That little lock icon in Vista next to the Start Orb is a bit like marmite – you either love it or hate it.

If you don’t feel the need to lock your pc or laptop computer that often you can disable the lock icon – especially as it’s easy to click on the wrong thing sometimes.

If you load up the Local Group Policy Editor and navigate to User Configuration->Administrative Templates->System->Ctrl+Alt+Delete options, then look on the right hand panel you should see “Remove Lock Computer” – double click it to bring up its properties. On the Setting tab ensure Enabled is set then click OK.

You can also achieve the same thing using the Registry Editor. Important! You need to be confident with the Registry, if you are not then ask someone for help.

To get rid of the Lock icon using the registry editor, load up the Registry Editor, then head to the registry key HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE->Software>Microsoft->Windows->Current Version->Policies-> System

Under the System key you need to create a new DWORD Value and give it the name DisableLockWorkStation, once this is done double-click it and set the value of DisableLockWorkstation to 1. You may need to reboot your computer for it to recognise the changes.

If, at any time, you want to retrieve the lock feature, simply head back into the registry and set the value to zero or remove the entry completely. You will need to reboot your computer for it to kick in.

Related

• Remove the Outlook icon from the desktop
• Tip: Take Control Of Windows Explorer New Items
• Tip: Hide the Safely Remove Hardware Icon
• Get More Productive With Windows Search Companion
• XP: Lock the desktop with a shortcut