Accounts Tuner adds more security options to Windows users accounts

Windows users accounts security features are pretty basic. In fact, it doesn’t go beyond setting up of passwords. While average users might consider this adequate, power users like us who always want more than the simple controls will benefit from a free software named Accounts Tuner.

Accounts Tuner allows the administrator to exercise more control on how users login to their accounts on a Windows machine. Usually such settings are changed by means of a local or group security policy. Accounts Tuner offers a more straightforward way of accessing these features by bringing them within reach of the user through a nicely laid out graphical interface. 

Accounts Tuner’s various settings are self explanatory.

The available options are:

• Account Disabled - the user will not be able to log on until the account will be enabled by the administrator.
• Account Locked - accounts are automatically temporarily locked after some failed logon attempts. This field allows to see locking state and force unlock the account.
• Password Required - if this setting enabled, the user will be unable to set up logon without password.
• Password Never Expires - password age will be unlimited for this account.
• User Can Change Password - if disabled, only administrator will be able to change password of this account.
• Maximal Password Age - after the lapse of this time from the last password change, the user password becomes expired, and at the next logon attempt it will be offered to change it. To disable password expiration on this server, enter 49710 into this field.
• Minimal Password Age - the system will not allow the user to change password if the time elapsed since its previous change is less than in this field.
• Minimal Password Length - the user will not be able to set password shorter than is designated in this field.
• Bad Passwords Before Lockout - number of serial failed logon attempts after which the account is locked.
• Lockout Duration - time interval after the lapse of which the locked account unlocks automatically.
• Bad Password Timeout - a minimum interval between failed logon attempts at which failed logons counter does not increase, and, thus, account lockout does not happen.
• Password History Length - the system does not allow the user to assign the password which was used earlier. This field defines a number of the previous passwords which the system remembers, and not allows to use repeatedly.
• Password Expiry Warning - this setting defines an interval of time before password expiration when the system reminds the user of necessity to change password. This setting is for the local computer only.

Accounts Tuner works on Microsoft Windows NT 4.0 (Service Pack 6 required), Windows 2000, Windows XP, Windows Server 2003, Windows Vista, Windows Server 2008, Windows 7, Windows Server 2008 R2 and later. Both 32- and 64-bit systems supported.