If Microsoft Can't Crash Your System

By Hurmoth
in Microsoft (Windows)

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Grand Master

Hurmoth

Posted
Posted (edited)

TweakXP has posted a way for you to crash your system with just a simple key combination:

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Windows-XP has a "feature" (???) with which it is possible to manually crash a system by simply holding the right CTRL key and pressing the "Scroll Lock" key twice. This feature can be turned on by the following steps:

1. p_edit.gif Start regedit.

2. Navigate to: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\i8042prt\Parameters

3. Create a new DWORD value and name it CrashOnCtrlScroll

4. Right-click on this newly created value and click on Modify

5. Enter 1 in the Value data field and click on OK.

6. Close regedit and reboot your system.

7. Now you can blue screen (crash) your system by holding the right CTRL key and pressing "Scroll Lock" twice.

Note: Your system may reboot or show a blue screen whenever this crash is initiated. If your system reboots after initiating the crash, and you want to see the blue screen, follow these steps:

1. Go to Control Panel > System

2. Click on the Advanced tab

3. Under Startup and Recovery, click the Settings button.

4. Under System failure, uncheck the option Automatically restart.

Happy crashing...

p_edit.gifSorry if this has already been posted, I couldn't find it and thought it was something we could all have a laugh at! :rofl:

TweakXP.com - Manually Crash Your System

Edited by NeoSoft
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https://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/149593-if-microsoft-cant-crash-your-system/
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Proficient

ramian

Posted
Posted (edited)

The purpose of this is to manually create the minidump file in C:\Windows\minidump so that techies can analyse the dump file when Windows hangs or freezes. So, even if no other key works when Windows freezes, the Right Ctrl and Scroll Lock key combination will cause the minidump to be created. This minidump can be used for debugging purposes together with the ntoskrnl.exe file.

Anyway, I don't think Sir William would design an OS which can be crashed on purpose WITHOUT having a logical reason behind it.

cheers!

Edited by ramian
Grand Master

Gary_Player

Posted
Posted
  ramian said:
The purpose of this is to manually create the minidump file in C:\Windows\minidump so that techies can analyse the dump file when Windows hangs or freezes. So, even if no other key works when Windows freezes, the Right Ctrl and Scroll Lock key combination will cause the minidump to be created.

Thank you...I was wondering why something this dumb would exist :blink:

  • 1 month later...
Grand Master

Hurmoth

Posted
  • Author
Posted
  gameguy said:
This doesn't technically crash the system, it just initiates the crash handlers :whistle:

BTW, very old. I know it was around when Windows 2000 came out, and I'd imagine it's in NT4 too.

I can't get this to work in Windows 2000, only in XP!

Grand Master

John Veteran

Posted
  • Veteran
Posted

Follow the link above. Make sure you reboot after adding the registry value (Y)

  Quote
Please note that the steps below will not work on Legacy Free computers--for example, those that use a USB keyboard.

If your computer doesn't have serial ports, PS/2 ports, etc, then it won't work because this is handled by the keyboard driver. If you have a USB keyboard, then it won't work.

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