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I had been playing a game and it stuck. So I press Ctrl-Alt-Del and menu appears. I select task manager and it opens, but, since my frozen application is fullscreen, the task manager is below it, so I get no access to task manager window.
No amount of pressing Alt-Tab, Alt-F4, Alt-Enter, Alt+mouse drag did help. I ended up pressing reset.
What was I supposed to do?
Barafu Albino
Posted 2017-02-24T10:14:24.173
Reputation: 245
3
Try telling the Task Manager to always be on top.
Next time you should be able to view it. Also try Alt-Tab-ing out of the app/game, so the focus is on something different.
I tested it on Windows 8 on Wolfenstein: Enemy Territory, which is a game you need a special program to minimise :D .
(my Windows is in Slovak)
redbeam_
Posted 2017-02-24T10:14:24.173
Reputation: 532
2
This will terminate all non-responsive programs and allow you to resume normal functionality:
taskkill /f /fi "status eq not responding"
You can run it from command prompt or start menu.
Overmind
Posted 2017-02-24T10:14:24.173
Reputation: 8 562
A useful tip. However, if Windows got so locked up that I could not get to Task Manager, I doubt Console would be operable too. May be there is some hotkey sequence to open console no matter what, like Ctrl-Alt-F# in Linux? – Barafu Albino – 2017-03-05T05:07:12.690
1
Command prompt can be practically opened from almost anywhere: https://www.howtogeek.com/235101/10-ways-to-open-the-command-prompt-in-windows-10/ And yes, it will be functional.
– Overmind – 2017-03-06T09:03:20.120Thanks for the link, I have read it. However, all those shortcuts open the same console prompt in a window. When fullscreen games lock up, you have no access to any other window. It is possible to open console in window, but impossible to type anything into it. I was hoping more for some shotrtcut to cycle GUI system, or open console fullscreen outside of GUI, or some other emergency measure. – Barafu Albino – 2017-03-07T06:12:29.777
1You don't actually need to see the window; if you manage to launch it, it's fine. Make a .bat file with the command I listed in the answer and name it something like 1.bat. Copy in to Windows folder. Then you can use it at any time just by typing 1 + enter in the cmd. – Overmind – 2017-03-07T08:13:57.650
You can just press Win + R, type anything you need and hit Enter. The only drawback is that you possibly won't be able to see what you are typing. – UnclickableCharacter – 2018-08-28T05:10:02.077
0
When the game is frozen up, open task manager, then press windows key + D, the bottom bar should have popped up, now bottom right you’ll see a little black box filled with changing levels of blue(might need to click the arrow to open full menu). Right click and set to always on top and boom! The task manager pops up in front of the frozen program ;)
Mike
Posted 2017-02-24T10:14:24.173
Reputation: 1
-1
You said it in the comments...
They are right,
Opening the Task Manager before you start the full screen app or game and confirm that under Options > Always On Top is selected.
This should solve your issue, I personally have two monitors so I make it show up on the opposite monitor from the full screen game ( I have the same problem some times with my Skyrim )
asmith
Posted 2017-02-24T10:14:24.173
Reputation: 331
same problem occures in Win8.1 as well – CsBalazsHungary – 2017-02-24T14:17:58.883
@BarafuAlbino - Do you have multiple monitors? At the time did you have Task Manager set to "Always on Top"? – Ramhound – 2017-02-27T21:26:04.607
1One thing that does sometimes help is Win+D to minimize all windows and bring up the desktop – Art Gertner – 2017-02-27T21:46:10.473
4open task manager and select: options > always on top not a solution to your problem, but it will work – redbeam_ – 2017-02-27T21:56:07.493
@redbeam_: I would consider that a solution... If you leave that as an answer and ping me, I'll come back and upvote! – Fabby – 2017-02-28T07:31:26.050
@Fabby I've added it, but it seems someone was slightly faster :D – redbeam_ – 2017-02-28T19:54:44.757