UKC

I'd like to remove the initial password protection when logging onto a Windows 8 laptop, ie. the Microsoft password requirement when you start it from OFF. Is this possible?

In reply to Fraser:

Would be better to keep the admin password and set up a normal user account. Running as admin makes you more vulnerable.
Personally I'd keep the use account also password protected so if someone gets access to the machine they can't do bad things without at least a little effort.
The aim of the game is to be at least slightly more secure than the next guy.

In reply to Fraser:

To answer your post:
http://windows.microsoft.com/en-gb/windows-8/disable-remove-password

In reply to markAut:

I appreciate all that and would normally agree, but it's my elderly father's laptop and he keeps forgetting the password. For that reason I thought it would be simpler just to have him able to switch on and get browsing without the added faff of logging on. He never takes the laptop out the house and, unless the place is burgled, I figured it should be pretty 'secure'. It's not even as if he has anything of importance on it even if it were to be stolen.

I've now found out how to remove the password, but can't actually do that till we get a password reset from the backup email address!

Thanks again for your comments.

In reply to m0unt41n:



Cheers.

In reply to Fraser:

That makes sense, have been there myself and if the machine cannot be used, its a paperweight.

How about as a compromise, give him an unlocked user account and keep the password on admin. Stick teamviewer on it so you can login remotely if you need to help out.

In reply to markAut:

Great suggestion, thanks very much. I'm not familiar with teamviewer but will check it out. (I've had our IT folk remotely access my work pc so know the basic principle.)

In reply to Fraser:
As soon as I got windows 8 I googled how to get rid of the password and also to get back a start button and a proper desktop instead of the app screen etc. , its all out there and not too difficult.
You can do the same with windows 10 now
http://www.laptopmag.com/articles/make-windows-10-like-windows-7

In reply to pec:

Classic Shell is your best friend until Microsoft learns about Planet Earth.
http://www.classicshell.net/