SSM vs user switching

Question to SSM experts

Much of the time it's OK when I switch user or logout one user and login another user.
But often SSM just fails to continue its existence between the users - it's just not running. Right now there's no SSM in sight.

Why would that be? Anything I do/did wrong? Suggestions?

SSM lifetime v. 2.4.0.622. version .621 behaved the same, and the last free did as well.
Windows XP
Limited user switching to Admin user on and off.

Edit:I said something incorrectly maybe. SSM does load very early in powering up the machine. It's the GUI that gets lost and I don't see it in the ProcessExplorer.

 

I didn't see your post earlier. Sorry.
A few questions.
Which XP service pack are you using?
Is the SSM user interface connected or disconnected at startup for each user?

 

Sorry here as well, I didn't see this till today

Windows XP-Pro SP3.
SSM interface is supposed to be connected for every user at startup.

But now that I think of it, I'm not sure. It's installed in Program files, the setting is to connect GUI at login, and I don't see a thing in Docs&Settings related to SSM - so I assume it's global.

 

As far as I know, SSM doesn't store any configuration data in documents and settings. Everything is stored in its installed location. It will also use the global configuration for each user until you specify otherwise.

SSM and fast user switching do affect each other. I don't the extent as I don't use fast user switching or SP3. On an SP3 test unit I set up, the behavior of both SSM and fast user switching was quite variable, depending on several factors. With SSM's UI connected on all accounts, fast user switching worked normally. With the UI disconnected on one or both accounts, results varied from no visible SSM tray icon to fast switching failing entirely or a defaulting to the classic user switching. Since SSM didn't give any application prompts when I switched users, at least part of the switching process is covered by the hard coded rules.

On my test unit, I managed to stabilize the behavior of both by putting SSM in learning mode, then switching back and forth between the users. Both behaved normally afterwards with learning mode disabled, whether the UI was connected or not.

If you've already got a ruleset partially or fully built, save a copy of it before using the learning mode. At one time, using the learning mode altered the already existing rules. I don't know if that problem was fixed or not. Either way, it would allow you to compare the rulesets and find the specific change that SSM made to accomodate fast user switching. It'll be a while before I have the time to really check what's changed or if the learning mode issue is corrected.

 

Kerodo wrote in 2004 that fast user switching is/will be an issue on Win2K and SSM 1.9.5.
http://www.pcreview.co.uk/forums/new-version-system-safety-monitor-ssm-available-t1977827.html
So even though this is XP-SP3 and v2 I suspect it's a feature of SSM. And there is not much we can do

While you were experimenting in your bunker, I played with it doing logoffs and user switching some more just to confirm what I wrote earlier. Sometimes SSM gets lost. Other times not. Fast switching almost reliably kills SSM, but logoff and login almost reliably does not kill it. UI is NOT disabled in those accounts.

In order to play admin, which I have to do for few applications, logoff from the limited user, login to admin account is the way I may have to go, since having SSM active in the admin account is essential, I would think.

But thank you for the idea of doing it in learning mode, I forgot I can do that. I thought I did initially, but maybe not all variations. And your thoughts and observations are and will be very helpful. If learning mode trial works, I'll post back.

Thank you very, very much for taking time to try all this for me. I really appreciate it

 

I hope it works for you. When I can, I'll try to set up a fresh SP3 and see if I can determine just exactly what SSM requires to work with fast user switching. There's definitely a permission that has to be accounted for in the rules in order for it to work. I've never used fast user switching on XP or the learning mode on SSM, and my XP setup is a long way from conventional, even with SP3 installed. When I get another test configuration built, I'll let you know what I find.

 

I suggest you replace SSM with Malware Defender on the new XP format.

 

@ mike21,
Please don't dilute this SSM-specific thread.
I've asked about ONE inconvenience in SSM, and that is all I am interested in.
Thank you