Windows 8 and slow user switching

[CSMR]

For me switching back into an Windows 8 user account is extremely slow.

It takes >30 seconds for the account to be useable. This is on a modern Ivy Bridge system with running off a fast SSD.

I am finding that Outlook stops checking emails when switched out and so must wait the >30 seconds for it to become useable, and then wait for it to check emails.

I think Windows 8 is doing some very bad stuff in the background, like hibernating programs which then need to be restored.

Anyone getting this problem? Presumably it is unfixable?

 

[smakme7757]

I have no such problems on any of the 3 system i have Windows 8 on. Outlook will happily "Pling" to say I've received new mail.

I can't comment on user switching though. Seems very strange indeed, certainly not "normal" behavior.

 

[Ichinisan]

I'm focusing on the feature that Microsoft refers to as "Fast User Switching."

"Fast user switching" has always meant that you don't need to log-off to switch users, so multiple users can be logged-in simultaneously with running processes.

Initially, if you're logged-in with the first user and you want to switch to log-in with another, the only thing that's "fast" versus old-style user switching is that you don't have to log-out of the first user. It still has to load data while the second user account logs-in. After two or more users are logged-in, switching between the accounts should be very fast.

So it sounds like the processes for the non-active user are now suspended in some way. I think that would be a good thing in most cases. However, I can definitely think of some scenarios where it would be undesirable.