Log off user

[Andreas Müller]

Hi!
I've been looking for a way to log off another user from Windows XP, that is
to terminate his session without having to shutdown Windows. My goal is to
write a service (preferrably running under System privileges) which is able
to log off users after a defined time. Since other users may be logged on as
well, it would be quite an unelegant and questionable way to simply use
ExitWindows or something of this kind.
Since the task manager provides this kind of feature (under WinXP Pro at
least outside of a domain), I figure there must be a way to do it by code.
Does anyone have any suggestions (API calls, WMI,...)?
Thanks very much in advance!

Andy

[Tom Spink]

Hi Andreas,

ExitWindowsEx should be the API call you are looking for, by specifying the
correct parameter, it can log off the current user. Take a look on Google,
there are countless examples around

--
HTH,
-- Tom Spink, Über Geek

Woe be the day VBC.EXE says, "OrElse what?"

Please respond to the newsgroup,
so all can benefit
"Andreas Müller" <an************ *@uni-essen.de> wrote in message
news:c1******** *****@ID-175356.news.uni-berlin.de...

Hi!
I've been looking for a way to log off another user from Windows XP, that is to terminate his session without having to shutdown Windows. My goal is to
write a service (preferrably running under System privileges) which is able to log off users after a defined time. Since other users may be logged on as well, it would be quite an unelegant and questionable way to simply use
ExitWindows or something of this kind.
Since the task manager provides this kind of feature (under WinXP Pro at
least outside of a domain), I figure there must be a way to do it by code.
Does anyone have any suggestions (API calls, WMI,...)?
Thanks very much in advance!

Andy

[Herfried K. Wagner [MVP]]

Tom,

* "Tom Spink" <thomasdotspink at@ntlworlddotc om> scripsit:

ExitWindowsEx should be the API call you are looking for, by specifying the
correct parameter, it can log off the current user. Take a look on Google,
there are countless examples around

Maybe the OP can base his implementation on this sample:

<http://www.mentalis.or g/soft/class.qpx?id=7>

--
Herfried K. Wagner [MVP]
<http://www.mvps.org/dotnet>

[Andreas Müller]

Hi, Tom!
Thanks for your quick reply, but that's unfortunately not the solution. As
you correctly stated, ExitWindowsEx can log off the CURRENT user, but not
any specified user. Running as user "System", as far as I understand the
function would try to log off System (which would be disastrous, could it be
done), but not the user named HeWhoMustBeThro wnOut. :-)
.... or did I misinterpret the documentation?
Greetings,
Andy
"Tom Spink" <thomasdotspink at@ntlworlddotc om> schrieb im Newsbeitrag
news:eR******** ******@TK2MSFTN GP09.phx.gbl...

Hi Andreas,

ExitWindowsEx should be the API call you are looking for, by specifying the correct parameter, it can log off the current user. Take a look on Google,
there are countless examples around

--
HTH,
-- Tom Spink, Über Geek

Woe be the day VBC.EXE says, "OrElse what?"

Please respond to the newsgroup,
so all can benefit
"Andreas Müller" <an************ *@uni-essen.de> wrote in message
news:c1******** *****@ID-175356.news.uni-berlin.de...

Hi!
I've been looking for a way to log off another user from Windows XP, that

is

to terminate his session without having to shutdown Windows. My goal is

to write a service (preferrably running under System privileges) which is

able

to log off users after a defined time. Since other users may be logged on as

well, it would be quite an unelegant and questionable way to simply use
ExitWindows or something of this kind.
Since the task manager provides this kind of feature (under WinXP Pro at
least outside of a domain), I figure there must be a way to do it by

code. Does anyone have any suggestions (API calls, WMI,...)?
Thanks very much in advance!

Andy

[Tom Spink]

Ahh right, I misunderstood your original post. Fair enough.

To accomplish this, you'll need the session ID for the user you're trying to
log off, then call the WTSLogoffSessio n API.

Take a look at this URI:
http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/de...tification.asp

for more information on the WTSLogoffSessio n API call.

--
HTH,
-- Tom Spink, Über Geek

Woe be the day VBC.EXE says, "OrElse what?"

