I just started seeing the abrupt logout while in Excel 2004. My issue started with a switch to a new MacPro running 10.5.6. I called Apple tech support and explained what I was seeing in the Console at the time of the problem (Windowserver event port death). They recommended that I delete the "Microsoft AU Daemon" from the "Login Items" (System Preferences -> Accounts) and restart.
I haven't been running long enough to say that the problem has gone away, but given that it seems related to both Excel (Microsoft) and logging in, it could be a legit fix.
I'm dealing with this problem too (because I have just one user, I don't revert to the login screen, but rather get a blue screen and then return to the desktop with all apps, windows and files closed, as if the machine had restarted).
My machine is a week old, and I've never had this problem on my desktop machine running the same OS (10.5.6) or the previous unibody MacBook Pro I used before this was (which had an unrelated hard disk malfunction).
The most recent occurrence was 20 minutes ago, when I was writing in Microsoft Word 2004. I also had open Microsoft Entourage 2008, Firefox, Apple Mail, TextEdit and VLC Player.
On a surely related note, I'm getting a ridiculous number of application crashes, most frequently to Word and FireFox. But it's even happened in TextEdit.
For the most recent logout/bluescreen crash, the console log showed repeated references to "notification of WindowServer event port death." A google search sent me here, but to few clear-cut answers.
A crash report in console refers to exception type EXC
BADACCESS (SIGILL) and exception codes KERN
INVALIDADDRESS at 0x00000000bbff758c. The logs are below. I haven't tried creating another user and seeing if the problems occur with it, too, but I'll do that in a few hours.
Separately, I've repaired permissions and done some basic diagnostics with a third-party utility. I suspect I have some corrupt prefs, too, but I'm suspicious that's related.
I'm eager for any and all insight on this, and I want to at least contribute my problem to the wider world, in case it helps others. I'm happy to wipe this machine and reload everything -- slowly -- if there's a good chance that'll solve things. I'm just not optimistic.
4/1/09 4:03:06 PM Finder[94] HIToolbox: received notification of WindowServer event port death.
4/1/09 4:03:06 PM Preview[201] HIToolbox: received notification of WindowServer event port death.
4/1/09 4:03:06 PM Console[149] HIToolbox: received notification of WindowServer event port death.
4/1/09 4:03:06 PM Mail[145] HIToolbox: received notification of WindowServer event port death.
4/1/09 4:03:06 PM MHMQC[635] HIToolbox: received notification of WindowServer event port death.
4/1/09 4:03:06 PM PrinterProxy[205] HIToolbox: received notification of WindowServer event port death.
4/1/09 4:03:06 PM Microsoft Entourage[197] HIToolbox: received notification of WindowServer event port death.
4/1/09 4:03:06 PM QuickTime Player[113] HIToolbox: received notification of WindowServer event port death.
4/1/09 4:03:06 PM TextEdit[210] HIToolbox: received notification of WindowServer event port death.
4/1/09 4:03:06 PM Problem Reporter[1308] HIToolbox: received notification of WindowServer event port death.
4/1/09 4:03:06 PM DiskImages UI Agent[562] HIToolbox: received notification of WindowServer event port death.
4/1/09 4:03:06 PM Problem Reporter[1308] port matched the WindowServer port created in BindCGSToRunLoop
4/1/09 4:03:06 PM iTunesHelper[103] HIToolbox: received notification of WindowServer event port death.
4/1/09 4:03:06 PM Dock[90] HIToolbox: received notification of WindowServer event port death.
4/1/09 4:03:06 PM Alerts Daemon[216] HIToolbox: received notification of WindowServer event port death.
4/1/09 4:03:06 PM Spotlight[85] HIToolbox: received notification of WindowServer event port death.
4/1/09 4:03:06 PM AirPort Base Station Agent[81] HIToolbox: received notification of WindowServer event port death.
