Although this has probably been the case all along (this old dog had to learn a new trick), you can use Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager directly and bypass the hassle and frustration introduced by MS with Vista. Following is a preview of this utility in action: As you can see it looks very close to Windows 8 Task Manager.
#WINDOWS XP TASK MANAGER SHORTCUT INSTALL#
Its a very small utility in size and is portable so you don’t need to install it. To Open Ctrl-Alt-Del Task Manager Right-click. Our reader Masroor Aijaz aka JX Geat has developed a Windows 8 look-like metro Task Manager utility for Windows XP, Vista and 7. But for heaven’s sake please leave old keyboard shortcuts in place for those of us who have been using Windows for a while.Įnough ranting and raving. Name Task Manager windowssystem32taskmgr.exe Synopsis Display currently running programs, background processes, and some performance statistics. I can understand Microsoft trying to make things easier for new users and for the masses. So to launch Task Manager in Windows 7 and Vista you would have to go through this double step process of pressing Ctrl + Alt + Del, then reaching over to your mouse and clicking on Start Task Manager. Now in Windows 7 and Windows Vista you can still use Ctrl + Alt + Del which displays a screen whith options like Lock this Computer, Switch User, Log Off, Change Password, and Start Task Manager. From a command line, GUI (located in C: \ Windows \ System32 \ taskmgr.exe) or a shortcut 'Taskmgr.exe'. Stupid, stupid, STUPID! Way to go Microsoft! In Windows XP, pressing Ctrl + Alt + Delete or Ctrl + Shift + Esc directly starts the task manager, unless you have disabled the welcome screen. Now that you have a shortcut, right-click and choose Properties.
#WINDOWS XP TASK MANAGER SHORTCUT FULL#
If you are using XP or this doesn’t work, you can also use the full path to task manager: C:\Windows\System32\taskmgr.exe.
In the location box, just type taskmgr and hit next. However, pressing T does nothing, and in fact, no keyboard shortcuts work on this screen to choose one of the items from the list – even tab and arrow keys don’t let you pick from the list. Right-click on the desktop and choose New \ Shortcut. Now in Windows 7 and Windows Vista you can still use Ctrl + Alt + Del which displays a screen whith options like Lock this Computer, Switch User, Log Off, Change Password, and Start Task Manager. Back in the day (Windows 2000, 2003, XP, etc.) you could easily open Windows Task Manager using Ctrl + Alt + Del, then pressing T.