Other credentials on login screen...?

[Koldov]

Just had a user bring me a laptop, apparently locked, but she was unable to log-in....

 

The actual result of trying to log-in as the user in question returns something along the lines of "running low on resources.... You cannot log-in as a new user.... Login as a previously logged on user....

 

In the end I managed to get on by clicking the 'Other Credentials' button and selecting 'Other User' - seems like a version of the 'Switch User' button but gone horribly wrong! It appeared once I had logged on that she wasn't actually logged on anyway! Very strange...

 

My Google-fu is weak (and it's 4 p.m.), so hopefully someone will know exactly what this is and why it happened. I did a bit of "research" and below is the only thing I found (which did not have any useful answers):

 

We have been seeing an intermittent issue with users, they will lock their machine, and close the lid - put it in standby.

 

Upon waking they do a control+alt+delete, instead of saying their computer is locked - they see their name/icon of their login. When they click on their name, they can type there password, but under their password it says "other credentials" - they can not log into their machine it says they are already logged into their machine.

 

They can restart and everything is fine. No errors of any interest are showing in the event log.

 

They are domain machines. I can not reproduce this problem, but it has been brought to my attention from some of our users.

 

The log-in screen looks different as I said...

 

Normally when you lock your machine, it says its locked, and you have to alt+ctrl+del in order to type you password. The you see a space to type your password, an arrow pointing right (next to the password line) and a cancel button at the bottom of the screen.

 

When this happens the machine does not say its locked, but the login screen shows their name, and under the password field it has a button that says: "Other Credentials"

 

If they try to login, the machine acts as if they are already logged in. Restarting the machine solves the issue.

 

Seems very apt...

 

https://xkcd.com/979/

 

Kol.

Edited July 19, 2016 by Koldov

[LeMarchand]

Are they smallish HDD/SDDs? Had something similar and disk space was low due to cached profiles. Instituted a "remove profiles older than x days" GPO to solve.

[Cazale]

I think "Other Credentials" appears when there is a fingerprint reader on the laptop?

[Oaktech]

I think "Other Credentials" appears when there is a fingerprint reader on the laptop?

 

Or a smart card reader... Or you allow user switching...

 

It happens a lot here when students close the lid on a machine without logging off a few times. I see 5 logged on instances of a machine on Impero and the next person to try it gets the error and comes to see me. I just restart the machines normally although it will often allow a local logon.

[Koldov]

Very strange then....

 

User switching is enabled here, but this is a single user device (plus maybe a TA occasionally) and most old profiles get cleared off, nowhere near at capacity of disk space, no smart card reader or fingerprint scanner...

[Oaktech]

Very strange then....

 

User switching is enabled here, but this is a single user device (plus maybe a TA occasionally) and most old profiles get cleared off, nowhere near at capacity of disk space, no smart card reader or fingerprint scanner...

 

Have a check on your lid close action - is the machine suspending to ram and using it all up?

[SkreeM1980]

We have had that where machines are left in sleep too long, i always assumed it was kerberos ticket lifetimes or something. reboot cures all :-)

[network41]

Is this a windows 10 machine , if so this might help:

 

https://social.technet.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/b6a1896d-6f52-4a2f-83d7-0361d9fc9083/lock-screen-defaulting-to-other-user-instead-of-the-current-locked-user?forum=WinPreview2014General

 

- - - Updated - - -

 

Ignore last just noticed it was windows 7 apologies

[network41]

Found this , maybe worth a try ,it does apply to windows 7

 

 

1.start==>Run "secpol.msc"

2.Navigate to Local Policies==>Security Options

3.Find "Interactive Logon: Display User Information when Session is Locked"

4.Change to "User display name, domain and user names"