Tech Tips / Windows XP / Desktop and GUI

Fast User Switching

Fast User Switching is one of the best new features in Windows XP. It is built on top of the Terminal Services technology and allows several users to be logged on to an XP computer at the same time. Under Windows NT/2000, if a second user needed system access, you had to log off before the user could log on. Since you had to completely log off, all the programs you were running were closed.

Fast User Switching allows you to be logged on (your programs continue working) while other users log on with their accounts. To perform a so-called "switch," open the Start menu, select Log Off, and then Switch User. The new user can now activate his account. While the new user is logged on, your programs will continue executing in the background. Fast User Switching can support several accounts logged on the same machine. The only limitation is the available memory.

Fast User Switching is available on computers with a minimum 64 MB of memory. If you plan to have several users logged on at the same time, note that the session for each user requires 2 MB of account space in addition to the memory required for any programs the user runs. Fast User Switching is available only when your computer is part of a workgroup and is disabled when you join a domain. This is because Fast User Switching requires the Welcome Screen, which is not available after you join a domain.

You can disable/enable Fast User Switching in the same dialog box as Welcome Screen. In the Control Panel, open User Accounts and select Change The Way Users Log On Or Off. You'll notice that Fast User Switching is not available if you don't have the Welcome Screen enabled.

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Fast User Switching

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