Problem logging off each user

[garym]

Hello all

I have two problems. First there are four users on our emachines Win XP. The problem is we sometimes can not log off. When we select a user to log off, the PC locks up and I have to turn the AC off to the PC and back on. I can switch between users and leave users logged on with no problems but once I select to log off, it locks up. I've tried deleting the effected user and reinstalling them. I've also tried using the system restore function from different dates. I've also gone as far as reloading the restore disk and starting with factory settings. Everything works for a while and then starts locking up again. This can vary from one user or all of us at together. My virus checker doesn't detect any problems. What can be my problem?

The other problem is we can only have two users logged in at a time. It won't allow a third user to log in. Is this normal?

Thanks for any ideas

[glc]

How much ram does that machine have? Fast user switching eats ram like you wouldn't believe. If you want 4 users to be able to log in, I'd put a GIG of ram in there.

[garym]

I have 512 mb of RAM. So you think this may take care of my number of users problem. Would this take care of the other problem of the PC locking up when trying to log off? That happens wether one person is logged in or several.

[glc]

Hmm - 512 should be enough to prevent a lockup - there's gotta be other issues. You need to scan for viruses and spyware, etc. in each user's profile. This is one reason I try to stay away from multiple users, it makes this kind of maintenance very time consuming.

It could very well be a hardware issue - I know that E-machines are a lot better than they used to be, but they still don't use top quality components. Might want to start by testing the ram and the hard drive - this is straightforward with free utilities.

[garym]

No one has ever used Einstein's and my name in the same sentence so help me out here. You say I can test the RAM and hard drive with the free utilities. Tell me where these utilities are. Also, isn't the RAM checked on boot up?

I have run my virus checker and spyware on each user. I've never found a virus but have removed spyware and it didn't change anything.

[glc]

The best ram tester is at http://www.memtest.org/ and you need to go to the hard drive manufacturer's site for the appropriate diagnostics.

The bootup ram test only tests for its presence - it doesn't test it for errors, that would take 20 minutes every time you boot it up if it did that.

[garym]

FYI, I found my problem. It was in my spy ware software (webroot). It was always running in the back ground. When I turned it off, all my problems went away.

Does anyone know or have an opinon on Webroot wether it is a good spy ware program?

Thanks

[glc]

Webroot Spyware Sweeper is supposed to be one of the better packages, but *anything* running in the background is a potential source of issues. I'd set it to not run in the background and just do scheduled or manual scans.