For as long as I can remember, Windows NT 4.0/Windows 2000/Windows XP/Server 2003 all have offered the ability to bypass auto logon by holding down the SHIFT key before logon occurs. This is also documented in KB826397 for Windows XP and KB977534 for Windows Server 2003 x64 and XP x64 editions. However on Windows 7, I have successfully set up auto logon but if I want to bypass it using SHIFT, it doesn't work. I have tried setting the IgnoreShiftOverride key to 0 but it always logs on automatically. Why is this not being fixed in Windows 7 by a hotfix? Apparently the problem affects not just Windows 7 but Vista too. The problem is also confirmed in the following threads: http://social.technet.microsoft.com/Forums/en/itprovistanetworking/thread/4e6139a6-054d-49dc-95b3-5452da482e2b http://social.technet.microsoft.com/Forums/en/w7itproinstall/thread/2fd06f93-eaca-4e99-be44-e245e6bcbfe3 http://social.answers.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/vistanetworking/thread/791d2372-28c5-4c6b-86bf-093aea4a9caa http://social.msdn.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/tabletandtouch/thread/61b231a4-a4ba-413a-b76f-01f7b3762e71\ Surprisingly on my Vista Home Basic SP2, it works. Whenever I hold down Shift key, it stops auto logon. But only on Windows 7 it doesnt work. Hotfix Microsoft PLEASE.Anonymuos

The SHIFT key to disable Startup apps isn't working for me either in Windows 7. As an IT person, I use it all the time when connecting to other PCs, and I really miss it. Count me in for requesting a fix!!MCITP Enterprise Admin/Server Admin, MCSE NT, 2000, 2003

I have found the fix for me. Hold down the right shift key not the left. Interesting thing is the left will work after that until you reboot. Then it is the right shift key again.

There are a couple of hotfixes from Microsoft, though I haven't tried them. We're still using XP for public computers here and staff computers don't utilize auto logon, so I'll wait until the fixes are incorporated into monthly updates. Here's what I do on my public computers, which may be a workaround for you; I do most of my work remotely anyway, so I let RDP force a remote logoff, then log on as an administrator and import a reg file which I keep on the hard drive of each computer to turn off the automatic logon. Here's the text of my files, AutoLogonOff.reg first; Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00 [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon] "AutoAdminLogon"="0" My AutoLogonUsernameOn.reg reads like this; Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00 [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon] "DefaultUserName"="username" "DefaultPassword"="password" "DefaultDomainName"="DOMAIN" "AutoAdminLogon"="1" The easiest way to create the files is to export the keys in question and edit out the stuff you don't need and make only minor changes to the text of the files so you don't get bit by a "fat finger". Good luck with it.

We have worked with MS and there is now an official hotfix to return this functionality. Please see: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/977534 http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2526967 We've deployed and tested this on several computers.