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I've always wanted some cool way to log into Windows like inserting a designated USB or voice recognition. For example there's Blink (pictured bellow) which uses facial recognition to log into your PC.

What alternative ways are there to log into your PC?

Too bad holding up a picture of the person will grant you access

4 Answers 4

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Well there are the fingerprint readers built into most new laptops.

You can even buy USB readers for laptops or desktops that don't have one.

If that isn't futuristic enough you can get an iris recognition camera. Here's one built into a mouse

This page mentions signature recognition:

the Penflow client-server application which allows easy and secure signature authentication process

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  • It's fun that all those systems try to use biometrics (which is an identification trait)—or other things that identify but not authenticate you—as an authentication token. Cf. Schneier: »Biometrics are unique identifiers, but they are not secrets«. As for me, I didn't even install the driver for the fingerprint reader ;-)
    – Joey
    May 10, 2010 at 14:13
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You can also use a USB Flash Drive as logon replacement.

Most such products are commercial.
A free product is Blue Micro USB Flash Drive Logon:

The Blue Micro USB Flash Drive Logon turns your existing pendrive or flash drive into a key to logon to your pc. This makes it easier for users to manage their windows account passwords. This software creates a encrypted code on your pendrive, only understood by this software. This software can be installed on Windows XP and 2000 only. This software can be downloaded for free. You would have to register and log into our website in order to download it.

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  • Does this thing work if computer is a member of a domain?
    – Jawa
    May 10, 2010 at 15:17
  • @Jawa: Such tools are used by large companies for secure logon in domains. As regarding the above mentioned product, I don't know. You will have to try it and see (carefully).
    – harrymc
    May 10, 2010 at 19:02
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There are some methods to do automated login using the Bluetooth connection to your phone. Unfortunately, after evaluating about 8 solutions, all of them (without exception) were buggy and didn't work well. Seems odd, as the script to do this is only about 8 lines of code. Market opportunity, anyone?

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Picture password

Source: https://www.smallbusinesscomputing.com/guides/windows-10-how-to-log-in-without-a-password

If you opt to create a Picture password, after confirming your alphanumeric password you’ll be given the option to choose a picture from among the images stored on your PC. Next you’ll be asked to draw—and then re-draw for confirmation—three distinct gestures on the picture.

These gestures can consist of circles, straight lines, or taps and you can draw them with either a finger or a mouse. However, size, position, and direction of the gestures (as well as the order in which you draw them) are all recorded, and at least in our experience, making precise, repeatable gestures is harder with a mouse than with a finger.

With Picture password, log in by reproducing three gestures on your chosen image.

The upshot is that it might take several tries to get Windows 10 to accept your mouse-based gestures as accurate when you log in later. For optimal results it’s probably best to use Picture password only on systems with touchscreens.

As with the PIN option, if you’re using Picture password and want to fall back to conventional password authentication (or to PIN if you’ve already set that up as well), it’s accessible via the Sign-in options link.

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  • This is definitely one of the more unique ways to log in nowadays! My original question was for the windows Vista/7 era, but your answer still adds value, thank you!
    – Jay Wick
    Sep 13, 2022 at 23:36

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