virtualbox.org

I have VirtualBox set up on my Mac and Windows 7 running as a guest OS. The Windows machine has several different users, all with different user credentials and levels of access. VirtualBox recommends saving the machine state when a user ends a session. However since I have all of my users accessing the VM through a central location on the HDD, if every user exits and saves the machine state then each time they log into the VM it will be under the previous users Windows account.

Is there a way to set VirtualBox up so when a user ends the VM session it forces a log off in the guest OS? This would force each user to log into Windows when they launch the VM session.

Sure. It's called shutting down the guest. ( not saved state )

Perryg - I have tried that several times and always get an error message through Windows when I re-start the VM stating that Windows was not shut down correctly. VirtualBox gives two options, "Send the shut down signal" and "Power down the machine." Any suggestion on which one works better?

As for the Windows error message I may have a corrupt image. I will try to repair the guest OS and see if that resolves that problem.

@sspivey This is your third post about basically the same thing. How to get 5 users sharing Office 365. You are not supposed to cross-post. All your questions could have been in the original post.

Well a proper shut down is not from the title bar. It is from the Windows start button and then shut down just like it is on metal.

loukingjr - you are correct that this is my third post. however my experience in several other forums I participate in is that all topics go into their own, individual post. Even though my questions do overlap I don't see them as being the same question.

Thanks Perryg. Maybe using a traditional shut down rather than allowing VM to shut down Windows will resolve my issue.

Normally I would agree. But you were trying to resolve the same problem, i.e. getting the 5 users access. Just were asking different ways of accomplishing that. But no matter. You're fine.

loukingjr - I will keep that in mind going forward. Thanks for the heads up.

No problem. Perry's solution should work fine for you as long as the Windows install is okay.