Ctrl+Alt+Del or
Ctrl+Alt+Delete is a popular combination of 3 keys on the keyboard. It is used
to perform various functions in Windows such as opening the task manager or
shutting down an application that has crashed. This key combination is also
known as the three-finger salute. It was first introduced by an IBM engineer
named David Bradley in the early 1980s. It was initially used to restart an IBM
PC-compatible system.
What is
Ctrl+Alt+Delete?
The
specialty of this key combination is the function it performs depends on the
context in which it is used. Today it is primarily used to perform
administrative functions on a Windows device. The Ctrl and Alt keys are first
pressed simultaneously, followed by the Delete key.
Some
important uses of this key combination
Ctrl+Alt+Del
can be used to restart the computer. When used while on Power-on Self-Test, it
will reboot the system.
In Windows
XP, Vista, and 7, the combination can be used to login to a user account.
Generally, this feature is disabled by default. If you want to use this
shortcut, there is a set of steps to enable the feature.
Those who
have logged in to a system with Windows 10/Vista/7/8 can use Ctrl+Alt+Del to
open that Windows security. This provides you with the following options – lock
the system, switch user, log off, shut down/reboot or open the Task Manager
(where you can view the active processes/applications).
An
in-detail view of Ctrl+Alt+Del
Ubuntu and Debian are Linux based systems where
you can use Ctrl+Alt+Del to log out of your system. In Ubuntu, using the
shortcut you can reboot the system without logging in.
In some applications such as VMware Workstation and other
remote/virtual desktop applications, one user to send a shortcut of
Ctrl+Alt+Del to another system using a menu option. Entering the combination
like you usually do will not pass it to another application.
As mentioned before, you are presented with a
set of options in the Windows security screen when you use Ctrl+Alt+Del. The
list of options can be customized. An option can be hidden from the list,
Registry editor is used for modifying the options displayed on the screen.
In some cases, pressing just the Alt button will
perform the same function that Ctrl+Alt+Del does. This works only if the
software does not use Alt as a shortcut for a different function.
The
story behind Ctrl+Alt+Del
David
Bradley was a part of the team of programmers in IBM who were working on
developing a new personal computer . To keep up with competitors
Apple and RadioShack, the team was given just a year to complete the project.
A
common problem faced by the programmers was, when they faced a glitch in
coding, they had to manually restart the entire system. This would happen
often, and they were losing valuable time. To overcome this issue, David
Bradley came up with the Ctrl+Alt+Del as a shortcut for rebooting the system.
This could now be used to reset the system without the memory tests, saving
them a lot of time. He probably had no idea how popular the simple key
combination would become in the future.
David Bradley – the man Behind
Ctrl+Alt+Del
In
1975, David Bradley started working as a programmer for IBM. It was a time when
computers had just gained popularity and many companies were trying to make
computers more accessible. Bradley was a part of the team that worked on
Datamaster – one of IBM’s failed attempts at a PC.
Later
in 1980, Bradley was the last member chosen for Project Acorn. The team had 12
members who were working on building a PC from scratch. They were given a short
duration of one year to build the PC. The team worked quietly with little or no
external interference.
Almost
when the team was five months in, Bradley created this popular shortcut. He
used to work on troubleshooting wire-wrap boards, writing input-output
programs, and a range of other things. Bradley chooses these particular keys
due to their placement on the keyboard. It was highly unlikely that anyone
would simultaneously press such far apart keys accidentally.
However, when he came up with the shortcut,
it was intended only for his team of programmers, not for the end-user.
The
shortcut meets the end-user
The highly skilled team completed the project on
time. Once the IBM PC was introduced in the market, marketing experts made high
estimates of its sales. IBM, however, dismissed the numbers as an
overoptimistic estimate. Little did they know how popular these PCs would
become. It was a hit among the masses as people started using PCs for various
activities such as editing documents and playing games.
At this time, few people were aware of the
shortcut on the machine. It gained popularity only when Windows OS became
common during the 1990s. When PCs crashed, people started sharing the shortcut
as a quick fix. Thus, the shortcut and its usage spread by word of mouth. This
became a saving grace for people when they got stuck with a program/application
or when their systems crashed. It was then that the journalists coined the term
‘the three-finger salute’ to denote this popular shortcut.
2001 marked the 20th anniversary of IBM PC. By then, IBM has sold about 500 million PCs. A large number of people gathered at the San Jose Tech Museum of Innovation to commemorate the event. There was a panel discussion with renowned industry experts. The first question in the panel discussion was to David Bradley about his small but significant invention that has become a part and parcel of Windows user experience all over the world.
Microsoft
and the key-control combination
Microsoft introduced this shortcut as a security
feature. It was intended to block malware trying to gain access to user info.
However, Bill Gates says that it was a mistake. His preference was to have one
button that could be used for logging in.
At that time, when Microsoft approached IBM to
include a single Windows key that would perform the function of the shortcut,
their request was refused. With the bloom of other manufacturers, the Windows
key was finally included. It is, however, used only to open the start menu.
Eventually, Windows included a dual login
sequence for secure login. They could use the new Windows key and power button
or the old Ctrl+Alt+Del combination. Modern Windows tablets have the secure
login feature disabled by default. If you want to use it, it has to be enabled
by the administrator.
What
about MacOS?
This key combination is not used in macOS. Instead of this, Command+Option+Esc can
be used to open the Force Quit Menu. Pressing the Control+Option+Delete on
MacOS will flash a message – ‘This is not DOS.’ In Xfce, Ctrl+Alt+Del will lock
the screen and the screensaver will appear.
Generally, the common use of this combination
remains to get out of an unresponsive application or a process that is
crashing.
Summary
·
Ctrl+Alt+Del
is a keyboard shortcut.
·
It is
also known as the three-finger salute.
·
It is
used to perform administrative operations.
·
It is
widely used by Windows users to open the Task manager, log off, switch user,
shut down or reboot the system.
·
Using
the shortcut to regularly restart the system is a bad practice. Certain
important files may get corrupted. Open files are not closed properly. Neither
is the data saved.
·
This
does not work in macOS. There is a different combination for Mac devices.
·
An IBM
programmer, David Bradley invented this combination. It was meant for private
use by his team to save time while rebooting the PC they were developing.
·
However,
when Windows took off, word spread about the shortcut that could quickly fix
system crashes. Thus, it became the most popular combination among end-users.
·
When all
else has failed, Ctrl+Alt+Del is the way!