Disable Fast User Switching

Hi, I am totally new to Vista, reasonably familiar with XP (but not as a
techie).
I am trying to disable Fast User Switching, ie the facility to log on as
another user without logging off the original user.
I have found some instructions on doing this that feature editing the
registry.
Sheesh! I find it hard to believe that there is no way of doing it without
editing the registry, but there you go.
However I have run into another problem on the way:
I cannot find the "Run .." command in the start menu. In XP I could click
start/run Regedit.exe.
What is the equivalent procedure in Vista, please?
And is there a solution to my main problem that does not involve editing the
registry?

Thanks

"Jack Sheet" <no-one@nowhere.com> wrote in message
news:%23FmAaiDCIHA.464@TK2MSFTNGP02.phx.gbl...
> Hi, I am totally new to Vista, reasonably familiar with XP (but not as a
> techie).
> I am trying to disable Fast User Switching, ie the facility to log on as
> another user without logging off the original user.
> I have found some instructions on doing this that feature editing the
> registry.
> Sheesh! I find it hard to believe that there is no way of doing it without
> editing the registry, but there you go.
> However I have run into another problem on the way:
> I cannot find the "Run .." command in the start menu. In XP I could click
> start/run Regedit.exe.
> What is the equivalent procedure in Vista, please?
> And is there a solution to my main problem that does not involve editing
> the registry?
>
> Thanks

The first thing that people new to some computer should learn is how to use
that computer's help and support facilities.

You will probably see a link to Help & Support if you click the start
button. Search for the three words: fast user switch. You should find text
and links that tell you all about it.

-Paul Randall

Jack Sheet wrote:
> Hi, I am totally new to Vista, reasonably familiar with XP (but not as a
> techie).
> I am trying to disable Fast User Switching, ie the facility to log on as
> another user without logging off the original user.
> I have found some instructions on doing this that feature editing the
> registry.
> Sheesh! I find it hard to believe that there is no way of doing it without
> editing the registry, but there you go.


I'd have to agree that it's a very poor way to organize an OS. Fast
User Switching is a glaring security weakness, and should be easy to
disable, as it was in WinXP.


> However I have run into another problem on the way:
> I cannot find the "Run .." command in the start menu. In XP I could click
> start/run Regedit.exe.
> What is the equivalent procedure in Vista, please?


It's the same, but the "Run" command isn't placed on the Start Menu by
default in Vista. Right-click the Taskbar > Properties > Start Menu >
Customize. You can then scroll down through the list of options to
select the Run command, adding it to the Menu..


> And is there a solution to my main problem that does not involve editing the
> registry?
>


Not that I've found, so far. Maybe this will be one of the things
fixed with the upcoming Service Pack 1.


--

Bruce Chambers

Help us help you:
http://dts-l.org/goodpost.htm
http://www.catb.org/~esr/faqs/smart-questions.html

They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary
safety deserve neither liberty nor safety. ~Benjamin Franklin

Many people would rather die than think; in fact, most do. ~Bertrand Russell

The philosopher has never killed any priests, whereas the priest has
killed a great many philosophers.
~ Denis Diderot

Paul Randall wrote:
>
> The first thing that people new to some computer should learn is how to use
> that computer's help and support facilities.
>
> You will probably see a link to Help & Support if you click the start
> button. Search for the three words: fast user switch. You should find text
> and links that tell you all about it.
>

Yes. Those links tell what you that Fast User Switching is. TGhat is
the complete content of Help and Support regarding FAS: its definition.
It also states that Vista's Welcome Screen, from which Fast User
Switching is accessed, is on by default and, unlike WinXP's, *cannot* be
turned off. Hence FAS cannot be turned off. I think the OP may well
have already tried that route.

There's also no longer the option of "Changing the way Users log On and
Off" in the Control Panel.

In this respect, Vista is less secure than WinNT, Win2K, or WinXP.
Hiding user account names from unauthorized eyes is a fundamental
principle of computer security.


