Read
Permissions and/or Domain Computers group with Read Permissions. Please see MS Article 3163622 for
more details.
III. Configuring the Screen Saver Group Policy on Windows Server 2016

Note: In Windows Server 2016 and Windows 10, the screen may display a black screen for a few seconds
while the screen saver is running.
If the machine is in a work group, sk ip steps 2 to 6. Instead, type “gpedit.msc” in Start -> Run then select OK
to open the Local Policy Object Editor window. Perform step 7 in Local Policy Object Editor, then proceed
with step 12 to enforce the change.

1. Configure the DeltaV Screen Saver as desired for auto logon or logoff. Follow the procedure in DeltaV Books
Online.
2. On the ProfessionalPLUS station, click Start > Administrative Tools > Group Policy Management to launch the
Group Policy Management application.
3. On the left pane, expand the forest tree as follows: Group Policy Management > Forest > Domains > {DeltaV
Domain Name} > Group Policy Objects.
4. Right-click on the Group Policy Objects folder, and then click New.
5. Name the new GPO as DeltaV Screensaver Policy, and then click OK.
6. Right click on the DeltaV Screensaver Policy, then click Edit.
7. In Group Policy Object Editor, navigate to User Configuration | Administrative Templates | Control Panel |
Personalization. Specify the following settings:
 Enable Screen Saver — Enable
 Prevent changing screen saver — Enable. This setting is optional but recommended. After setting up the
DeltaV Screen Saver as a group policy, any changes to its settings must be made here rather than in the
Display Properties for the desktop.
 Password protect the screen saver — Disabled
 Screen Saver timeout — Enabled. Specify the number of seconds of idle timeout before auto-logoff occurs.
 Force specific screen saver — Enabled. Specify DeltaVScreenSaver.scr including the path to the file.
 By default, the DeltaVScreenSaver.scr file is in C:\Windows\SysWOW64.
8. In Group Policy Management, click on the DeltaV Screensaver Policy. Under Security Filtering, add the Users or
Groups to whom the policy will apply to.
9. Right-click on your domain name in the left pane, and then click Link an Existing GPO.
10. Select the DeltaV Screensaver GPO from the list, and then click OK. This will apply the settings to all computers
in the domain.
11. Right-click on the shortcut to the DeltaV Screensaver Policy, and then click Enforced.
12. Open a command prompt on the ProfessionalPlus station, and then execute the gpupdate /force command.
13. Logoff then login again to the server, or reboot the machine to reflect the changes.

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Complete Article Revision History:

Revision/Publish Description of Revision
10 Oct 2017 Updated the Note in Table 1 to indicate that DeltaV v13.3.1 does not support Windows
Autologon.
13 Sep 2017 Added (4) in Note for the table of applicable procedures per DeltaV version.
23 Jun 2017 Reviewed applicable and added procedures specific for DeltaV v13.3.1 on Windows Server
2016 and Windows 10.
27 Dec 2016 Reviewed and determined applicable to v13.3.1. This KBA will be updated when information
for Server 2016 and Windows 10 become available.
26 Oct 2016 Added a note for Microsoft article 3163622
11 Dec 2015 Added applicability to DeltaV 12.3.1 and DeltaV 13.3. Added separate instruction for
Windows 2003 and Windows 2008 in locating objects in Group Policy
28 Aug 2015 Note was added that the KBA will be updated for applicable procedures for v12.3.1 and
above
20 Feb 2015 Added Step 7 in Procedure A to include check on AutoLogonCount registry value
25 Jun 2013 Added applicability to v12.3. Revised the procedures from "1-3" to "A-C" to match the table.
09 May 2013 Added note to only enable auto logon for users without administrative privileges. Added the
procedure for disabling the Legal Notice caption for Windows Embedded Operating System.
08 Apr 2011 Added Appicability to v11.3.1 and modified table of applicable procedure per DeltaV
version.
08 Jul 2010 Added applicability to Windows 7 and v11.3
07 Sep 2009 Added information on DeltaV Autologon for DeltaV v10.3 and related issues.
10 Oct 2008 Updated the KBA with additional notes for DeltaV v10.3 release and additional step to
enable screensaver on a workgroup machine using gpedit.msc
18 Aug 2008 Original release of article

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