Switching users
Fast User Switching lets more than one person
log on at the same time. If you step away
from your computer for a short time, you
can leave your programs running and let
someone else log on to, say, check email.
When you log back on, Windows resumes
your session where you left off.
Only one person at a time-the active user-
actually can use the computer (type at the
keyboard). People who are logged on but not
active-disconnected users-can keep their
programs running and files open in the
background, invisible to the active user.
|
To switch users without logging off:
1. Choose Start, click the arrow next to the
Lock button, and then click Switch User
(Figure 1.1).
or
Press Windows logo key+L.
or
Press Ctrl+Alt+Delete; then click
Switch User.
2. If secure logon is enabled, press
Ctrl+Alt+Delete.
3. In the Welcome screen, click another
account name or picture; then log on
normally.
|
Figure 1.1 Choose Switch User to keep all your work
running in background memory while someone else
uses the computer.
|
|
Tips
- Save all your work before switching. If the
other user shuts down the computer or
logs you off, Windows won't save your
open files automatically.
- In Vista (unlike Windows XP), Fast User
Switching works if you're on a network
domain.
- To turn off Fast User Switching, choose
Start, type gpedit.msc in the Search box,
and then press Enter. (If a security prompt
appears, type an administrator password
or confirm the action.) In the Group Policy
Object Editor, choose Local Computer
Policy > Computer Configuration >
Administrative Templates > System >
Logon > enable Hide Entry Points for
Fast User Switching > OK.
To find out who else is logged on to
your computer:
1. Right-click an empty area of the taskbar
and choose Task Manager.
or
Press Ctrl+Shift+Esc.
2. Click the Users tab to view users and
their status (Figure 1.2).
|
Figure 1.2 The Users tab tells you who else is logged
on via Fast User Switching.
|
If your computer is running slowly, use
Task Manager to see the programs that
other logged-on users are running and how
much memory they're chewing up. Task
Manager lists filenames (winword.exe, for
example) in the Image Name column and
program names (Microsoft Word) in the
Description column.
|
To find out which programs other
users are running:
1. Right-click an empty area of the taskbar
and choose Task Manager.
or
Press Ctrl+Shift+Esc.
2. Click the Processes tab.
3. Click Show Processes from All Users
(Figure 1.3).
If a security prompt appears, type an
administrator password or confirm
the action.
Tips
- If Task Manager is missing its menus
and tabs, double-click the window border
to bring them back.
- To identify the active user quickly, click
Start and read the user name in the topright
section of the Start menu.
- To log off another user, see "Logging off "
later in this section.
- Fast way to switch users: Right-click a
user name in Task Manager's Users tab
and choose Connect or Disconnect from
the shortcut menu (see Figure 1.6 later in
this chapter).
|
Figure 1.3 This list is sorted by user name. Click any
column heading to sort by that column, or drag the
headings to rearrange columns.
|
|
