How can I speed up switching users in Windows 8?

I recently upgraded to Windows 8 from Windows 7. One major annoyance is how slow the "switch user" command is.

In Windows 7 switching users was fairly fast.

Under Windows 8, it takes 7 seconds from clicking "Switch user" until the user selection screen comes up. This is compared to ~1 second for Windows 7.

I've got an SSD drive with pretty good hardware, so I'm suspecting it's something with Windows 8, either a defect, or the fact that I upgraded from Windows 7 instead of doing a clean install.

My wife is complaining enough about Windows 8 and this is one of the biggest complaints. Does anyone have a solution to this problem?

Solution 1:

Disable Lock Screen in Windows 8

1. Run gpedit.msc
2. Navigate to:

   Computer Configuration -> Administrative Templates -> Control Panel –> Personalization

3. Double-click Do not display the lock screen.
4. Click Enabled.
5. Click OK.
6. This should fasten the speed to switch user.

Solution 2:

I did a clean install of Windows 8.1 on my pc (using the exact same hardware configuration). This time, user switching is fast.

So the possible culprits are:

• Windows 7 to 8 update
• Windows 8
• Unicorns?

I'm not sure, but I no longer have the issue.