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veryfat
join:2013-01-17
BR1 3EW

veryfat

Member

[XPPro] Ctrl Alt Del not bringing up Task Manager Window.

TheJoker, one of this website's helpers in the Security Cleanup forum, had managed to sort out this computer. The only remaining problem is that pressing Ctrl>Alt>Del does not bring up the Task Manager window. TheJoker tried a few "tricks", but felt that addressing this forum would be better. TheJoker suggested I made a reference to you here what had happened. So here is the !st page URL:

»[Virus] Is the computer still infected?

Thanks.
moes
Premium Member
join:2009-11-15
Cedar City, UT

moes

Premium Member

Click Start -> Run. Type in "regedit" (no quotes) and hit Enter.

Search for HKEY_CURRENT_USER -> Software \ Microsoft \ Windows \ CurrentVersion \ Policies \ System.

Look for: DisableTaskMgr. Click on REG_DWORD. Value: 1=Enable this key (disables TaskManager); Value: 0=Disable (actually enables TaskManager)

Close RegEdit
veryfat
join:2013-01-17
BR1 3EW

veryfat

Member

Hello moes,

Above tried, but there is not anything in there except for (Default), REG_SZ, (value not set).

I did happen to notice that in Policies was DisableTaskMgr, REG_DWORD, 0x00000000 (0), along with 2 other items.

Any ideas?

Thanks.

joepwpb
Premium Member
join:2000-12-15
West Palm Beach, FL

joepwpb to veryfat

Premium Member

to veryfat
Have you tried :

Windows Repair (All In One)

»www.tweaking.com/content ··· one.html

Tweaking.com - Windows Repair is an all-in-one repair tool to help fix a large
majority of known Windows problems including registry errors and file
permissions as well as issues with Internet Explorer, Windows Update, Windows
Firewall and more. Malware and installed programs can modify your default settings.
With Tweaking.com - Windows Repair you can restore Windows original settings.

*Or try this*

Re-Enable Task Manager

»flpcnerds.com/Downloads/ ··· ger.html

EnableTaskManager.reg
Operating Systems
XP / Vista

Joe P
dave
Premium Member
join:2000-05-04
not in ohio

dave to veryfat

Premium Member

to veryfat
Just for comparison, does the usual ctrl+shift+esc shortcut bring up Task Manager?

FWIW: In no XP system I have ever owned did ctrl+alt+del start Task Manager - it instead switched to the secure winlogon desktop, from which one could log out/lock display/start task manager/etc. That was a consequence of either disabling the 'welcome screen' in favour of traditional login, or of restoring the requirement for ctrl+alt+del prior to login, I forget which.

dandelion
MVM
join:2003-04-29
Germantown, TN

dandelion

MVM

I have used XP HE for years and ctrl/alt/delete always brought up task manager. I have never heard another setting other then the task manager for that.

This may or may not be helpful: »support.microsoft.com/kb/308226

simply on the theory if it helps one thing may another but don't try it without someone else's opinion more knowledgeable
art22gg
Premium Member
join:2005-02-16
Courtenay, BC

art22gg to dave

Premium Member

to dave
Same as Dandelions comment...When pressing Ctrl/Alt/Del..it
ALWAYS brings up the Task Mgr...(WinXP HE)
dave
Premium Member
join:2000-05-04
not in ohio

1 edit

dave

Premium Member

Not if you configure it otherwise.

1. Choose classic theme and classic (not the welcome screen) logon.

2. Choose 'users must type ctrl+alt+del to login'.

That's all I'm saying.

And the relevance to the OP is that it is the user's choice whether ctrl+alt+del switches to the winlogon desktop or runs task manager. Perhaps he has a system that is now configured with ctrl+alt+del switching to winlogon? Unclear, since he hasn't says if typing it does anything, we only know what it doesn't do.

And also it would be good to know if ctrl+shift+esc *does* run task manager (which it is supposed to do, independently of what ctrl+alt+del does). If it does, then we know the issue is something to do with ctrl+alt+del handling. If it does not, then we know the issue is something to do with running task manager. i.e., we're separating the "invokation" and "execution" concerns.
veryfat
join:2013-01-17
BR1 3EW

veryfat

Member

Hello all,

Thanks for all your replies. A polite and respectful reminder: From the opening post I mentioned "TheJoker" had suggested a reference be made to the work that had been done already to help anyone offering me help in this forum.

"joepwpb": Windows Repair (All in One); already tried (see above polite and respectful reminder). Re-Enable Task Manager: This did not work.

"dave" (1st post): (see above polite and respectful reminder); but the answer is that that does work.

"dandelion": I was not referring to any logon action, but I thank-you for the suggested link.

"art22gg": On this computer, with the current configuration, the Task Manager window does not appear when pressing Ctrl/Alt/Del.

"dave" (2nd post): This is not anything to do with logging on (see polite and respectful reminder). Regarding ctrl+shift+esc (see polite and respectful reminder), but in short, that does work.

