Locking XP desktop

Anyone know how to lock the desktop in Windows XP?  I could have sworn I've seen a lock the desktop in some version of Windows, but I can't seem to find it.

Right now, I've setup up the screen saver to launch the sign-in screen, but between the time I walk away from the PC and when the screen saver starts, my toddler son can do a lot of damage.

Help!

yet another anon
Thursday, May 20, 2004

Windows Key - L

Philo

Philo
Thursday, May 20, 2004

control-alt-delete brings up the security dialog too

mb
Thursday, May 20, 2004

You  can get the screen saver to start one minute after you walk awau. If that's too long then put it into standby and set the settings to prompt for passord when it comes out of standby.

Stephen Jones
Thursday, May 20, 2004

Aahhh, Switch User!  Cool.  I've tried Log Off before, but that closes your programs.  Switch User wasn't intuitive since I'm the only user.

yet another anon
Thursday, May 20, 2004

I've always done CTRL+ALT+DEL and then hit k.  But that WIN+L is quicker.  Thanks Philo.

Clay Whipkey
Friday, May 21, 2004

Does Win + L lead to fast user switching? Explains why I don't get it to work on my W2K machine.

Fast user switching doesn't work with domains, if I remember right. You can turn it off manually. Any other restrictions.

Crtl+Alt+Del and then k seems great. Never knew about it before.

Stephen Jones
Friday, May 21, 2004

"Crtl+Alt+Del and then k seems great. Never knew about it before."

I'm amazed myself.

I explain regularly to people who ask me about my programs to READ the dialog boxes or messages I write.
"They're there for a purpose".

Now here's something I see dozens of times a day, but have never really read it.

Wolf
Friday, May 21, 2004

WinKey-L will bring up the Welcome screen if you're not joined to a domain, and will simply lock the desktop if you are joined to a domain.

Greg Hurlman
Friday, May 21, 2004

'k' for OK. Only just realized. I was thinking it was because you couldn't hit L for lock because it was reserved for something else so they chose the next one, rather like in Word you hit Crtl + E for Center text because C and D have already been taken.

Isn't hitting enter instead of 'k' marginally easier?

Stephen Jones
Friday, May 21, 2004

Actually, the 'k' in my sequence is the underlined letter on Lock Desktop when you get the security panel.  I've only just recently got a machine with XP, so I've been living in a Win2k world for about 4 years.  Hitting enter would do the same thing as hitting k as long as Lock Desktop is the button that is focused by default.  I never feel like trusting that with Windows for some reason.  Plus, using the k is such a habit now that it is a very quick keystroke for me.  Kind of a muscle memory thing.

I wonder if I'll actually use Win+L or if I will just automatically do what I've always done.

Clay Whipkey
Friday, May 21, 2004

Dear Clay,
                Yep, the k is underlined. Yet more proof that people never read dialog screens.

Stephen Jones
Friday, May 21, 2004

Hey, I just configger'd Win2k to use Win+L to lock the desktop.  I had already installed WinKey ( http://download.com.com/3000-2344-913626.html?tag=lst-0-1 ) and so I created a .bat file with the following command:

@echo off
rundll32.exe user32.dll, LockWorkStation
cls

Saved it as LockComputer.bat in the WINNT folder, and then assigned Win+L to call that file. viola.

Clay Whipkey
Friday, May 21, 2004

So you''ve saved one keystroke, whenever you use a W2K machine.

You can now waste even more time by calculating how long it took you to write the batch file, and assign it and post here, then work out how many milliseconds(300?) you've saved and use that to divide the time from your first calculation to see how many times you have to lock the computer before you start saving time. Then you work out how many times you're going to lock the computer in the rest of your lifetime to see if it was worth it (answer - no it wasn't).

Stephen Jones
Friday, May 21, 2004

...and think of the time you wasted posting in this thread, especially to tell me I wasted my time.

objPot = youAreBlack(strKettle);

Clay Whipkey
Friday, May 21, 2004

I know. Back in the Win 98 days you ofte found if you reinstalled Windows it might not detect an ASPI aware BIOS and it would turn it off, so you would have to turn off the computer by pushing the button.

The cure was to add or change the registyr key, and then reboot and watch Windows reinstall every single piece of hardware.

I did this a couple of times. I calculated I would be gaining if I was still using W98 in the year 2010.

Stephen Jones
Friday, May 21, 2004

The windows key(s) used to be the first keys I dig out of my keyboard, just about never mean to hit it.

Slowly I have stopped doing that. I think it should just become a macro key of sorts people have some control over. I am sure if a few combinations with the Windows key was finger memory was okay, but that's kinda weak.

Li-fan Chen
Sunday, May 23, 2004

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