Rick from Sarasota asks:
Sometimes when I go to shut down my computer I get a box that says, “Other people are logged on to this computer. Shutting down Windows might cause them to lose data.” What should I do when this happens?
Occasionally, you may be presented with an alert box at shut down (sometimes with, sometimes without, the “Force Shut Down” screen covered in Part 1) notifying you that “Other people are logged on to [your] computer” and continuing with a Windows shut down may cause them to lose data. When this screen appears, follow these steps to remedy the situation:
Step 1. The alert box will ask if you want to continue shutting down your computer. Click the “No” button to halt the shut down.
Step 2. Open your Start menu and click the arrow next to your Windows Shut down/Restart/etc. button. A list of system options will appear.
Step 3. Select “Switch User.” Your current user account will be temporarily suspended, with all running programs on that account “paused” and saved in memory, at which point you will be brought to the standard windows User Account Login screen.
Step 4. Find any user account with a status of “Logged on” (found just beneath the user’s name,) log into that account, and shut down any running programs.
Step 5. Follow the procedure in Step 2 above, this time selecting “Log off” from the system options menu. Once you are fully logged out of the account, you will be taken back to the User Account Login screen.
Step 6. Repeat steps 4-5 for all remaining accounts which show a status of “Logged on” until only your original, primary account is left logged on.
Step 7. Log into your primary user account, shut down all programs, and finally enter the Start menu and shut down your computer. If all User Accounts and Programs have been exited correctly, you should see no error boxes or prompts, and your computer should turn itself off momentarily.
Follow the above steps (and those found in Part 1) and your nag screen shut down issues should quickly disappear; allowing peace of mind to once again return when turning off your computer.
~J. Conboy
