The ExitWindowsEx() Function May Not Log Off the User or Shut Down the Computer If the Computer is Locked

View products that this article applies to.

This article was previously published under Q288180

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SYMPTOMS

If a program uses the ExitWindowsEx function with the EWX_FORCE bit to log off a user or to shut down the computer when the computer is locked, the program may not log off the user or shut down the computer, and a blank screen that is the same color as the desktop color is displayed.

The same problem occurs if you use the Shutdown.exe program to remotely shut down the computer when the computer is locked. Note that the Shutdown.exe program is included with the Windows 2000 Resource Kit.

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CAUSE

This problem can occur because the Winlogon process does not handle either the user log off or the computer shut down requests correctly when the computer is locked.

This problem also occurs with the Shutdown.exe program because this program uses the ExitWindowsEx function.

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RESOLUTION

To resolve this problem, obtain the latest service pack for Windows 2000. For additional information, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

260910 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/260910/EN-US/ ) How to Obtain the Latest Windows 2000 Service Pack

The English-language version of this fix should have the following file attributes or later:

   Date        Time      Version        Size     File name
   ----------------------------------------------------------
   3/12/2001  02:41p    5.0.2195.3357  331,536   Msgina.dll 
   3/12/2001  2:40 PM   5.0.2195.3357  178,448   Winlogon.exe

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STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed that this is a problem in the Microsoft products that are listed at the beginning of this article. This problem was first corrected in Windows 2000 Service Pack 3.

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MORE INFORMATION

For additional information about how to obtain a hotfix for Windows 2000 Datacenter Server, click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

265173 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/265173/EN-US/ ) The Datacenter Program and Windows 2000 Datacenter Server Product

For additional information about how to install multiple hotfixes with only one reboot, click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

296861 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/296861/EN-US/ ) Use QChain.exe to Install Multiple Hotfixes with One Reboot

For additional information about how to install Windows 2000 and Windows 2000 hotfixes at the same time, click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

249149 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/249149/EN-US/ ) Installing Microsoft Windows 2000 and Windows 2000 Hotfixes

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