Question: My problem is on XP sometimes when I shutdown, I get a warning that says “other people are logged on to this computer. data may be lost” even if not hooked to my network or the net. what is this and how can I fix it. thanks for any help you can give
– Steve
Carey’s Answer:
This happens most often when people are infected with at least one ‘backdoor’ virus or have enabled File and Printer Sharing on their computer.
The first thing you should do is scan your computer for viruses. It’s not enough to have antivirus software, you must keep it updated at least once a week so it knows to watch for the latest viruses.
If you have no antivirus software, I recommend purchasing and installing Norton AntiVirus. If you want a free antivirus solution, I recommend downloading and installing AVG, which you can get at www.grisoft.com.
If you are on a network, then it’s possible other computers on your network are connecting to you because they either have a virus or have the PC’s have a mapped drive letter or someone is or was just recently utilizing a file on your computer.
This is where firewall software comes in handy. It can be told to allow only specific people to connect to your PC, or none at all. I recommend ZoneAlarm and it’s free for personal use and can be downloaded from www.zonelabs.com
Alternately, if you have no files on your computer that you want to share with others on your local network, simply open My Computer, right-click on your C: drive, select Sharing and Security and disable sharing.
If you are not on a network, but only on the Internet, then you can uninstall File and Printer Sharing from your network properties. Do this by going into your Control Panel, click on your Network Connections icon, then right-click on each icon listed and click on Properties. Click once on File and Printer Sharing and click the Uninstall button. When done, click OK and close the Control Panel. You will need to reboot your computer for the changes to take effect.
Thanks for writing!
– Carey
Carey Holzman owns and operates Discount Computer Repair (602-527-9723) in Phoenix, Arizona, where he offers repairs, upgrades, custom built PCs and network wiring at highly competitive pricing. His networking tips have appeared in David Strom’s book, The Home Networking Survival Guide (McGraw/Hill), and his own book on PC maintenance is currently available at local book stores, amazon.com or directly through him. His free informative web site can be found at http://www.careyholzman.com. Donate $30 to help maintain his site and you’ll get a free autographed copy of his book. Carey can be reached directly at carey@careyholzman.com.
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