Solve : Computer is in use and locked by administrator ???

1.	Solve : Computer is in use and locked by administrator ???
Answer» Hello and thank you for looking at this problem. I have an AMD Athalon, 2 gig ram, 250 gig drive, running WIN XP Pro. The drive had a CLEAN install of xp. It has developed a habit of turning off and not restarting by moving the mouse or tapping KEYS on the keyboard. I tried to hit the reset button but again nothing happens. It has shut down altogether. Then when I restart with the power button the computer fires up and comes up with the log on screen but has a message in it that says, " the computer is in use and has been locked by the administrator? Ive never seen this sort of message before. Can someone please suggest as to what may be goin on here and how I might be able to fix this issue. Thank you ImnoGuru. Could either of these be true? Quote This behavior can occur for either of the following reasons: * When the default screen saver is set to use a non-existent screen saver program. * When you use a corrupted screen saver that is password protected. http://support.microsoft.com/kb/242917 You could be having DISK corruption and/or hardware malfunction e.g. hard drive / motherboard / PSU. You say your cpu is an "Athalon", what kind of Athlon is it? On what motherboard? Try resetting first. Turning it off normally and then hold the power button in for 5 seconds as you turn on. This fixes a lot, but your settings might need to be reset. Did you mess with anything or download something prior this happening? If so...Delete it from uninstall programs through the control panel or it's uninstall link. If it's a download do a scan on it and delete it. Restart and try again. Someone else might have control of your computer... if you didn't lock yourself out somehow. Are you on a home network? Parents can do that.JezztT, did you even read his post? If he can't log in, how can he uninstall or scan anything? Thank you for the reply Dias de verano. This behavior started suddenly from a working computer, say at least three months of working well. The computer had a corrupt drive previously, invaded by a mystery popping on the C: Drive. That drive was uninstalled and removed totally. Then I made the next drive, (there were four in it), the C: Drive, a 250 gig seagate and loaded a fresh install of XP Pro on it as the O/S. Then the fan on the chip died and I replaced it. It was about this time that it started with this problem. I had been thinking that it might have overheated and had a safety setting that will turn the computer off altogether (like my Dell). Quote from: JezztT on March 29, 2009, 07:00:32 AM Someone else might have control of your computer... if you didn't lock yourself out somehow. Are you on a home network? Thank you for your entry JezztT. This is my highest concern. That the previous drive had a mystery infection of some kind that even withe help of CH experts run a clean BILL of health, yet the popping continued, so I removed the old drive altogether and reloaded a new O/S. (Although there was nothing of any note on the new drive the 250 Seagate, I didnt format it, I just loaded Win XP pro to it). Yes there are three computers on the same ADSL modem. I am of advanced years so mum or dad dont come into this senario, and I enjoy the peace and quiet of living alone now, so interfrence from others would not apply either. Quote from: Dias de verano on March 29, 2009, 07:26:15 AM If he can't log in, Now, and thank you for your thoughts Dias de verano. Actually I can log in as I know the passwordsequence. That isnt an issue, so thanks for the concern. My concern is that it seems to go to the windows screensaver for a time then just switches off altogether, and to restart it you literally have to restart it complete with a new log in screen, and when that screen appears it has a message that says... (as above) the computer will lock when it goes to sleep... the power button simply wakes it up. Nothing mysterious here. Vista does this by default, actually.Thanks BC_Programmer, I can UNDERSTAND that this is a standard FEATURE, IF it were set to do it. However I havent set it and it was all systems go before hand. So lets say it has reset itself. How do I unset this please. Is there a place where I can unset this (say) hibernate feature. I have already looked in the control panel at display properties and all seems to be correct. A most interesting developement. Now it seems the computer is refusing to restart AT ALL. Please hold your thinking caps while I test a few things , like the power supply and spo on. Many thanks to all involved.ImnoGuru Ok. Taking out the power cord for a few minutes seems to have things back to ... well Ok at least.

