Issues trying to login in as Other user on HP Probook

Question

I added an Other User to my HP Probook with Window 11 Pro Education but was unable to login.

I read that several other users did the following and it worked:

To enable the other user login, open the registry editor by searching regedit. Then copy and paste this path: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\System Then you will see dontdisplaylastusername. Change it value from 0 to 1.

I did this and it removed the administrator and just Other User shows on the login screen but I'm still unable to login as the Other User and now I can't login as the administrator either.

Help please!

Answer 1

Hi Michelle Jekelis,

I can understand how alarming it must feel to change something and now you can’t even log in. The good news is this is a configuration issue and can be reversed. Besides what the Q&A Assist suggested, here’s a few other things you can try:

1 - Restore the normal sign‑in screen

• On the lock screen, hold Shift and select Power > choose Restart
  • Keep holding Shift until you get to Windows Recovery Environment
  • If it doesn’t work, you need to force shutting down your PC 3 times.
• Go to Troubleshoot > Advanced options > Command Prompt > enter regedit
• In Registry Editor, go back to dontdisplaylastusername and set it to 0 > Restart PC

2 - If you still can’t sign in, enable the built‑in Administrator

• Go back to Advanced options > Command Prompt
• Run: net user administrator /active:yes > Restart the PC
• Sign in to Administrator (there should be no password by default)
• Once logged in, change the Registry key back or recreate the user account.

Disclaimer: Generally, modifying registry subkeys or work group is intended for advanced users, administrators, and IT Professionals. It can help fix some problems, however, serious problems might occur if you modify the registry incorrectly. Therefore, make sure that you follow these steps carefully. For further protection, first check out How to back up and restore the registry in Windows - Microsoft Support 

Once you regain access, you can also disable the built‑in Administrator again with net user administrator /active:no in Command Prompt (Admin). If you get stuck at any step, tell me exactly where it is.

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Answer 2

Changing dontdisplaylastusername only hides the last signed-in account name; it does not create or enable accounts. The result is that the sign-in screen now only shows Other user, and a valid username and password must be entered manually. If the account name or password is wrong, sign-in will fail, and if the admin account name is not typed correctly, it will appear as if the admin account is gone.

Use these steps to recover access and then fix the configuration:

1. Restart and use Safe Mode sign-in
   1. At the sign-in screen where Other user is shown, select Power > Restart.
   2. Immediately hold the Shift key while selecting Restart again from the sign-in screen.
   3. After restart, on Choose an option, select Troubleshoot > Advanced options > Startup Settings > Restart.
   4. When the options list appears, press 5 or F5 for Safe Mode with Networking.
   5. On the Safe Mode sign-in screen, type the built‑in administrator or a known local/Microsoft account name and its password manually (for example, PCNAME\\Administrator if that account is enabled, or the original account name used when Windows was set up).
2. Once signed in, undo the registry change
   1. Open regedit.
   2. Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\System.
   3. Set dontdisplaylastusername back to 0.
   4. Restart the device normally. The last signed-in account should now be shown again, allowing normal sign-in.
3. Verify the “Other user” account actually exists
   1. After regaining access, open Settings > Accounts > Other users.
   2. Confirm that the additional user account is listed and has the correct account type.
   3. If needed, remove and re-create that user account, then sign out and sign back in using the new account’s exact username and password.

If Safe Mode sign-in fails with all known credentials, use the general Windows sign-in troubleshooting paths (resetting the PIN/password or using Microsoft account recovery) as described in the sign-in troubleshooting article.

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References:

• Troubleshoot Problems Signing In to Windows
• Manage User Accounts in Windows