Ctrl-Alt-Del /Task Manager Amalgamation

JGR · Post by **JGR** » Fri Jun 16, 2006 10:03 pm

One thing that always iritated me about the more recent versions of windows is that the Ctrl-Alt-Del (CAD) box no longer includes a process killer.
So if you have a hung system at 100% CPU you can open the CAD box but the Task Manager won't load.
I used to use a Win98 a few years ago and it was quite easy to kill a hung app, (assuming the system hadn't spontaneously conbusted or BSOD).
A simple stripped down process killer added to the box would be a great idea.
I could even code it, if I could find the file, as I am relatively knew to this project.
So far I've been supremely impressed with ReactOS and I would look forward to using it.

The ReactOS source code is the best api howto/documentation I've ever come across...

e7 · Post by e7 » Sat Jun 17, 2006 1:34 pm

Yes, this is a very bad thing in Windows NT...

Post by **Jaix** » Sat Jun 17, 2006 6:39 pm

Ctrl-Alt-Delete brings TaskManager in XP pro. At least on my installations. I think this should be enough for ReactOS, just make Ctrl-Alt-Delete bring up our TaskManager.

Mrkaras · Post by **Mrkaras** » Sun Jun 18, 2006 10:54 am

if you want taskmanager and your version of windows doesn't show it with ctrl+alt+del then use ctrl+shift+esc, I think this works on any winNT version

e7 · Post by e7 » Sun Jun 18, 2006 11:01 am

Ctrl-Alt-Delete brings TaskManager in XP pro

You can configure that behavior...

The task manager doesn't start if the system is in trouble

oiaohm · Post by **oiaohm** » Sun Jun 18, 2006 11:50 am

/* Note of typo It should be Ctrl-Shift-ESC every where in here I say ctrl-alt-esc sorry everyone */
ctrl-alt-esc works more often in jam of system on windows XP systems. than control alt delete I stil don't know why.

Ctrl-alt-del was not connected correctly is all I can guess. I know from X11 experence and Linux that Control alt del does not work when X11 is loaded because the applications can block its call to trip the system. If windows has this defect is next to useless as a system recover key.

SysRq ping from the keyboard might be something better to link a plan C to. If ctrl-alt-del fails and ctrl-alt-esc. The one thing that will work only thing that will stop it is a stoped processor. Ie if processor is still processing it will work..

Alt-print screen. Give a SysRq ping. I really don't know why windows decide to over lay this with a window capture(might have been the only way they could do it). It give a call in int 0x16 subfunction 0x85. 100 percent processor usage will not stop this from happing. It built to cope with a frozen system. I use this link to break Linux boxs out of the icestation without rebooting. alt-print screen-letter ie any letter on the keyboard can be used.

Maybe Alt-print screen-z for all else fails task manager. This should not effect general operation of the Alt-printscreen capture. Or linux style
Alt-print screen-t.

Most like linux SysRq key is k kill all applications on current console. Yep stuffed up program looping to hell. Followed up with f terminate heavy memory users. Most of the time the most processor user as well.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SysRq

At least by what MS did no other app should be using the combination.

Note K is the Secure Access Key combination. Stop users from faking logon screen to get user names and password's. By terminating all user processors even the login screen and restarts the login screen.

DGMurdockIII · Post by **DGMurdockIII** » Fri Dec 08, 2006 5:34 pm

etko · Post by **etko** » Tue Dec 12, 2006 5:48 pm

<CRL>+<SHIFT>+<ESC> - for all taskman noobs

- wasn't stressed enough
<WIN>+R - to run something

DGMurdockIII · Post by **DGMurdockIII** » Mon Jan 01, 2007 6:02 am

check out this open source ntfs driver http://www.ntfs-3g.org/

oiaohm · Post by **oiaohm** » Mon Jan 01, 2007 6:16 am

People check out that driver quite often.

Its so close to being usable as a base. It has a minor defect that becomes a major problem to run a OS on it. Writing files to the NTFS partition it can stop being able to write. That is a death nail to a OS.

If secuirty permissions are not working perfect that does not stop it from being used. But Writing files must work all the time.

Used as a transfer partition it is fine. Basicly people here are waiting for a defect in it to be fixed so a OS installable NTFS partition can be provided.

phorn · Post by **phorn** » Wed Jan 03, 2007 10:19 pm

I have found it painful to have to wait for the taskmgr process to be created when a CPU-hungry program is running -- this has sometimes taken as much as 5 minutes if I'm trying to kill an application eating up all CPU.

It seems that Task manager could be embedded in winlogon itself to avoid having to create a new process in a locked-up system.

Also, I wish that it would use the "Winlogon" desktop--Windows's implementation seems buggy in that you have to switch back to the default desktop to kill stuff--which can be nasty if there is a frozen or crazy program that makes it impossible to do anything.

A really good way of solving all of these problems in ReactOS (the way I always wished Ms had done it) is to include in the ctrl-alt-delete screen a menu for "quick kill" or something that would be a really simple, lightweight taskmgr that you could select from inside the winlogon desktop.

Does ReactOS actually have a ctrl-alt-delete screen, or desktop support?

Andrewm1986 · Post by **Andrewm1986** » Wed Jan 03, 2007 11:17 pm

Mac OS X's equiv of a quick proccess kill is very good. It is not a seperate proccesses and so quite often allows you to kill proccesses quicker.

You can also press cmd+opt+shift+esc for four seconds (clumsy but stops you from doing it by mistake) to force kill the front most app

Post by **frik85** » Wed Jan 03, 2007 11:46 pm

A lot more helpful would be a short-cut which terminate the application which consume most CPU and/or memory resources. This would allow user to kill fullscreen apps too. The shortcut function should be implemented in winlogon directly.

Andrewm1986 · Post by **Andrewm1986** » Thu Jan 04, 2007 12:37 am

frik85 wrote:A lot more helpful would be a short-cut which terminate the application which consume most CPU and/or memory resources. This would allow user to kill fullscreen apps too. The shortcut function should be implemented in winlogon directly.

I'm encoding a movie and writing a word document in OOo.

OOo crashes, i hit the shortcut .... whoops movie encoding app just closed

counting_pine · Post by **counting_pine** » Thu Jan 04, 2007 5:13 am

Perhaps a better idea would be something that pauses all the processes and brings up a menu, allowing you to choose what to terminate.