--

Bruce Chambers

Help us help you:
http://dts-l.org/goodpost.htm
http://www.catb.org/~esr/faqs/smart-questions.html

They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary
safety deserve neither liberty nor safety. ~Benjamin Franklin

Many people would rather die than think; in fact, most do. ~Bertrand Russell

The philosopher has never killed any priests, whereas the priest has
killed a great many philosophers.
~ Denis Diderot

"Jack Sheet" <no-one@nowhere.com> wrote in message
news:%23FmAaiDCIHA.464@TK2MSFTNGP02.phx.gbl...
> Hi, I am totally new to Vista, reasonably familiar with XP (but not as a
> techie).
> I am trying to disable Fast User Switching, ie the facility to log on as
> another user without logging off the original user.
> I have found some instructions on doing this that feature editing the
> registry.
> Sheesh! I find it hard to believe that there is no way of doing it without
> editing the registry, but there you go.
> However I have run into another problem on the way:
> I cannot find the "Run .." command in the start menu. In XP I could click
> start/run Regedit.exe.
> What is the equivalent procedure in Vista, please?
> And is there a solution to my main problem that does not involve editing
> the registry?


You use gpedit.msc to disable FUS.

http://www.winhelponline.com/articles/128/1/

The RUN command is in Accessories or you use the Windows-key and R-key which
pops-up the RUN box or the Windows-key and F-key to pop-up the Find box etc,
etc.

What you're about to do needs Administrator Privileges escalated, even if
you are already logged into the computer using Admin rights, like on the RUN
short-cut. You can set Run as Admin permanently by going to the Advanced
button on the Short-Cut or the Program.exe.

http://vistasupport.mvps.org/run_as_administrator.htm

"Bruce Chambers" <bchambers@cable0ne.n3t> wrote in message
news:OJruxAECIHA.4476@TK2MSFTNGP06.phx.gbl...
> Paul Randall wrote:
>>
>> The first thing that people new to some computer should learn is how to
>> use that computer's help and support facilities.
>>
>> You will probably see a link to Help & Support if you click the start
>> button. Search for the three words: fast user switch. You should find
>> text and links that tell you all about it.
>>
>
> Yes. Those links tell what you that Fast User Switching is. TGhat is the
> complete content of Help and Support regarding FAS: its definition. It
> also states that Vista's Welcome Screen, from which Fast User Switching is
> accessed, is on by default and, unlike WinXP's, *cannot* be turned off.
> Hence FAS cannot be turned off. I think the OP may well have already
> tried that route.
>
> There's also no longer the option of "Changing the way Users log On and
> Off" in the Control Panel.
>
> In this respect, Vista is less secure than WinNT, Win2K, or WinXP. Hiding
> user account names from unauthorized eyes is a fundamental principle of
> computer security.

You are correct. My bad. Nothing there talks about the possibility of
disabling it and there probably is no way to do it on my Home Basic, other
than manually editing some registry key(s).

-Paul Randall

I'm sorry, but gpedit.msc did'nt help me in this case (Vista Business with
"admin" rights). After I've changed these settings mentioned in the article,
nothing changed. In the system registry an appropriate parameter
HideFastUserSwitching was set as described in the article, too. What's wrong
???

"Mr. Arnold" wrote:

>
> "Jack Sheet" <no-one@nowhere.com> wrote in message
> news:%23FmAaiDCIHA.464@TK2MSFTNGP02.phx.gbl...
> > Hi, I am totally new to Vista, reasonably familiar with XP (but not as a
> > techie).
> > I am trying to disable Fast User Switching, ie the facility to log on as
> > another user without logging off the original user.
> > I have found some instructions on doing this that feature editing the
> > registry.
> > Sheesh! I find it hard to believe that there is no way of doing it without
> > editing the registry, but there you go.
> > However I have run into another problem on the way:
> > I cannot find the "Run .." command in the start menu. In XP I could click
> > start/run Regedit.exe.
> > What is the equivalent procedure in Vista, please?
> > And is there a solution to my main problem that does not involve editing
> > the registry?
>
>
> You use gpedit.msc to disable FUS.
>
> http://www.winhelponline.com/articles/128/1/
>
> The RUN command is in Accessories or you use the Windows-key and R-key which
> pops-up the RUN box or the Windows-key and F-key to pop-up the Find box etc,
> etc.
>
> What you're about to do needs Administrator Privileges escalated, even if
> you are already logged into the computer using Admin rights, like on the RUN
> short-cut. You can set Run as Admin permanently by going to the Advanced
> button on the Short-Cut or the Program.exe.
>
> http://vistasupport.mvps.org/run_as_administrator.htm
>
>