Laptop shutdown problem (Windows Vista locked)

[Mary from Italy]

Actually I'm not sure it's a problem, but I think it may be.

Son left his new Acer laptop doing something, and asked me to shut it down before I went to bed.

He told me to press the shutdown button gently, the lights would go out, then I could close the cover.

However, when I went to shut it down it looked as though it was in sleep mode or something, so I did what I would do with my desktop computer and brushed the mouse pad to see if there were any programs operating before shutting it down.

A message came up that I didn't have time to read properly, but something like "Windows locking"; now it says "Windows Vista locked" (in Italian), and there's a little padlock sign lit up against the shutdown button.

I've never used Vista or this laptop before, so I don't know how it shuts down usually.

Is this normal? I have a nasty feeling it isn't, and he's going to kill me tomorrow...

[Barbara Dodds]

I've just tried it on mine Mary.

If you click on the start button (on the bottom left hand side with the windows logo) and then click on the padlock it should take you back to a username screen. Click on that and it should get you back in so you can shut it down properly.

hth - but I'm not guaranteeing anything

[Mary from Italy]

Which padlock do you mean? The only padlock key I can see is the capslock one.

I did try clicking on the start button and that key, but it just brought me back to the same screen.

It says "Windows Vista locked", and underneath that "Change user".

If I press the shutdown button, nothing happens.

[KiteRunner]

Mary, my Start menu has the brown shutdown key (circle with line through top of it) and to the right of that is a padlock key which says "Lock this computer" if I hover over it - do you not have that on the laptop?

[Grimsqueaker]

Mary,

Leave it running and let him panic about it

I'm sure you have better things to do than worry about someone else's PC ;)

[Mary from Italy]

Mary, my Start menu has the brown shutdown key (circle with line through top of it) and to the right of that is a padlock key which says "Lock this computer" if I hover over it - do you not have that on the laptop?

I'm afraid I haven't the faintest idea how this thing works at all. All I can see is the screen I mentioned above - I haven't got into the Start menu. If I press the key with the Windows logo on it, nothing happens. I'm reluctant to start experimenting in case I make things worse.

[Mary from Italy]

Leave it running and let him panic about it

You're right, Grim, but he's just spent a lot of money on the thing, and I'm worrying I've done something awful to it. I will leave it running unless I can find a solution, though.

[Grimsqueaker]

TBH it just sounds like it has locked the current users session, and left you at the login screen.

This is fairly standard for Vista and you may need his password to get back in to be able to shut it down.

You can't hurt it by leaving it on, but you could lose data by tring to force it to shut down, so to be safe I would walk away

[Mary from Italy]

OK, that's a relief. I was worried that by touching the touchpad or whatever it's called I'd accidentally changed his password to something incomprehensible.

Thanks for the reassurance

[Grimsqueaker]

No probs Mary,

now sneak away quietly before you are noticed ;) lol