Datasheet

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CHAPTER 1 GETTING STARTED WITH WINDOWS VISTA
Checking Which User Is Currently Active
Normally, when you log on as yourself, you’ll know that you’re using your own user account. But
if you’re switching among user accounts for administration or testing, you may lose track of which
account you’re using, or you may return to the computer and need to find out whose session is cur-
rently connected.
To see which user is currently active, display the Start menu (by clicking the Start button or
pressing either the Windows Key or Ctrl+Esc) and check the username displayed at the top, under
the picture.
Seeing Who Else Is Logged On to the Computer
You can see who else is logged on to the computer in either of two ways:
◆
Switch user so that Windows displays the Welcome screen, and then look to see which users
(apart from you) are marked as being “logged on.” The problem with this approach is that
you then need to log back on.
◆
Right-click the Taskbar, and then choose Task Manager from the shortcut menu to open
Task Manager. Click the Users tab to display the Users page. You can then see the users and
their status. Figure 1.8 shows an example.
Figure 1.8
The Users page of Task
Manager shows you
which other users
are logged on to
the computer. You
can send them
messages or log
them off forcibly.
Seeing Which Programs the Other Users Are Running
It’s not easy to see exactly which programs the other users of the computer are running unless you
know the names of the executable files for the programs, but you can get an idea by using the Pro-
cesses page of Task Manager. This page also shows you how much memory each program is using,
which can help you establish whether—or why—your computer is running short of memory.
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