access the Internet, security is a major issue. So, we begin to address that topic in Chapter 4 with a discussion of user accounts and how they relate to computer security.
Chapter 4
Sharing and Securing with User Accounts
IN THIS CHAPTER
Why user accounts?
Creating and managing user accounts
Using user accounts
Recovering forgotten passwords
User account control secrets
Managing credentials and online IDs
Every person who uses your computer is called a user, and each user should have his or her own user account on the computer. Giving each person a user account is like giving each person his or her own separate PC, but much cheaper. Each user can personalize the desktop and other settings. Each person can have his or her own separate collection of pictures, music, videos, and other files. Each user can also set up a separate e-mail account.
User accounts allow parents to create and enforce parental controls in Windows 10. This is a great tool for parents who can't always monitor when and how children use the computer. Parental controls allow you to control and monitor children's computer use 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, even when you aren't around to do it yourself.
User accounts also add a level of security to your computer. Many security breaches occur not because of a problem with the computer or Windows, but because the user is in an account that grants malware (bad software) permission to do its evil deeds. Of course, people don't realize that they're granting permission because the program doesn't ask for permission. It gets its permission automatically from the type of user account you're currently logged into.
Creating and managing user accounts is easy. But before getting into the specifics, let's look at how you, as a user, experience user accounts.
Logging In and Out of User Accounts
When you start your computer, Windows 10 presents the Lock Screen. This screen shows a background picture and can run background apps such as a calendar app or mail app before you log in. To advance beyond the Lock Screen, click a mouse button, gesture down (press the down arrow on your keyboard), press the spacebar, or press Enter. You're shown the login screen. This screen displays the last user logged in at that computer. If you have multiple user accounts on your computer, you can log in using the previous user account (if that's you) or select a different user.
To log in, enter the password for the chosen account and press Enter or click the arrow at the right end of the password text box. If you want to log in using a different login name, click the Sign-in options link under the default user name or choose from the list of users that appears at the bottom left side of the screen. You can also click on the user name list at the top of the Start menu, which presents a list of users who can log in to the computer. Select the user you want to log in with, and then enter that user's login credentials to start Windows 10.
For accounts that don't have an associated password, simply click the name for that user, and Windows loads to the Windows 10 Start screen.
To see the name of the user account you're currently logged into, look at the top-left corner of the Windows 10 Start menu. In Figure 4.1, the user account name is Jeffrey Shapiro, but it can be any username set up on your computer. If Windows 10 came preinstalled on your computer, it may be a generic name, such as Owner or User.
Figure 4.1 Username on the new Windows 10 Start menus.
You have a few ways to switch from the account you're currently logged into to another account (assuming that you have more than one user account on your computer already).
The quickest way is to display the Start menus and then click your account name at the top of the screen. Figure 4.2 shows an example of a list of users. You can use the following methods to change users:
● Click Sign Out: This option logs you out of Windows and sends you to the Windows startup screen. Press Enter, slide the screen up, or roll the mouse button down to display the sign on screen. Select a username by clicking the back arrow to display all users set up on this computer.
● Click a username: When you click your username at the Start menu, all user accounts for your computer appear. Click the name you want to switch to. Windows suspends the current user and displays the login screen for the selected name. Enter the password for that username to continue.
Figure 4.2 Available users who can log in to the current computer.
Why Switching Users Can Be Bad
When you switch users, all the programs and documents on your desktop remain open and in memory. This is useful if you need to leave your computer in a hurry and don't need to shut down all the stuff you're working on; however, it leaves less working memory for other users in their accounts.
If multiple users consistently switch users to leave their accounts, an enormous amount of memory remains constantly tied up. The likely result is that the computer runs much slower for everyone.
Ideally, every user should save all open files, exit all programs, and sign off from his or her account when finished using the computer.
You also can change users by using the Power options. Click the Start button, then click the Power icon. Three menu options appear, as shown in Figure 4.3. The options are described in the following list:
● Sleep: This option saves the system state to disk and powers down the computer, but the computer can be restored more quickly than shutting down and starting up.
● Hibernate: This option saves all active data to the hard drive and then shuts down all the electronics that are no longer needed. The state is similar to sleep because very little power is used; however, the computer takes longer to start back up because the active data must be loaded back into RAM from the hard drive.
● Shut Down: This option closes all open programs and shuts down the computer. Press the power button to restart the computer and show the login screen. The Power Options/System Settings applet allows you to decide what the power button does when you press it. You may need to change your computers BIOS configuration as well.
● Restart: This option closes all programs, shuts down the computer, and then restarts the computer to the login screen.
CAUTION
If your user account isn't password-protected, other people aren't really locked out of your account. Anyone can come along, click your user account name, and be at your desktop. In addition, once someone is at your desktop, he can use the Accounts screen to set up a password of his own. Unless he gives you that password, you can
