A Mini Rant: Logging Off of Windows Server 2008

Friday, January 25 2008 - Blog

As a Program Manager, I am a Jack of many trades, a Renaissance woman of sorts.  One of the things I find myself doing is remotely connecting to servers to check error logs, look at files, review IIS settings, and various other things. 

With Windows Server 2003, logging off was always a bit uncomfortable, as the Shut Down and Log Off options were right next to each other:

Windows Server 2003 Start Menu

 

A few of the sites I am responsible for are now running on Windows Server 2008 RC1, and much to my amazement, Microsoft has actually made the logging off situation WORSE!

Windows Server 2008 Start Menu

Note that the Shut Down button in Windows Server 2008 is now in essentially the same place that the Log Off button was located in Windows Server 2003.  Note also that in order to log off, you need to first click the right arrow, then choose Log Off from the flyout menu.

Excuse me, but, isn't this a *SERVER*, and isn't this 2008?  Wouldn't the most likely server scenario be that a user or administrator logs in and out of the server many times per week, but that a shut down is much less frequent, more on the order of a few times per year?  I simply don't understand this decision.  The buttons were already difficult to navigate, and now they are even more difficult, and it's even more likely that the Shut Down button will be pressed accidentally.  What were they thinking? 

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avatar #1 Alex wrote on January 26, 2008 at 5:10 AM

Why not just make a link on the desktop to run logoff.exe?

admin avatar #2 Terri Morton wrote on January 26, 2008 at 11:49 AM

That's a good suggestion, Alex. That doesn't make up for the poor design, and I will have to do that for each of the dozen or more servers I use, as will each person on the team who logs into them. I do realize that I have an opportunity to change my mind when I click Shut Down, and that I need to be careful. But I am sorry, I still think this layout is dumb. :-)

avatar #3 Alex wrote on January 27, 2008 at 5:34 AM

At the end of the day, it doesn't matter whether or not the layout's dumb, we're going to have to live with it :(, so instead we have to come up with workarounds :).

admin avatar #4 Terri Morton wrote on January 27, 2008 at 11:55 PM

Many thanks to Ryan Olshan, who advised me to use the Classic Start Menu. This still presents the Log Off above the Shut Down, but I find it a lot easier to navigate.

avatar #5 Stacy wrote on January 28, 2008 at 7:25 PM

I believe that Vista locates the shutdown/logoff buttons in the same location. I bet that Server lifted the new start menu from Vista. But they didn't think about what server admins are doing most of the time...they aren't restarting the server like you would a desktop. Therefore, Lock should have taken precedence. Is there a blog or forum for Server 2008 that you could give this feedback on?

See...User Experience IS important...not just code ;)

avatar #6 Nick wrote on January 30, 2008 at 11:01 AM

You could try using CTRL+ALT+DEL and then hit L. Saves using the mouse.

avatar #7 Nick wrote on January 30, 2008 at 11:02 AM

You could try using CTRL+ALT+DEL Down Arrow ENTER.

Saves using the mouse.

Note that it's ALT GR+DEL if your in RDC.

admin avatar #8 Terri Morton wrote on January 30, 2008 at 12:21 PM

Thanks, Nick. I didn't know about that series of keystrokes. With my laptop (my primary workstation), that would be rather like playing Twister with my fingers. :-)

avatar #9 Ryan Smith wrote on March 05, 2008 at 5:44 PM

For a hysterical 'insiders' perspective of how that menu came to be, check out this blog: moishelettvin.blogspot.com/.../windows-shutdow

avatar #10 Ron wrote on March 20, 2008 at 8:14 PM

I haven't played with Server 2008 yet but look here:

Control Panel/Power Options/Choose what the power buttons do

In Vista you only have Shut Down/Sleep/Do Nothing as choices.

avatar #11 Chuck wrote on July 02, 2008 at 12:10 PM

Make a new shortcut on the desktop to C:\Windows\System32\shutdown.exe /l

Note the forward slash L option, this is mandatory and Logs Off the user.

For an authentic look, change the Icon to the familiar white key in a square gold button which can be found in C:\Windows\system32\SHELL32.dll (It's almost 90% of the way to the right and on the bottom)

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