Wednesday, May 16, 2007

Use Ctrl+Alt+Del Without Pushing All the Buttons

For some people, pushing Ctrl, ALT and Delete (Ctrl+Alt+Del) at the same time can be an inconvenience, if not a complete impossibility. With Windows XP, there are two ways to get around this.

First option: Configure the system so that you do not need to press Ctrl+Alt+Del at all during logon (assuming you're not using the Welcome screen, in which case this key combo is not required).

  • Open Control Panel then User Accounts.
  • Navigate to the Advanced tab.
  • Uncheck the Require users to press Ctrl+Alt+Del checkbox under Secure Logon.

Second option: Configure XP's accessibility options so that "sticky keys" will be activated at the secure desktop: That way, you may "press" ALT, Ctrl, and DEL sequentially rather than simultaneously. You can turn that on via the Accessibility control panel. (Control Panel then Accessibility Options):

  • Bring up the Accessibility Control panel and navigate to the Keyboard tab.
  • Check Use Sticky keys.
  • Navigate to the General Tab.
  • Check Apply all settings to logon desktop.