I have Windows XP Home on my laptop. And I use it at college, and I want to be able to set my computer so that when it sits idle for certian amount of time, it will log off and go back to my logon password screen. I don't want to use a screen saver because I have the widescreen Dell laptop, and when it goes to a screen saver, or if I just shut the lid of the laptop the screen resolution changes and then all of the windows that I had left open are moved around. And when I hit Win+L it will lock it (and when I unlock it everything it in the right place) but I don't always remember to do that and I want it to do it for me.
And if it can't be set to logoff after a certian amount of time, maybe there is a way to activate the lock sequence after it is idle for a little while. Thanks,
Bryan

my computer>control panel>user accounts>change way users log on or off> then uncheck boxes use the welcome screen and use fast user switching.

Well, I found some stuff on this.

First you need to make a shortcut to log off with the time coutdown warning.
Create a new shortcut and point it he
%windir%\System32\SHUTDOWN.exe -l -t 120 -c "Windows will Log Off in 2
minutes. Close any open programs."

You can change the time to any seconds you want and customize the message as
well.
Then create a scheduled task with your desired idle time(8 hours) and have
it run the log off shortcut at the idle time.

So you can use the screen saver to lock the workstation, then the scheduled
task will run the log off shortcut at the desired idle time you set.

BTW - you can also create a shortcut for locking the work station if you
don't want to use the screen saver. It's shortcut would point to:
%windir%\System32\rundll32.exe user32.dll,LockWorkStation

And as far as using Task Scheduler for this:

After you create the scheduled task (choose any time to run when first
setting it up, like run at logon), it will then ask you if you want to go
into the advanced options, check the box and click finish. Once in the
advanced options you can choose idle under the schedule tab. Set it to idle
and the timeout you want.
(FYI - you can get into the advanced options for a task by right clicking on
it and choose properties)
Once the computer is not used for a minute or so the timer starts. If it
gets to 8 hours the task runs, if the user comes back and just moves the
mouse before the timeout period, then the timer stops and resets to zero and
waits for idle again to start counting again.

Also, this was noted:

Note that it looks like WinXP's shutdown.exe utility is not able to log
off another user than the one user that is defined as the "task" user.
Use e.g. Sysinternals's psshutdown.exe utility to overcome this. More
about this here (and a example on using SCHTASKS.exe to create the
task as well):

http://groups.google.com/groups?sel...AE435@hydro.com

Let me know about this stuff. Thanks!

There is no setting built into windows that automatically logs you off?

is that a rhetorical question?

BPassione, I haven't found an option in XP to do what you want, just the stuff in my previous reply. And leesmithg, this is the second occurence of you being quite rude. Please keep this forum in a friendly atmosphere.

Well I'd like to thank you a lot for all your help. And as usual windows doesn't do what I need it to. Well back to Linux! Thanks again
Bryan

Here is a good option, download wintidy it's a program that restores all your icons instantly when you change you resolution. I had the same problem with gaming (different resolution) and now the icons are exactly where i left them.

Problem is you have to pay pcmagazine or pcworld one of the two to download off their website.