Why do I need to enter password.

[VICTORIA]

Hi can anyone tell me why after changing name of previous user of pc to me I now have to enter password to open up and pc takes ages to open.
Any help appreciated. Previous user family member.
Victoria

[Gadget]

What operating system do yo\u have?

If it's Win10, you have to enter a password or PIN.

Gadget

[majm]

The p.c. doesn't know much. 

    It has NO manners and has no way of recognising that it's previous owner has handed it over to another family member. 

  It needs a defrag ....

  It has a password to stop others from accessing your files. 

ADD  ... yes, Gadget is spot on,  my Windows 10 needs a PIN .... I chose a 4 digit PIN for mine.   

JM

[VICTORIA]

Thank You. My pc is Windows 8 how do you defrag.
Victoria Sorry my pc is Windows 10

[andrewalston]

Don't worry about defrag. Windows has been doing that in the background since version 7.

If there are multiple users set up on a PC, you will always be presented with a logon screen, asking you which one you are. There will be a space on there for a password, whether you have one or not.

If there is only a single user, AND that user has no password, Windows can go straight through to the desktop.

It is possible, by setting a couple of entries in the Registry, to log on automatically. Windows can figure out the "usual" username and password and then use them. This has security implications, because things other than Windows can read that password from the Registry. My mum's laptop is set up that way; it automatically logs on as her. If I need to make changes, I can log her off, then log in as myself with a lot more rights.

[LizzieW]

If it's Win10, you have to enter a password or PIN.

No you don't, neither I nor my husband have pins or passwords to open our PCs.  I thought you had to have a password because that's what Windows 10 defaults to, but my husband just ignored the instruction when he bought a new tablet and when I got a new laptop last year, the computer bod who came to set it up and transfer all my programs etc. from my old laptop also said you don't need a password and he, too, by-passed the system.  It suits us, although it might not suit other people.

[Gadget]

I think it is essential for mobile machines and is really like a burglar alarm key.  It's unwise not to have extra protection.

[andrewalston]

I must say that I'm a fan of fingerprint recognition. Many business laptops have this feature. You train the software with a few of your fingers, then at logon you swipe one of these, then the software provides the matching credentials to the operating system.

The best one I used was on a company-issue Lenovo, where those credentials were held in the BIOS area. Open the lid and swipe your finger. The laptop powers up and boots. Those credentials are then passed on to Windows and you are logged on. This is a real boon when you are forced to use complex passwords with a minimum length of 14 characters.

[VICTORIA]

Thanks everyone for your help. I will continue to use password.
Victoria