Windows XP Updates and Security

Can anyone please advise me on whether Microsoft has added a more secure way of turning your PC off via their recent Windows Update procedure?

The reason I ask, is that since updating my Win XP PC - including an upgrade to IE& - I find that when I go to shut down my computer, I am met with a box asking me if I would like to turn off the PC? There's another option - I think it may be to send PC into 'sleep' mode - but I choose to turn of the PC.

This is most annoying, having to face this "nag" box each time I want to close down for the night. Can anyone please tell me if this is indeed a new security process added by M$ and if there is a way to stop it occuring so that I can close down as I normally did before the updates were put in place?

 

Sounds like you've either changed the way you logon & off or a modified GINA.DLL file if I get you, have you lost your Welcome screen as well to this box? Also in control panel, user accounts - can you select the box 'Use Welcome screen'

edit : to answer your question nothing like that has been changed, if something has updated the 'MSGINA.DLL' file and so changed the way you log off an indication would be that Windows will give an error when trying to select the 'Welcome Screen' box. Doug Knox has a fix under Win XP fixes.

 

I also have three options, when I want to turn off my computer via Start / Turn Off Computer :

1. Stand By (= Sleep Mode)
2. Turn Off
3. Restart.

What's wrong with that ?

 

I thought alba1314 meant that it has now changed to the classic way.

 

I get the same as Erik. Always have, probably always will. I have a feeling that that is not what alba was referring to though.

...screamer

 

Big sigh of relief. I thought I was the only one, which such a shutdown.

 

Many thanks, Meriadoc - You were correct in that my problem was that Windows had set itself to log on and off in Classic Style. A simple change of styles and an tweak using "control userpasswords2" (without the quotation marks) allow me now to start my single account user PC to boot up straight into my desktop.

Having Spybot - Search & Destroy v1.5 - latest edition of this great piece of software - with its resident shield in place to alert me of any changes to dll files, directories and registry entry changes, I am fairly confident that there is no unauthorised change to the GINA.DLL file. My machine has been recently reformatted, so any file changes would have to be granted by myself and this has been meticulously vetted.

Again, my thanks for helping to resolve this problem!

 

Great, glad your sorted out
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As for MSGINA.DLL, the file sometimes gets modified when installing a new program, in fact you will not be able to change back from the classic style by the 'Use the Welcome screen' tick box as this option becomes unavailable by the change.

For reference the little fix called 'Fix Win XP Logon' by Doug Knox will simply check the registry for a 3rd party Graphical Identification and Authentication DLL and offer to change it back. Here I've d/l to have a look - useful if you are not confident in changing the registry.

 

Again, Meriadoc, you are a hero!!

Having downloaded the 'Fix Win XP Logon' by Doug Knox fix and ran it, I am pleased to say that my GINA dll file reads exactly as your picture shows.

As I said, I was certain the file had not been altered in any way, as I had only recently started my PC running again after reformatting and have only really installed Microsft (M$) updates to my machine before installing everything else I usually run from scratch, but this little 'fix' tool is now a part of my "Must Keep" programs to add to my Repair kit - It should really be added to "Hiren's Boot Up Collection" CD! I'll certainly be adding it to my own next generation of "Hiren" tools CD created as a back up utility disk by myself!!

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