Control-Alt-Delete combination is not working? Fix it now!
Here you will find out:
- about this issue
- how DiskInternals Partition Recovery can help you
Are you ready? Let's read!
The Ctrl + Alt + Del combination is used to lock the computer, launch the Task Manager, change the user, or log out. However, at some point in time, you have noticed that this keyboard shortcut does not work. Many Windows users experience this incident, but you can fix it! There are several suggestions in this article to help you fix this problem, but you may have to try all of them.
Let's remove it
Make sure the keyboard is functioning
Perhaps you have a faulty keyboard or some keys are out of order, then, you may encounter the problem of Ctrl + Alt + Del inoperability. Try connecting another keyboard to see if this is the case.
Work with drivers
Update device drivers, they may be outdated and hotkeys do not work because of this. Go to the keyboard manufacturer's official website and download the latest driver updates from there. Install them sequentially as suggested by the installation wizard, restart your computer and check if the error persists.
Change device preferences
In Windows 10, press the Windows logo key and I at the same time and open Windows preferences. Then click Time & Language, select your primary language, save your changes and check if the Ctrl + Alt + Del sequence works.
SFC
Run System File Checker to check if everything is ok with system folders and files. To do this:
1. First press the Windows logo key and type cmd in the search box.
2. Right-click Command Prompt in the list of results
3. Select Run as Administrator and click Yes to launch the Command Prompt.
4.Next, enter the commands below:
- Dism/Online/Cleanup-Image/ScanHealth and press Enter.
- Dism/Online/Cleanup-Image/CheckHealth and execute it.
- Dism/Online/Cleanup-Image/RestoreHealth and execute it.
- sfc/scannow and execute it.
5. Now, close the Command Prompt and simultaneously hold down the Ctrl + Alt + Del sequence to test if this method works.
Edit Registry
Some third-party software may have made changes to your registry settings. Using the following instructions, you will be able to change the default registry settings and solve the problem you have encountered.
- Press the Windows logo key and R at the same time, you will be taken to the Run dialog box, where you will need to type regedit and press Enter.
- Next, in the left pane, go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\System or HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies.
- Next, right-click on "Policies", now click on "New" and click on "Key". Create a key called System, and if such a key already exists, then skip this step.
- Next, go to the right pane of the Registry Editor and select DisableTaskMgr to view its properties: set 0 as the value data. Then restart your computer and check if the Ctrl + Alt + Del sequence works.
Clean Boot
If even the changes in the registry did not help, then most likely you will have to perform a clean boot. After performing a clean boot, you will be able to disable launches and certain services yourself in order to detect problematic software. Once you find the problem, get rid of it, and then the problem with not working Ctrl + Alt + Del will be solved.
So, let's proceed to a clean boot:
- On the keyboard, simultaneously press the Windows logo key and R
- Type msconfig and press Enter
- In the system configuration window select the "Services' ' tab.
- Now select the Hide all Microsoft services checkbox and click Disable All.
- Next, go to the "Startup" tab and click "Open Task Manager'' and click "Disabled" for each startup item.
- Save changes and restart your computer and press the Ctrl + Alt + Del sequence. If the problem is resolved, re-enter the computer configuration and enable one service at a time until you find the problematic application.
Need to roll back OS updates? Make sure your data is safe
You may need to rollback your operating system to get rid of the “my computer is frozen and control alt delete not working” problem. However, before that, restore the necessary documents, since you will no longer have such an opportunity.
The first thing you need to do is find good professional software to restore and backup your storage. The best option for you is DiskInternals Partition Recovery. This program uses advanced disk scanning and finds over 95% of all lost files.
Therefore, Partition Recovery, in this case, will be very useful not only in read mode but also in deep recovery mode. This program has a convenient and fun interface with a built-in wizard, a free demo version of DiskInternals Partition Recovery is included.
Be sure to take advantage of the free preview option to make sure everything works for you, and then don't hesitate to purchase a license. The licensed version of this app also offers free technical support for a year from the date of purchase. Not many such programs can boast of this!
All you have to do is download and install DiskInternals and the program will do the rest.
1. Download and install DiskInternals Partition Recovery;
2. Connect the required drive to your computer, run the program and select the basic data search parameters;
3. Then scanning will start (full, fast or reading files), which will take some time - wait until the process is complete;
4. Preview and recovery;
5. If you want to save the recovered files, just buy a license (one click of the mouse button) and enter the license key. The program itself will ask you to choose a location to save the data (do not save the recovered documents on one hard drive).