KB ID 0000320
Problem
Fast user switching was introduced with Windows XP (though XP can’t do this when joined to a domain). Starting with Windows Vista you COULD do this in a domain environment. Some users and sysadmins see this as a bad thing (having users logged on with sessions open that may get forgotten about).
Should you with to disable this feature then do the following,
Solution
Option 1 – Via the registry
1. On the machine in question, Start > run > regedit.
2. Navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWAREMicrosoftWindowsCurrentVersionPoliciesSystem
3. Create (or modify if it exists) a 32 bit DWORD called HideFastUserSwitching and set its value to 1 (disabled).
4. Or simply download and run this registry file.
Option 2 – via Local Policy
1. On the machine in question, Start > run > gpedit.msc (Note not available on Windows 7 Home/Home Premium).
2. Navigate to Local Computer Policy > Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > System > Logon.
3. In the right hand pane locate “Hide entry points for Fast User Switching” and enable.
Option 3 – via Domain Policy
1. On a domain controller, Start > administrative tools > Group Policy Editor > Either edit an existing policy or create a new one (Remember its a computer policy you need to link it to something with computers in it, if you link it to a users OU nothing will happen).
2. Navigate to, Local Computer Policy > Computer Configuration > Policies > Administrative Templates > System > Logon.
3. In the right hand pane locate ” Hide entry points for Fast User Switching” and enable.
4. Either reboot the computers or run “gpupdate/force” to apply the policy.
Related Articles, References, Credits, or External Links
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