Please respond to the newsgroup,
so all can benefit
"Andreas Müller" <an************ *@uni-essen.de> wrote in message
news:c1******** *****@ID-175356.news.uni-berlin.de...

Hi, Tom!
Thanks for your quick reply, but that's unfortunately not the solution. As
you correctly stated, ExitWindowsEx can log off the CURRENT user, but not
any specified user. Running as user "System", as far as I understand the
function would try to log off System (which would be disastrous, could it be done), but not the user named HeWhoMustBeThro wnOut. :-)
... or did I misinterpret the documentation?
Greetings,
Andy
"Tom Spink" <thomasdotspink at@ntlworlddotc om> schrieb im Newsbeitrag
news:eR******** ******@TK2MSFTN GP09.phx.gbl...

Hi Andreas,

ExitWindowsEx should be the API call you are looking for, by specifying the

correct parameter, it can log off the current user. Take a look on Google,

there are countless examples around

--
HTH,
-- Tom Spink, Über Geek

Woe be the day VBC.EXE says, "OrElse what?"

Please respond to the newsgroup,
so all can benefit
"Andreas Müller" <an************ *@uni-essen.de> wrote in message
news:c1******** *****@ID-175356.news.uni-berlin.de...

Hi!
I've been looking for a way to log off another user from Windows XP,

that

is

to terminate his session without having to shutdown Windows. My goal is to write a service (preferrably running under System privileges) which is

able

to log off users after a defined time. Since other users may be logged on

as

well, it would be quite an unelegant and questionable way to simply

use ExitWindows or something of this kind.
Since the task manager provides this kind of feature (under WinXP Pro at least outside of a domain), I figure there must be a way to do it by

code. Does anyone have any suggestions (API calls, WMI,...)?
Thanks very much in advance!

Andy

[Andreas Müller]

Thanks a lot, that sounds good! :-)

Andy

"Tom Spink" <thomasdotspink at@ntlworlddotc om> schrieb im Newsbeitrag
news:e2******** ******@TK2MSFTN GP11.phx.gbl...

Ahh right, I misunderstood your original post. Fair enough.

To accomplish this, you'll need the session ID for the user you're trying to log off, then call the WTSLogoffSessio n API.

Take a look at this URI:
http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/de...us/termserv/te
rmserv/wtsregistersess ionnotification .asp
for more information on the WTSLogoffSessio n API call.

--
HTH,
-- Tom Spink, Über Geek

Woe be the day VBC.EXE says, "OrElse what?"

Please respond to the newsgroup,
so all can benefit
"Andreas Müller" <an************ *@uni-essen.de> wrote in message
news:c1******** *****@ID-175356.news.uni-berlin.de...

Hi, Tom!
Thanks for your quick reply, but that's unfortunately not the solution. As

you correctly stated, ExitWindowsEx can log off the CURRENT user, but not any specified user. Running as user "System", as far as I understand the
function would try to log off System (which would be disastrous, could it

be

done), but not the user named HeWhoMustBeThro wnOut. :-)
... or did I misinterpret the documentation?
Greetings,
Andy
"Tom Spink" <thomasdotspink at@ntlworlddotc om> schrieb im Newsbeitrag
news:eR******** ******@TK2MSFTN GP09.phx.gbl...

Hi Andreas,

ExitWindowsEx should be the API call you are looking for, by specifying the

correct parameter, it can log off the current user. Take a look on Google, there are countless examples around

--
HTH,
-- Tom Spink, Über Geek

Woe be the day VBC.EXE says, "OrElse what?"

Please respond to the newsgroup,
so all can benefit
"Andreas Müller" <an************ *@uni-essen.de> wrote in message
news:c1******** *****@ID-175356.news.uni-berlin.de...
> Hi!
> I've been looking for a way to log off another user from Windows XP, that

is
> to terminate his session without having to shutdown Windows. My goal is

to

> write a service (preferrably running under System privileges) which

is able
> to log off users after a defined time. Since other users may be

logged on

as
> well, it would be quite an unelegant and questionable way to simply

use > ExitWindows or something of this kind.
> Since the task manager provides this kind of feature (under WinXP

Pro at > least outside of a domain), I figure there must be a way to do it by

code.

> Does anyone have any suggestions (API calls, WMI,...)?
> Thanks very much in advance!
>
> Andy
>
>