The Welcome to Windows screen appears when you start Windows XP after you install the .NET Framework 1.1

When you install the Microsoft .NET Framework 1.1 on a computer that is running Windows XP, and then you start Windows, the Welcome screen appears. This screen prompts you to click your user name to start Windows.

Notes

• This behavior occurs although you have created only one local user account that does not have a password.
• This behavior does not occur when you install the Microsoft .NET Framework 1.0.

When you install the .NET Framework 1.1, a hidden local user account that is named ASPNET is created. When you start Windows, Windows treats the ASPNET local user account as an additional user account, although the ASPNET user account is hidden. Therefore, the Welcome screen appears and prompts you to click your user name.

To resolve this problem, obtain the latest service pack for the .NET Framework 1.1. For additional information, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

This behavior is by design.

When you start Windows on a computer that is running Windows XP and that has only one local user account, and this local user account does not have a password, the Welcome screen does not appear. Instead, your desktop appears. However, when you start Windows on a computer that is running Windows XP and that has more than one local user account, the Welcome screen appears.

Steps to Reproduce the Behavior

1. On a computer that is running Windows XP, verify the following:
   • The computer has only one local user account.
   • The local user account does not have a password.
2. Install the .NET Framework 1.1.
   
   Before you install the .NET Framework 1.1, verify that your computer meets the hardware requirements and the software requirements for installing the .NET Framework 1.1.
   
   For additional information, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
   815177  (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/815177/ ) How to determine whether a client meets the minimum requirements for installing the .NET Framework
   To download the latest version of the .NET Framework 1.1, visit the following Microsoft Web site:
   http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/netframework/aa731542.aspx (http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/netframework/aa731542.aspx)
3. Click Start, and then click Shut Down.
4. In the Shut Down dialog box, click Restart in the drop-down list box, and then click OK.

For more information, visit the following Microsoft Web sites: