Question:
How to switch users on Windows XP!?
ILTASKWAMH
2007-01-18 12:01:28 UTC
I want to switch users. So what i do is I go to Start, and then log off, and there is supposed to be a switch users icon, but there isn't??? How do i switch users?
26 answers:
2007-01-18 12:04:28 UTC
log out to the log in screen and enter your user name and pass word

if you need a user name go to control panel in the start menu and select user account and make/ create new user
brechtel
2016-10-19 12:50:07 UTC
Windows Xp Switch User
pabs_41
2007-01-18 12:09:45 UTC
Go to Start then click on Log Off then click on Switch User. If this option is not there then go to Start then Control Panel then click on User Accounts and in this window click on Change the way users log on or off then ,ake sure that Use Fast User Switching and Use Welcome Screen are both checked then click on Apply Options and try again.
Nick
2007-01-18 12:27:09 UTC
If it is a multi user computer when you go to log off their should be an option to switch users. On my computer there were tabs but i don't use them the only other way i know of switching users is by if there is a log into windows xp box type in your user name and password if you have one. Otherwise i don't know your setup different then my setup.
wyntre_2000
2007-01-18 12:09:52 UTC
If you don;t see the Switch Users option, then fast user switching has been turned off. Go to the control panel and then check User Accounts to see if fast user switching has been turned off.



BTW - if you have a Netgear product on your machine, or recently installed one, it changes you Windows log in type from the nice icons with with pictures to a dropdown box with names in it. You will need to edit your registry to change the log on type. Post back here if this is the case for you.
james
2007-01-18 12:14:34 UTC
I don't know the answer to your question, but I'd like to take this opportunity to say that Windows XP is 10 times more complicated than it needed to be.



Windows 98 was simple and intuitive. It's a shame that MS didn't put the advanced systems behind the scenes and left System Tools, Control Panel, and Windows Exployer alone.



My solution is to use one computer with Windows 98 on the Net, and a second with Windows XP to do all my Web Publishing.



Oh Well!

.

/
micamocha
2007-01-18 12:10:22 UTC
Oh that's easy"



Go to the "Start Menu"



Next to "Shut Down" there is a "log off" button



Click "Switch Users" the user screen will appear



Double click the user name you would like to log in as
Anatomy L
2007-01-18 12:06:42 UTC
You may not have additional users set up on your machine. Go to Start and Control Panel and then click the Users icon to determine if you have multiple accounts on your PC.
Victoria
2007-01-18 12:06:33 UTC
Are you sure you have more than one user because that works on all xp's I've seen!
Irish Girl
2007-01-18 12:07:16 UTC
I think you want to go to start and then click on control panel and find the user account (it has two people) click on that and look down and choose the accont that you want to go into. That's for if there's more then one person using your computer.
2007-01-18 12:04:41 UTC
I'm pretty sure you have to click on Start> Shut down to see the switch user icon.
partha s
2007-01-18 12:06:04 UTC
1.Log on to the computer as an administrator.

2.Click Start, click Control Panel, and then click User Accounts.

3.Click Change the way users log on or off.

4.If it is not already selected, click to select the Use the Welcome screen check box.
myrtle_bobby
2007-01-18 12:07:45 UTC
ok so you open the start menu in the bottom left of the screen, you then choose the log off along the bottom of that menu, a pop up will then come up in the middle of the screen and you choose switch user represented with arrows it will then bring you to a seperate menu with the list of users and you choose your desired one...or you can choose to completely log off and it will bring you to the same menu!! happy logging off!!!!
Lucid Dreamer
2007-01-18 12:10:45 UTC
Go to the Start menu, choose "shut down" and it will give you the options to shut down, restart, or switch users.
meg
2007-01-18 12:08:53 UTC
log off and then switch names
Souvik
2007-01-18 12:14:59 UTC
I think your video grphic card does not install properly,its one of cause for that missing switch,Anyway there is some way to "SWITCH USERS"



In Microsoft Windows XP, if you enable the Fast User Switching feature, multiple user accounts can log on to a computer simultaneously. This article describes how to enable and use this feature. With Fast User Switching, users can switch sessions without closing Windows, programs, and so forth. For example, User A is logged on and is browsing the Internet, User B wants to log on to their user account and check their e-mail account. User A can leave their programs running while User B logs on and checks their e-mail account. User A can then return to their session where their programs would still be running.



Fast User Switching is enabled by default in Windows XP Home Edition and Professional on computers with more than 64 megabytes (MB) of RAM. However, Fast User Switching is not available on Windows XP Professional-based computers that are part of a domain network.





Enable or Disable Fast User Switching

Note: To enable Fast User Switching, you must also enable the Use the Welcome screen option. This feature cannot be used if your computer is a member of a domain. To enable Fast User Switching: 1.Log on to the computer as an administrator.

2.Click Start, click Control Panel, and then click User Accounts.

3.Click Change the way users log on or off.

4.If it is not already selected, click to select the Use the Welcome screen check box.



NOTE: The Use Fast User Switching check box is unavailable until you click to select the Use the Welcome screen check box.

5.Click to select the Use Fast User Switching check box, and then click Apply Options. Quit the User Accounts tool.





Switch Users From the Task Manager

When a user initiates the Switch User option, the computer returns to the Welcome screen. The current user's session remains active and another user can now log on and use the computer. You can initiate the Switch User command in any of the following ways: •Click Start, click Log off, and then click Switch User.

•Open Task Manager (CTRL+ALT+DELETE), and then click Switch User on the Shut Down menu.

•Hold down the Windows key, and then press the L key).



Switch Users From the Standard Logon Screen1.Click Start, click Log Off, and then click Switch User. The Windows XP logon screen appears and displays the number of running programs for each user under that user name.

2.Click the user that you want to switch to.

3.Type your password, and then click the arrow button to log on to the computer.







Manage Other User Sessions

With administrative privileges you can log other users off from the computer, which frees up system resources, and you can send them a message from your session. To do this: 1.Open Task Manager (CTRL+ALT+DELETE).

2.On the Users tab, click the name of the user that you would like to log off or send a message to.

3.Click Logoff to log the user off from the computer, or click Send Message to send the user a message.









Troubleshooting

Fast User Switching cannot be used when Offline Files are enabled. When you attempt to enable Fast User Switching, you may receive the following error message when you click Change the way users log on or off:

Fast User Switching cannot be used because Offline Files is currently enabled.

To make changes to Offline Files, click OK.

To resolve this issue, disable Offline Files: 1.When you receive the preceding error message, click OK. The Offline Files Settings dialog box appears.

2.Click to clear the Enable Offline Files check box, and then click OK.



NOTE: You will no longer be able to work with files and programs that are stored on the network when you are not connected to the network.



Your computer may run slower than you expect. If you leave many programs running when you switch users, you may notice that your computer runs slower than usual. To resolve this issue, quit some programs before you switch users.



Other users can turn off the computer while programs remain open. When you switch users, another user can turn off the computer. If a logged on user has programs running, they will be closed when the computer is shut down, and this may result in data loss. To prevent this, save your work before you switch users.
Macgyver
2007-01-18 12:10:51 UTC
start...switch user
sm bn
2007-01-18 12:09:34 UTC
you can switch users if you have more tha one users



If your PC has only one user, there is no such thing
mrs garfield
2007-01-18 12:09:52 UTC
log off then log back on using the other user name
2007-01-18 12:06:18 UTC
Start menu, click lof off user, click your name, et voila!
2007-01-18 12:09:20 UTC
press 'windows'(the botten with a windows logo on it) then while holding it down press 'L'
Brightonboi
2007-01-18 12:12:34 UTC
You can try pressing the windows key on your keyboard whilst pressing L- "Win+L"- it should go to the login screen
2007-01-18 12:08:39 UTC
go to start- log off then it should pop up "switch users" or "log off"
justanobservation-notajudgement
2007-01-18 12:04:11 UTC
on the keyboard there is a windows button you hold that and press L
Beavis111
2007-01-18 12:04:20 UTC
Start - > Log off - > Switch
Shamus O'Larry
2007-01-18 12:07:08 UTC
start>>log off. then you should be able to select users


This content was originally posted on Y! Answers, a Q&A website that shut down in 2021.
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