Shut Down, Switch Users and Restart Quickly

In this tutorial you will learn, how to shut down, swtich users and restart your computer quickly.

Windows XP contains a bunch of built-in safeguards that, at times, intentionally reduce its operation to a snail's pace. Nowhere is this intentional hobbling more apparent than in the Shut Down, Switch Users and Restart functions. If you want to turn off your machine, for example, you have to choose Start → Turn Off Computer → Turn Off and then wait (and wait some more) while Windows slowly fades into the sunset.

Few people realize that Windows XP has a program that allows you to shut off your machine in about half the time of the usual approach. That same program also shaves significant amounts of time whenever you restart your machine. And a second program lets you switch users very, very fast. That is what this technique is all about.