220-1102 Operating Systems Practice Question
A technician needs to configure a Windows 10 computer to automatically log on a specific user without requiring a password. Which tool should the technician use to configure this setting?
⚠ Common exam trap
It's easy for candidates to confuse Group Policy Editor (gpedit.msc) as the primary tool for autologon because it has a related policy setting, but the CompTIA 220-1102 exam expects netplwiz as the standard GUI tool for this task, especially since gpedit is not available on all Windows editions.
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
User Accounts (netplwiz)
The correct tool is User Accounts (netplwiz). This utility provides a checkbox labeled 'Users must enter a user name and password to use this computer.' Unchecking it and providing the target user's credentials enables automatic logon by storing the password in the registry under HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon. This is the standard Windows 10 method for configuring autologon without requiring a password at startup.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Local Security Policy
Why it's wrong here
The Local Security Policy snap-in (secpol.msc) is designed to enforce system security baselines, including password complexity, account lockout thresholds, user rights assignments, and audit policy. It contains no setting for automatic logon because that is a credential-management behavior, not a security policy. Attempting to configure automatic logon here would be futile; the closest related item is the 'Interactive logon: Do not require CTRL+ALT+DEL' policy, which still requires a user to supply credentials at the sign-in screen.
- ✓
User Accounts (netplwiz)
Why this is correct
Running netplwiz (or control userpasswords2) opens the User Accounts dialog, where clearing the checkbox labeled 'Users must enter a user name and password to use this computer' enables automatic logon. After unchecking, Windows prompts you to enter the target user's password twice, then stores it in the registry under the Winlogon key, including DefaultUserName, DefaultDomainName, and DefaultPassword. This is the standard, supported GUI method for configuring automatic logon on a Windows 10 workstation, because it writes the correct registry values in the appropriate format.
- ✗
Group Policy Editor
Why it's wrong here
The Local Group Policy Editor (gpedit.msc) provides administrative template policies, software settings, and security-related settings, but no built-in policy exists to force Windows to log on without user credentials at startup. Although some GPOs like 'Custom Logon' or 'Do not display the last signed-in user' interact with the logon UI, none of them will automatically sign on a user. Consequently, editing Group Policy cannot replace the netplwiz or registry approach, and doing so would require a third-party or scripted workaround rather than a native policy setting.
- ✗
Services.msc
Why it's wrong here
Services.msc is the Services console used to manage Windows services—viewing their status, setting startup types, starting, stopping, or pausing them. Automatic logon is a user authentication feature controlled by the Winlogon registry key and the credential prompt mechanism; it is not implemented as a Windows service. No service can enable automatic logon, and modifying the services console will not alter or bypass the sign-in requirements of the Local Security Authority (LSA) at boot.
Go deeper
Related to this question
Learn chapter
Windows User Accounts and Groups
Key term
Registry
The Windows Registry is a central hierarchical database that stores configuration settings and options for the operating system, hardware, software, and user preferences.
Key term
Windows 10
Windows 10 is a personal computer operating system developed by Microsoft that combines the familiarity of Windows 7 with the modern features of Windows 8, designed to run on a wide range of devices from desktops to tablets.
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This 220-1102 practice question is part of Courseiva's free CompTIA certification practice question bank. Courseiva provides original exam-style practice questions with explanations, topic-based practice, mock exams, readiness tracking, and study analytics to help learners prepare for the 220-1102 exam.