4/1/09 4:03:06 PM com.apple.launchd[1] (com.apple.WindowServer[51]) Exited abnormally: Illegal instruction
4/1/09 4:03:06 PM DiskImages UI Agent[562] port matched the WindowServer port created in BindCGSToRunLoop
4/1/09 4:03:06 PM com.apple.launchd[76] ([0x0-0x7b07b].com.citrix.ICAClient[1367]) Exited: Terminated
4/1/09 4:03:06 PM com.apple.launchd[76] ([0x0-0x85085].org.videolan.vlc[1921]) Exited: Terminated
4/1/09 4:03:06 PM com.apple.launchd[76] ([0x0-0x4e04e].com.most.mhmqc[635]) Exited: Terminated
4/1/09 4:03:06 PM com.apple.launchd[76] ([0x0-0x7f07f].org.mozilla.firefox[1814]) Exited: Terminated
4/1/09 4:03:06 PM com.apple.launchd[76] ([0x0-0x4c04c].com.most.mhm[581]) Exited: Terminated
4/1/09 4:03:06 PM com.apple.launchd[76] ([0x0-0x24024].com.apple.print.PrinterProxy[205]) Exited: Terminated
4/1/09 4:03:06 PM com.apple.launchd[76] ([0x0-0x25025].com.apple.TextEdit[210]) Exited: Terminated
4/1/09 4:03:06 PM com.apple.launchd[76] ([0x0-0x22022].com.apple.Preview[201]) Exited: Terminated
4/1/09 4:03:06 PM com.apple.launchd[76] ([0x0-0x6b06b].com.microsoft.Word[1113]) Exited: Terminated
4/1/09 4:03:06 PM com.apple.launchd[76] ([0x0-0x1a01a].com.apple.Console[149]) Exited: Terminated
4/1/09 4:03:06 PM com.apple.launchd[76] (com.apple.ProblemReporter[1308]) Exited: Terminated
4/1/09 4:03:06 PM com.apple.launchd[76] ([0x0-0x9009].com.apple.finder[94]) Exited: Terminated
4/1/09 4:03:06 PM com.apple.launchd[76] ([0x0-0x20020].com.microsoft.Entourage[197]) Exited: Terminated
4/1/09 4:03:06 PM com.apple.launchd[76] ([0x0-0x12012].com.apple.quicktimeplayer[113]) Exited: Terminated
4/1/09 4:03:06 PM com.apple.launchd[76] ([0x0-0x1b01b].com.apple.AppleSpell[155]) Exited: Terminated
4/1/09 4:03:06 PM com.apple.launchd[76] (com.apple.Spotlight[85]) Exited: Terminated
4/1/09 4:03:06 PM com.apple.launchd[76] (com.apple.pboard[88]) Exited: Terminated
4/1/09 4:03:06 PM com.apple.launchd[76] ([0x0-0x26026].Microsoft/com.microsoft.AlertsDaemon[216]) Exited: Terminated
4/1/09 4:03:06 PM com.apple.launchd[76] ([0x0-0xd00d].com.apple.iTunesHelper[103]) Exited: Terminated
4/1/09 4:03:06 PM com.apple.launchd[76] (com.apple.AirPortBaseStationAgent[81]) Exited: Terminated
4/1/09 4:03:06 PM com.apple.launchd[76] (com.apple.UserEventAgent-Aqua[86]) Exited: Terminated
4/1/09 4:03:06 PM com.apple.launchd[76] ([0x0-0x6006].com.apple.dock[90]) Exited: Terminated
4/1/09 4:03:06 PM com.apple.launchd[76] ([0x0-0x21021].com.microsoft.entourage.database_daemon[200]) Exited: Terminated
4/1/09 4:03:06 PM com.apple.launchd[76] ([0x0-0x6c06c].com.microsoft.DatabaseDaemon[1115]) Exited: Terminated
4/1/09 4:03:06 PM com.apple.launchd[76] ([0x0-0x8008].com.apple.systemuiserver[92]) Exited: Terminated
4/1/09 4:03:06 PM com.apple.launchd[76] ([0x0-0x18018].com.apple.mail[145]) Exited: Terminated
4/1/09 4:03:09 PM com.apple.launchd[1] (com.apple.aslmanager) Throttling respawn: Will start in 10 seconds
4/1/09 4:03:09 PM com.apple.launchd[1] (com.apple.UserEventAgent-LoginWindow[1953]) Exited: Terminated
4/1/09 4:03:09 PM com.apple.launchd[76] (com.apple.AirPortBaseStationAgent) Unknown key for boolean: EnableTransactions
4/1/09 4:03:10 PM com.apple.launchd[1] (com.apple.aslmanager) Throttling respawn: Will start in 9 seconds
4/1/09 4:03:10 PM com.apple.launchd[1] (com.apple.aslmanager) Throttling respawn: Will start in 9 seconds
4/1/09 4:03:12 PM com.apple.launchd[76] (com.apple.CSConfigDotMacCert-@me.com-SharedServices[1956]) Exited with exit code: 1
I just had this problem as well. Looking at other people's console messages, there's a lot going on with "WindowServer". Just going on the name, I would say that's what handles your open windows. Thus, if something weird happens with one, like it closes in a way it wasn't expecting or something like that, maybe this program crashes. That would also support my scenario, where I was testing a project in Flash MX 2004 and when I closed the SWF test window, Flash and my mouse froze. One interesting note is that I also had music playing in the background, and when my mouse froze, the song kept playing for about 3 seconds before it logged me out.