Ctrl+Alt+Del Annoyance

No. Learn to use CTRL + SHIFT + ESC to launch Task Manager, this is the real hot key for it, even in Windows XP. CTRL + ALT + DELETE is a special key command that is not capable of being captured except for Windows itself. What you go used to was a default configuration setting in consumer versions of Windows XP, that "loathsome option screen" is what is opened on Windows NT.

As Logiearth told you above, the correct keyboard shortcut both on XP and Seven to open Task Manager is CTRL + SHIFT + ESC, not CTRL + ALT + DEL as you mention.

If you press CTRL + ALT + DEL on XP you get this:



It's the same you get with that keyboard shortcut on Seven, only graphical layout is different:



Kari

Sorry, it's a typo from my side. I of course meant CTRL + ALT + DEL, not CTRL + SHIFT + DEL.

My typo fixed, post is now correct. You, however, are still wrong.

Kari

The default action for CTRL + ALT + DEL on Windows XP is as told in Logiearth's and my posts. The default action for CTRL + SHIFT + ESC is to open Task Manager.

It's true that on XP if the Fast User Switching is enabled also the shortcut CTRL + ALT + DEL opens Task Manager. However, this is not default action for said keyboard shortcut and must be separately enabled (Control-Alt-Delete - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia).

So, as mentioned, the default shortcut to open Task Manager on all Windows versions since Windows 2000 is CTRL + SHIFT + ESC.

With your Windows experience it should not be too hard to learn to use the default shortcut, although different than on XP?

Kari

And unfortunately for you, there is no known way of changing that behavior apart from Autohotkey.

you could start task manager and whilst it is open, right click the task manager icon on the taskbar and select pin to taskbar. no need for shortcuts or hotkeys default or otherwise.

Boohbah's idea is a good one. I use two mouse clicks: right click Taskbar for context menu, left click Task Manager to open it.

Kari