Solved Computer Accidentally Locked at Shutdown

Hi,
Using Vista Ultimate X64 SP2. Shutting down last night I hurried and accidentally hit "Lock this Computer" instead of going all the way over to the actual shutdown section in a few seconds the monitor went black; but the computer kept running.
My dumb question for the day is:
How do you properly unlock the computer and restart windows?
Thanks,
Jakeman97

Hi,

Not sure about the specifics for your model.

So, if the screen is blank (in standby or off) & PC is all quiet?

I would press the power button on the pc & monitor to wake them up/ turn them on.

Then go through a normal shutdown process & that should be all that is needed?

Hi Jakeman97,

Good to see you here again.

To "unlock" a computer, you will simply need to press your ctrl + alt + delete keys simultaneously, and enter the username (though that will probably already be there) and password for the user account that locked the computer.

If you aren't able to enter a name (and/or a regular or blank password) or can't see a screeen, then press the power button on the computer. If it doesn't start shutting down on it's own, you may have to hold the power button for 10 seconds or more. While not recommended, if the above doesn't work, this is pretty much your only other option.

If you don't use Lock the Computer, why not disable it so this can't happen again? See the following: http://www.vistax64.com/tutorials/120503-lock-computer-enable-disable.html.

I hope this helps.

Good luck!

Thanks Lorien..I had no screen and alt+ctrl+del didn't work so I hit the PSU master in back let it sit for 5mins and re-started. Got the screen start windows normally and went for it....Success! I disabled that feature as this compy is not in an office or on a network.
thanks for the help.
Jakeman97

Hi Jakeman97,

Excellent news! It was our pleasure, I'm glad we could help.

I will request that this thread be marked as solved.

I hope the next time you visit, your question/problem is as easy as this one was - but in any event, we'll of course help you regardless.

Good luck and best wishes!