Thank-you all again and I await any further ideas Take care.

aurgathor
join:2002-12-01
Lynnwood, WA

aurgathor to veryfat

Member

to veryfat
I've had this once when a virus disabled it. I don't remember exactly what I did to fix it, but I vaguely remember that it was a royal PITA.
dave
Premium Member
join:2000-05-04
not in ohio

dave to veryfat

Premium Member

to veryfat
said by veryfat:

This is not anything to do with logging on (see polite and respectful reminder).

A possible clarification: ctrl+alt+del is handled by winlogon. The two different things that winlogon might do are:

1. Just run task manager

2. Give you a 'menu' of things you might choose to do, including
logging off, changing password, running task manager, etc.

Since ctrl+alt+del is handled by winlogon, it's not at all obvious to me that the logon configuration has nothing to do with ctrl+alt+del handling, especially when some of the screens involved in logon configuration mention ctrl+alt+del.

Anyway, that's now irrelevant: see my next post.
dave

dave to veryfat

Premium Member

to veryfat
It so happens I have an XP system hanging around in my basement: it's in a close-to as-installed state as I'm likely to find, mainly because I'm rebuilding it to probably give to someone.

I just now went and took a look at it.

Guess what? ctrl+alt+del does nothing there either.

So, we can rule out malware. This system is clean: it hasn't been anwhere (net-wise) and hasn't done anything.

It was configured for standard XP theme, welcome-screen logon, and no password required.

I did try and change it to 'users must enter password' which made no difference.

When I get some time (I'm busy right now) I'll see if I can figure it out. There's a bunch of configuration that I'd do as a matter of course if this were going to be my own system, and that results in ctrl+alt+del switching to the winlogon 'menu' as I said before. But I don't want to just do all that stuff on this XP system, so I'll have to try one step at a time and back it out.

Question for Win7 users: what does ctrl+alt+del do on your systems? On mine it... switches to the secure desktop. Pretty blue screen, green leaf floating around, the usual 5 or so choices of things to do, including run task manager. But I forget if it comes like that naturally.

If you think I'm unnecessarily harping on winlogon, it's because that's the program that owns ctrl+alt+del. It's qualitatively different to other shortcut key sequences. So, it seems to me that's where we should be looking for changing how ctrl+alt+del behaves.

dandelion
MVM
join:2003-04-29
Germantown, TN

dandelion

MVM

I have a new win 7 and have NEVER used ctrl/alt/delete. When tested on mine I get a screen asking if I want to 1. log off 2. use the task manager 3. switch user 4. change a password or 5. lock this computer.
dave
Premium Member
join:2000-05-04
not in ohio

dave

Premium Member

Yeah, that's "the winlogon desktop".

CylonRed
MVM
join:2000-07-06
Bloom County
·Metronet

CylonRed to veryfat

MVM

to veryfat
FWIW - I checked my XP Pro machine that and it brings up the Task Manager as well. I am used to it bringing up the log on/off screen BUT - I have my user set to log in with the password when I click the user. I don't have it set to enter the password when logging in.
veryfat
join:2013-01-17
BR1 3EW

veryfat

Member

Hello everyone,

Thank-you. I do draw the attention to "aurgathor" post, because prior to having any problems, Ctrl. Alt, Del did work to bring up the Task Manager window AFTER being logged on (I do acknowledge "dave" saying that has a computer that is clean and has the same "problem").

Thanks again to you all and I await any further ideas.

thephantom
join:2001-04-24
Alamo, CA

thephantom to veryfat

Member

to veryfat
This may be not exactly what is being asked for, but I always use ctrl-shift-esc to bring up the task manager. (and if I do use ctrl-alt-del it brings up a menu of choices, one of which is task manager)
veryfat
join:2013-01-17
BR1 3EW

veryfat

Member

Thank-you "thephantom", but you are correct in thinking it was not exactly what was being asked for.

I was after getting Ctrl-Alt-Del to bring up the Task Manager window directly after the computer had finished booting, just as it used to before the virus infection.

Thanks again "thephantom".

captokita
Premium Member
join:2005-02-22
Calabash, NC

captokita to veryfat

Premium Member

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So Task Manager won't come up? What happens when you right click the taskbar? Do you see Task Manager there? Is it grayed out?

If it's grayed out, then there is a setting in the registry blocking it. The two most common keys are:

hkey_local_user\software\microsoft\windows\current_version\policies
Under here look for explorer, and system subkeys. On the right side look for something like disable task manager on each. I've seen malware/viruses put them in both.

hkey_local_machine\software\microsoft\windows\current_version\policies
Same as before, look for the explorer and system subkeys, and the same disable task manager on the right of each.

If you see it listed, you can just delete that entry, or change the value to 0.

Hope that helps.
dave
Premium Member
join:2000-05-04
not in ohio

dave to veryfat

Premium Member

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Since you're all as bad as reading as I am:

He can run the task manager by other methods.

The sole problem is that ctrl+alt+del does nothing: not run task manager, nor do the other thing that ctrl+alt+del sometimes does.

vaxvms
ferroequine fan
Premium Member
join:2005-03-01
Polar Park

vaxvms to veryfat

Premium Member

to veryfat
fwiw: the MS website says to right click on the task bar and select Task Manager from the list. XP, Vista, 7