Persistent Windows 7 Credential Prompt Issue: Forgetting Saved Credentials Despite Admin Privileges


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Many Windows 7 administrators encounter a frustrating scenario where the system continuously prompts for network credentials, even after explicitly checking "Remember my credentials". This behavior persists despite having administrative privileges on the local machine.

  • Accessing network shares (SMB/CIFS)
  • Connecting to corporate VPNs
  • Authenticating with domain resources
  • Using mapped network drives

Windows credential management relies on the Credential Manager (credman) service, which stores credentials in the Windows Vault. When this mechanism fails, it typically indicates one of these underlying issues:

// Sample PowerShell to check credential store
Get-ChildItem -Path "HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon" | 
Where-Object {$_.Name -match "AutoAdminLogon"}

1. Clear and Reset Credential Manager

First try resetting the credential store:

cmdkey /list
cmdkey /delete:legacyGeneric:target=TERMSRV/your_server
cmdkey /add:legacyGeneric:target=TERMSRV/your_server /user:your_user /pass:your_pass

2. Registry Modifications

Check these critical registry keys:

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Lsa]
"DisableDomainCreds"=dword:00000000
"RestrictAnonymous"=dword:00000000

3. Group Policy Adjustments

If you have access to Group Policy Editor:

  • Computer Configuration → Administrative Templates → System → Logon → "Always use classic logon" → Disabled
  • User Configuration → Administrative Templates → Windows Components → Credential User Interface → "Enumerate administrator accounts..." → Disabled

For persistent cases, enable credential manager logging:

# Create diagnostic logging
New-ItemProperty -Path "HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Tracing\CredentialUIBroker" -Name "EnableLogging" -Value 1 -PropertyType DWORD -Force
New-ItemProperty -Path "HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Tracing\CredentialUIBroker" -Name "FileDirectory" -Value "%SystemRoot%\Tracing" -PropertyType String -Force

For immediate workarounds, create a scheduled task to remap network drives with stored credentials:

$netUse = @"
net use Z: \\server\share /persistent:yes /user:domain\username password
"@
$action = New-ScheduledTaskAction -Execute "cmd.exe" -Argument "/c "$netUse""
$trigger = New-ScheduledTaskTrigger -AtLogOn
Register-ScheduledTask -TaskName "NetworkDriveRemap" -Action $action -Trigger $trigger -RunLevel Highest

Many Windows 7 users report encountering stubborn authentication dialogs that refuse to cache credentials properly. The Windows Security dialog keeps reappearing even after checking "Remember my credentials," forcing repeated manual authentication. This behavior particularly affects:

  • Network drive mappings
  • Remote desktop connections
  • Intranet site access
  • VPN connections

The issue typically manifests in these situations:

// Example of network path access that might trigger credentials
net use Z: \\server\share /user:domain\username *

Or when accessing protected resources through scripts:

# PowerShell example that might prompt repeatedly
$cred = Get-Credential
Invoke-Command -ComputerName Server01 -Credential $cred -ScriptBlock { Get-Process }

1. Credential Manager Verification

First, check stored credentials in Windows Credential Manager:

rundll32.exe keymgr.dll,KRShowKeyMgr

If you see duplicate or corrupted entries for the same resource, remove them and recreate.

2. Registry Modifications

Add these registry tweaks to improve credential caching behavior:

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Lsa]
"DisableDomainCreds"=dword:00000000
"DisableLoopbackCheck"=dword:00000001

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\services\LanmanWorkstation\Parameters]
"DomainCompatibilityMode"=dword:00000001
"DNSNameResolutionRequired"=dword:00000000

3. Group Policy Adjustments

For domain-joined systems, check these GPO settings:

gpedit.msc → Computer Configuration → Windows Settings → 
Security Settings → Local Policies → Security Options:
- Network access: Do not allow storage of passwords...
- Network security: LAN Manager authentication level

4. SMB Protocol Considerations

Windows 7's default SMB1 protocol can cause credential issues. Force SMB2:

PowerShell:
Set-SmbClientConfiguration -RequireSecuritySignature $true -EnableSecuritySignature $true -Confirm:$false

For automated credential management, consider this PowerShell approach:

$credential = New-Object System.Management.Automation.PSCredential -ArgumentList @(
    "domain\user", 
    (ConvertTo-SecureString -String "password" -AsPlainText -Force)
)

# Store credential
cmdkey /add:targetname /user:$credential.UserName /pass:$credential.GetNetworkCredential().Password

# Verify storage
cmdkey /list | Select-String "targetname"

Enable credential provider logging for deeper analysis:

reg add HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Tracing\CREDUI /v EnableLogging /t REG_DWORD /d 1 /f

Check event logs for related entries:

Get-WinEvent -LogName Security | Where-Object {$_.Id -eq 5379 -or $_.Id -eq 4625}

When standard credential caching fails, consider:

# Using saved credential objects
$credPath = "$env:USERPROFILE\Documents\cred.xml"
$credential | Export-Clixml -Path $credPath
$storedCred = Import-Clixml -Path $credPath
  • Ensure Windows 7 is fully patched (especially KB2871997)
  • Verify the target server supports NTLMv2
  • Check for conflicting credential helper applications
  • Test with both FQDN and NETBIOS names