Can't Log Off Win XP

I have a problem with users logging off, restarting, or shutting down the computer in Win XP Pro. Whenever a user logs into the computer they cannot do any of these. Everything else operates normally. The only account that can do it is the original account that was set up initially on the computer. And since you can't log off you can't get to that account it leaves no choice but a hard shutdown. By the way, they can't use ctrl-alt-del to get to the Task Manager either!

What happens when they try any of these? NOTHING at all. Click and nothing. Acts as if it was never even selected.

The computer does not appear to have any other problems at all and it is clean of viruses and spyware.

Anyone ever seen this?

Thanks!

 

I would imagine it would have to be something with the registry. I forget where to go in the registry for windows xp but I know you have to change the shut down registry in control somewhere from 0 to 1. Try to look for a registry entry called Shut Down and change the value of the entry from 0 to 1.

 

Well- found SOME info here (incase anyone is interested): http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;831431&Product=winxpUnfortunatly, it has to do with Norton and the machine doesn't have Norton (it has McAffee).

Still searching......

 

Thanks Neo. I'll take a look at that.

 

If it has to do with Norton then maybe a version of norton is, or was on the computer at one time and the registry entries from that version of norton are still somewhere in the registry. I would download RegCleaner to see if any traces of Norton on are your computer. Then I would delete those entries and see what happens.

 

Nah. Never had Norton on this machine. I've owned it since it was built a year ago and never installed Norton on it and no one else that uses it installs anything.

Still searching the registry. I've found some "shutdown" items so far, but nothing that is changeable.

One of the bears about this problem is that I don't know how long its been there- when it started. Its possible it was there from the day I first set up the machine and no one mentioned it to me. I only found it in the last couple of days 'cause I needed to get on it and others were logged in and the screen saver wasn't on (I usually just logged in and used the Task Manager to log them off).

I'll let you know if I find anything. Thanks for the info!

 

All updates are good. Yep- there is a Roxio app. Would that do it?