multiple desktops on XP, single user

[James Black]

Hello,
I am understanding that a single user can have multiple desktops
under XP. My guess is that this is similar to unix where I can switch
from one desktop to another, so there is multiple physical desktops in
memory, and one logical desktop seen by any user at a time.

Where do I learn more about this, because I would need to turn it
off, as it is messing up my window service.

Thank you.

[Girish Bharadwaj]

If you are talking about "fast user switching", its being done through
http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/de...winxpintro.asp
... If you are talking about the TweakUI toy that has the Virtual Desktop
manager.. I am not sure. I think that this is just utilizing the multiple
desktop feature of NT and 2000 to do that nice stuff.
You can check out the information about it in Platform SDK help.

--
Girish Bharadwaj
"James Black" <jb****@ieee.org> wrote in message
news:e1**************@TK2MSFTNGP09.phx.gbl...

Hello,
I am understanding that a single user can have multiple desktops
under XP. My guess is that this is similar to unix where I can switch
from one desktop to another, so there is multiple physical desktops in
memory, and one logical desktop seen by any user at a time.

Where do I learn more about this, because I would need to turn it
off, as it is messing up my window service.

Thank you.

[Greg Ewing [MVP]]

James, also, how are the multiple desktops affecting your service? Windows
services should not have a UI and therefore the desktops should not affect
your app. Is there something in particular that you are running in to that
is causing problems?

--
Greg Ewing [MVP]
http://www.citidc.com/
"Girish Bharadwaj" <girishb.at.mvps.dot.org> wrote in message
news:#a**************@TK2MSFTNGP09.phx.gbl...

If you are talking about "fast user switching", its being done through
http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/de...winxpintro.asp .. If you are talking about the TweakUI toy that has the Virtual Desktop
manager.. I am not sure. I think that this is just utilizing the multiple
desktop feature of NT and 2000 to do that nice stuff.
You can check out the information about it in Platform SDK help.

--
Girish Bharadwaj
"James Black" <jb****@ieee.org> wrote in message
news:e1**************@TK2MSFTNGP09.phx.gbl...

Hello,
I am understanding that a single user can have multiple desktops
under XP. My guess is that this is similar to unix where I can switch
from one desktop to another, so there is multiple physical desktops in
memory, and one logical desktop seen by any user at a time.

Where do I learn more about this, because I would need to turn it
off, as it is messing up my window service.

Thank you.

[James Black]

Greg Ewing [MVP] wrote:

James, also, how are the multiple desktops affecting your service? Windows
services should not have a UI and therefore the desktops should not affect
your app. Is there something in particular that you are running in to that
is causing problems?

I asked a problem last week on this, but I have a window service that
needs to catch messages to let me know the user is logging off, so I can
handle it, and it also starts up a screensaver to lock the machine or
log the user off after a certain amount of inactivity.
It also has to detect all the keystrokes and mouse movements to know
when to start up the screensaver.

So, my service has to interact with the desktop, otherwise it makes
the design a lot more complicated.

On Win2k it works great, on WinXP, when the user logs off and back on
the service is still running, but not interacting with the desktop, so
functionally it is not working.

It appears that there is a possible issue with fast user switching,
but that is currently just a guess.

[Robert Jeppesen]

And what does your service need to do when noone is logged in?
I'm just asking cause it sounds to me like your app really doesn't belong in a service.
Maybe it belongs in a simple autostart application (hidden or not)?

--
Robert Jeppesen
robert.jeppesen%at%durius-dot-se
"James Black" <jb****@ieee.org> wrote in message news:uq***************@TK2MSFTNGP09.phx.gbl...

Greg Ewing [MVP] wrote:

James, also, how are the multiple desktops affecting your service? Windows
services should not have a UI and therefore the desktops should not affect
your app. Is there something in particular that you are running in to that
is causing problems?

I asked a problem last week on this, but I have a window service that
needs to catch messages to let me know the user is logging off, so I can
handle it, and it also starts up a screensaver to lock the machine or
log the user off after a certain amount of inactivity.
It also has to detect all the keystrokes and mouse movements to know
when to start up the screensaver.

So, my service has to interact with the desktop, otherwise it makes
the design a lot more complicated.

On Win2k it works great, on WinXP, when the user logs off and back on
the service is still running, but not interacting with the desktop, so
functionally it is not working.

It appears that there is a possible issue with fast user switching,
but that is currently just a guess.

[James Black]

Robert Jeppesen wrote:

And what does your service need to do when noone is logged in?
I'm just asking cause it sounds to me like your app really doesn't belong in a service.
Maybe it belongs in a simple autostart application (hidden or not)?

The reason it is a service is that it needs to be able to run always,
as, when someone is logged on it has other tasks it needs to do, for
housekeeping.

The original system was basically a screensaver and there was another
version that was run when the person logged on, but this extends the
functionality, and has to run as a service.

Part of the installation is to ensure that the computer doesn't ask
for a password, as my system ensures that only authorized students/staff
can log onto the computer in the first place. <g>