There can be times when our computer might get infected with a virus and will not function properly. The most common problem faced by a PC when it gets infected with a virus is malfunctioning of the task manager.
What is Task Manager?
The Windows task manager is one of the very important tools that is by default loaded in the computer. It is a utility which enables the computer user to open and control all the installed programs on the PC. It also shows how many and which processes are running in the system memory. If a program is not responding, which is affecting the speed and performance of other programs, you can simply open the task manager and close that particular program completely. The task manager can be opened by right clicking on the ‘Start’ button’s bar at the very bottom of the screen, pressing CTRL-ALT-DEL or CTRL-SHIFT-ESC on the keyboard, or typing in ‘TASKMGR’ in the run column and pressing ‘Enter’. It can be disabled manually, but most of the time, a virus is the reason. Before taking any steps to enable the task manager, you need to scan the system using a good antivirus.
Enabling Task Manager
Task Manager Repair Software
If you do not want to take the risk of changing the default settings from the registry of the computer, you can use a software meant for that purpose. There are many such applications available on the Internet for download that can get the task manager enabled. Moreover, the interface of these software applications is also very easy to operate.
Modifying the Computer’s Registry Settings
Windows XP: In Windows XP, the first step you need to take is to click on the ‘Start’ button, select run, type ‘REGEDIT’, and press ‘Enter’. The ‘registry editor’ window will be viewed. In the options on the left side of the window, locate the link ‘HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\system’. In the right section of the window, you would see a file named ‘DisableTaskMgr’ which you need to delete. Before deleting that file, the system will ask for a confirmation, after which the file will be deleted. After you have done this, locate the link ‘HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\policies\system’ in the same manner as before. Delete the ‘DisableTaskMgr’ file from this window also. Now exit the ‘registry editor’ window. Restart your system and you will be able to open the task manager utility.
If you choose to delete the ‘DisableTaskMgr’ file from the Windows registry, it will be very difficult to enable the task manager again in case of an issue later. Therefore, one good option is to change the number in the boolean section from one to zero, which can be done by double-clicking on the ‘DisableTaskMgr’ option. Another option is to select ‘DisableTaskMgr’ option, and select ‘Disable’ or ‘Not Configured’.
Windows Vista: In Vista Home Basic or Home Premium, you can follow the procedure of changing the boolean section value from one to zero. But if you are using other editions of Windows Vista operating system, you need to follow a slightly different procedure.
Select the ‘Start’ button, key in ‘gpedit.msc’, and hit ‘Enter’. The ‘Local Group Policy Editor’ window will open; after which you need to locate the link ‘User Configuration-Administrative Templates-System-CTRL+ALT+DEL Options’. Double-click on the ‘Remove Task Manager’ option, select ‘Disabled’, and finally click on ‘OK’. This will get your task manager utility back.
For enabling task manager in Windows 7, you simply need to change the boolean section value to zero.
These are simple guidelines on how to enable task manager in Windows XP and Vista. If you think that the process of modifying the registry settings is complicated, it is suggested to get the job done using a task manager repair software.