Log off user with "Fast User Switching" enabled

[WindowsStar]

Windows Star,

Looks like we will have to use your "REMOTE" fix of the "shutdown -o" command to be able to logoff a user when you are sitting right at the machine you need to logon to. It's a shame you had more control with XP than Windows 7. With XP you had the option of inputing another users credentials to log off the current user, even if it would lose any data they had opened, you could still gracefully log them off and service the machine.

I guess I am confused as to why this is not done remotely all the time. I would never go on site to log someone off. When I receive a call I ask for the computer name and remotely log the user off. Why wouldn't you want them to call you, you stay comfortable at your desk and just remotely log them off??? I guess wonder why you would drive to their location to log them off. Or even walk down the hall to the classroom/training room and log them off. Did I miss something??

 

[WindowsStar]

Hi Everyone - thanks for the suggestions - with regard to the post about FUS being turned off when joined to a domain (that was true of XP but not of Vista and 7 Professional - and while this is an improvment and advantage for some, it simply works against me in a school setting).
PSSHUTDOWN is a utility I use to actually power down all my domain machines left on at the end of the day - the pain of that would be either I would have to hand off that ability to lab admins or man my workstation whenever someone needs a box powered down (again, not ideal).
Many of my classes deal in high end graphics programs (Adobe packages - and we are considering the CS5 package) so I really wanted to have the classes start each period with a max performing box and if 2 or even 1 student is logged in, that presents a problem.
Like kenboy pointed out, "hiding" the option doesn't work since that user would be the only one to be able to unlock the box - still just baffled that the powers at Microsoft missed this??
I have considered the mstsc option of allowing the lab admins to log into a remote desktop session to at least give the PC the log in prompt again but that still keeps the "locked" session live and it also opens ANOTHER port and service I would rather keep closed.
Glad I am not alone in this and hope this thread points out a solution - I am about 1 month away from deciding on whether to deploy 7 with deployment workbench (AWESOME program) or go with the tried and true rollout of XP of my old RIS box -
In my perfect world, I am trying to just make 7 as "maintenance free" as XP was for all those years~

Here are a few more options if you need them:

1 If you know the classroom schedule you could schedule reboots 5 min after each class.
2 If students are using the computer for the whole class (so the screensaver does not start) you can install a special screensaver to log them off when the screensaver starts.
3 If you have lab teachers, admin, helpers etc. You could write a script encrypt it and make all the machines off. Add the script to their desktop and they just need to double click on the script. (Heck I probably have a script like that already written or close to)
4 If I remember right there is 3rd party software that does something just like what you want……just cannot remember the name of it.

I am sure there are other clever ways around this

 

[hokieman91]

Again, thx for the suggestions~ Like Kenboy, just frustrated there isn't a way to just disable the only thing about 7 that has the potential to hinder it's performance.
While the scripts and screensavers and reboot options all would and could solve the problem, it's just a lot of overhead for a very simple thing of just being able (as a network admin) when and where and if I even want FUS.
With over 1200 total machines to support, I am rarely at my desk to personally log off or run a powerscript to shutdown machines and there are very few staff that have the "knack" to control a lab with that sort of micro-managemant - the "set it and forget it" was there for XP but just a little trickier for 7.
So far, my solution has been (and might stay) to *enable* Interactive Login: Do not display the last user name - and leave it at that - at least that allows the lab admin to reboot the box with credientials if enough users log in and walk away. Just not looking forward to hearing about "why do I have to reboot these machines all the time?"
I know that the sessions are controlled or activated by the TSdiscon.exe in system 32 and I was wondering if there was a reg hack to possibly "limit" the number of concurrent logins? THAT would solve everything - can't find any documentation to hint at that and I find it hard to believe that you could have unlimited sessions in FUS -
Still looking.....

 

[WindowsStar]

@hokieman91

Respectfully: Not to put down your workload or your process of getting things done as and Admin, because I know how hard it is, but I am still wondering why you would actually go and touch a machine. We have way over 5000 devices and I nor do other Admins ever go to a machine unless it is absolutely necessary. We use RDP, DameWare, VB Scripts, CMD Scripts or just plain drive mapping to get what we need done. Since you have 1200 machines you should be sitting at your desk with coffee in hand remoted into 5 machines working on them all at the same time. Now, you are fixing 5 machines instead of driving/walking to a single machine and repairing it.

I do understand your issue with Windows 7 and the log-ins, and I have found many annoying things with 7 in respect to the enterprise world where Microsoft came up a bit short. I feel the same as you do how could they have missed this?

 

[oldstlraver]

scheduled task to logoff any previously logged in and locked user

Here's a method I've tested:

The script I am using is a slightly modified version of one listed on the MS Technet forums
How to manage Fast User Switching on Domain joined computers?

The script will use the QUERY.EXE executable to query all of the user sessions on the box and pipe the info to a text file. It will then parse the text file for any line containing the "Disc" session state. If it finds any disconnected sessions, it will logoff the session ID associated with that session. It will also write the logoff event to an application event and list the old user and the new user IDs.

I created a test schedule on my test Windows 7 box that kicks off the script on logon. I've successfully tested the process against sessions with open and modified MS documents with no issues.

Caveats:
- need to create the process of each machine (manually or via some automated schedule creation process)
- I needed to create the scheduled task using the local admin account to allow it to logoff the disconnected session. Otherwise, we will get an access denied
- In this state, ANY user will be able to log out another user. Its not limited to just Admins like the XP stations
- It will force close the session, so all unsaved work will be lost
- No warning message will be given that data will be lost
- haven't tested the process against any app other than MS, so further testing will need to be done if this is the path we are going