Answer»

Hello and thank you for looking at this problem.

I have an AMD Athalon, 2 gig ram, 250 gig drive, running WIN XP Pro.
The drive had a CLEAN install of xp.

It has developed a habit of turning off and not restarting by moving the mouse or tapping KEYS on the keyboard.
I tried to hit the reset button but again nothing happens. It has shut down altogether.

Then when I restart with the power button the computer fires up and comes up with the log on screen but has a message in it that says, " the computer is in use and has been locked by the administrator?

Ive never seen this sort of message before.
Can someone please suggest as to what may be goin on here and how I might be able to fix this issue.

Thank you ImnoGuru. Could either of these be true?

Quote

This behavior can occur for either of the following reasons:

* When the default screen saver is set to use a non-existent screen saver program.
* When you use a corrupted screen saver that is password protected.

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/242917

You could be having DISK corruption and/or hardware malfunction e.g. hard drive / motherboard / PSU. You say your cpu is an "Athalon", what kind of Athlon is it? On what motherboard?

Try resetting first. Turning it off normally and then hold the power button in for 5 seconds as you turn on. This fixes a lot, but your settings might need to be reset.

Did you mess with anything or download something prior this happening? If so...Delete it from uninstall programs through the control panel or it's uninstall link. If it's a download do a scan on it and delete it. Restart and try again.

Someone else might have control of your computer... if you didn't lock yourself out somehow. Are you on a home network? Parents can do that.JezztT, did you even read his post? If he can't log in, how can he uninstall or scan anything? Thank you for the reply Dias de verano.
This behavior started suddenly from a working computer, say at least three months of working well.
The computer had a corrupt drive previously, invaded by a mystery popping on the C: Drive. That drive was uninstalled and removed totally.

Then I made the next drive, (there were four in it), the C: Drive, a 250 gig seagate and loaded a fresh install of XP Pro on it as the O/S.

Then the fan on the chip died and I replaced it. It was about this time that it started with this problem.

I had been thinking that it might have overheated and had a safety setting that will turn the computer off altogether (like my Dell).

Quote from: JezztT on March 29, 2009, 07:00:32 AM

Someone else might have control of your computer... if you didn't lock yourself out somehow. Are you on a home network?

Thank you for your entry JezztT. This is my highest concern. That the previous drive had a mystery infection of some kind that even withe help of CH experts run a clean BILL of health, yet the popping continued, so I removed the old drive altogether and reloaded a new O/S. (Although there was nothing of any note on the new drive the 250 Seagate, I didnt format it, I just loaded Win XP pro to it).
Yes there are three computers on the same ADSL modem.
I am of advanced years so mum or dad dont come into this senario, and I enjoy the peace and quiet of living alone now, so interfrence from others would not apply either.
Quote from: Dias de verano on March 29, 2009, 07:26:15 AM

If he can't log in,

Now, and thank you for your thoughts Dias de verano. Actually I can log in as I know the passwordsequence.
That isnt an issue, so thanks for the concern.
My concern is that it seems to go to the windows screensaver for a time then just switches off altogether, and to restart it you literally have to restart it complete with a new log in screen, and when that screen appears it has a message that says... (as above) the computer will lock when it goes to sleep... the power button simply wakes it up.

Nothing mysterious here. Vista does this by default, actually.Thanks BC_Programmer, I can UNDERSTAND that this is a standard FEATURE, IF it were set to do it.
However I havent set it and it was all systems go before hand.

So lets say it has reset itself.
How do I unset this please. Is there a place where I can unset this (say) hibernate feature.
I have already looked in the control panel at display properties and all seems to be correct. A most interesting developement.
Now it seems the computer is refusing to restart AT ALL.
Please hold your thinking caps while I test a few things , like the power supply and spo on. Many thanks to all involved.ImnoGuru Ok. Taking out the power cord for a few minutes seems to have things back to ... well Ok at least.

Solve : Computer is in use and locked by administrator ???

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