I have a Windows 7 Professional PC in a semi-public area. I have staff members who log on to a domain just fine. I want to allow some volunteer workers to use the PC for web access without having to create a user account on my domain server. What is the best way to achieve that?

Why not just create a Local User account or use the Guest account on the local Win7 machine?

You should just as easily be able to create a guest user on the domain server.

I would like to minimise the effort for the guest users - no logon if possible - I would prefer not to create a domain account as I would then have to make sure I had all the security right. Is the Windows 7 Guest account compatible with Windows 7 Professional and Windows Server 2003?

"I would like to minimise the effort for the guest users - no logon if possible" But you want them to be able to use the Internet & logging into a machine, either locally using a 1) local account (guest or otherwise) or a 2) domain acount is pretty much the only (if not at least the most reasonable) way to do so. So regardless if you're setting up a local account or using the local guest account or using a domain account which is a member of the domain\Guests security group, logon is required. Even for TS like kiosk machines a logon is required to use the services of the system so a non logon option doesn't sound possible. Your original question of "Allow guest to use Windows 7 Professional with domain account?" is easily accomplished by creating a domain user account (remember you have to create an account anyway) for them & add the domain account to the domain\Guests group & then setup the permissions for this account or the Guests group to access only an internet browser. "Is the Windows 7 Guest account compatible with Windows 7 Professional and Windows Server 2003?" Yes, both OS' feature such Guest accounts (which are native Local Machine accounts), however, in a AD Domain it makes sense to use the domain security groups (like Domain\Guests) to control access to logging into machines & further what access they have on those machines. http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb727067.aspx

My apologies - the title of my question should be "without domain account". When I had a Windows Vista Home Premium machine in the location I simply had an account button which the volunteers could click and it went on with no password. Staff had to use remote desktop or OWA. The Windows 7 logon screen seems more complicated and I think the volunteers will struggle unless I can present them with a logon button. However, I need the staff to be able to logon on with domain\username.

"My apologies - the title of my question should be "without domain account". Then you're back to option 1) I mentioned originally (Why not just create a Local User account or use the Guest account on the local Win7 machine?), using a locally created system account. Guest or otherwise & use the Local Securty policy to further control what applications & services that user account can access & you're set. "When I had a Windows Vista Home Premium machine in the location I simply had an account button which the volunteers could click and it went on with no password. Staff had to use remote desktop or OWA." I understand, but a logon, with remote desktop or not, without the use of a password or not is indeed still a logon. The same goes for OWA, if you intend to use the services it requires, logon to the system to use the web browser is required. If you want to create the account an disable password requirements to use it, that's an option. As menionted also, if you intend to setup a form of Remote Desktop Services, formerly Terminal Services, the same 'logon required' is involved, either if your're having them accessing the published application through a web portal or from the local desktop, a logon to the system locally is required. There is no 'no logon' method for using system services in your scenario. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Remote_Desktop_Services "The Windows 7 logon screen seems more complicated and I think the volunteers will struggle unless I can present them with a logon button." It's the exact same as Windows Vista, all the locally available accounts (Guest included) will be visable for users. Enable the Guest account, & power it on & it's there to click and logon with. "However, I need the staff to be able to logon on with domain\username." Then. You. Need. A. Domain. If you don't need a domain, just use the local logon syntax (systemname\userid) to logon to the system.