Lock screen problem

[Cowboy]

It used to be that when I would boot the Surface I would get a lock screen Then I would hot the spacebar, the lock screen would disappear and I would enter my password. I don't know what I changed, but now when I start the Surface I get the lock screen with a message "Press and hold the Windows button, then press the power button to sign in". That doesn't work but Ctrl+Alt+Delete does. Anyone else experiencing this?

 

[jnjroach]

Did you join your machine to an Active Directory Domain? By default AD requires CRTL-ALT-Delete to log in, you might be able to change it back under the local Security Policy (open up a blank MMC and add the local Security Policy Snap in).

 

[Cowboy]

You are correct. I forgot to mention that I am on a Domain, but up until now I have not seen this message. And the "Press and hold the Windows button, then press the power button to sign in" confuses me not only because it is new but because it doesn't work. If it had said "Press Ctrl+Alt+Del to log in" I would have figured that I somehow had enabled that requirement on the Domain. Maybe I will look in group policy and see how that is set, but it just started today.

 

[Cowboy]

Well I fixed it. I went into local security policies on the Surface, not on the Domain, and chose Interactive Logon: Do not require CTRL+ALT+DEL and that took care of it. I still wonder what that Windows button and Power button deal was....

 

[jnjroach]

Windows+Power Button is the CRTL-ALT-Delete equivalent if you do not have a keyboard, it is tricky to get the timing correct but it does work. Also if the GPO is active in AD it will re-apply about 90 minutes from your change as GPOs are applied in order of precedence as follows: Local Policy - Domain - OU - Child OU (the last Policies applied trump others).