A Ctrl, Alt, Del Combo that actually works?!

[kdum8]

On occasion my MBP 2.5GhZ Leopard 10.5.3 crashes, locks up completely. Now in windows this happens a lot more granted, but at least when you press Ctrl, Alt and Delete it reboots. In OS X both the Force Quit command and the restart shortcut (Ctrl Eject) keys quite often don't work either. I use my MBP primarily in clamshell mode and it is a pain to get it out everytime to hit the power button.

Is there a key combo that works flawlessly like Ctrl, Alt, Delete in Windows does?

 

[motulist]

I'm not quite sure I understand the question, like I don't know what you mean by clamshell mode. But anyway, if you're saying the force-quit commands (not the regular quit commands) aren't working and you want to force a restart, hold down the power key for 5 seconds. That'll force shutdown.

EDIT: oh, you mean running with the lid closed and you want to know how to force a restart from the external keyboard you've connected to the laptop. Which external keyboard are you using? Some of them have a power key even if it isn't labelled as such.

 

[kdum8]

I'm not quite sure I understand the question, like I don't know what you mean by clamshell mode. But anyway, if you're saying the force-quit commands (not the regular quit commands) aren't working and you want to force a restart, hold down the power key for 5 seconds. That'll force shutdown.

EDIT: oh, you mean running with the lid closed.

Yeah with the lid closed, so hitting the power key on the mac is a pain because it isn't in an easily accessible place, hence the need for a reset key that actually works...

 

[tammy418]

On my macbook pressing cmd+ctrl+eject restarts the computer, it also works using the wireless keyboard.

Since when does ctrl+alt+delete restart a windows machine? It brings up the task manager...

 

[motulist]

By the way, do you regularly use a bit torrent client? Some bit torrent clients lately have been causing some people to have strange Leopard slow death problems. Those affected see network problems, application quit failures and force-quit failures, and finally restart failure necessitating a force-shutdown.

 

[Burgess07]

I believe what you are looking for is command-option-esc.

 

[kdum8]

By the way, do you regularly use a bit torrent client? Some bit torrent clients lately have been causing some people to have strange Leopard slow death problems. Those affected see network problems, application quit failures and force-quit failures, and finally restart failure necessitating a force-shutdown.

Thanks for the input everyone. Yes I do sometimes use a bit torrent, but I don't think it's that necessarily although worth knowing. It happened today in Aperture 2 when it got all very clunky,

So basically is it the case that if "Command, option escape" doesn't work then the only option is the power off button??

 

[motulist]

Thanks for the input everyone. Yes I do sometimes use a bit torrent, but I don't think it's that necessarily although worth knowing. It happened today in Aperture 2 when it got all very clunky,

So basically is it the case that if "Command, option escape" doesn't work then the only option is the power off button??

The bit torrent client doesn't even need to be opened to cause the problem. After doing a restart, try running for a while without launching a bit torrent client and see if the problem persists or not.

 

[kdum8]

By the way, do you regularly use a bit torrent client? Some bit torrent clients lately have been causing some people to have strange Leopard slow death problems. Those affected see network problems, application quit failures and force-quit failures, and finally restart failure necessitating a force-shutdown.

This is very interesting especially as you say it can occur when the software isn't even running? Do you have any more information on this, I would be curious to know more. I run Transmission mainly and the other day downloaded Azureus to give it a go. I will quit them though, do what you suggest and see if it makes any difference. Thanks,

 

[motulist]

This is very interesting especially as you say it can occur when the software isn't even running? Do you have any more information on this, I would be curious to know more. I run Transmission mainly and the other day downloaded Azureus to give it a go. I will quit them though, do what you suggest and see if it makes any difference. Thanks,

http://forum.transmissionbt.com/viewtopic.php?t=4564&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=0

So it definitely happens in Transmission, probably happens in Xtorrent since that's based on Transmission code, and I heard someone else say that they were using Azureus and it was happening to them too, but I have no information about that program.

 

[kostia]

So basically is it the case that if "Command, option escape" doesn't work then the only option is the power off button??

As said above, command-control-eject, and hold it down. If you have an old Mac keyboard with a power button, command-control-power does it too.

 

[Switz213]

Just hold down the power button on your MBP.... nothing else.

Edit: Ok... I see you know that, but how did you manage to hit CTL+ALT+DELETE without opening your pc...?

 

[kdum8]

Just hold down the power button on your MBP.... nothing else.

Edit: Ok... I see you know that, but how did you manage to hit CTL+ALT+DELETE without opening your pc...?

Because I have a wireless keyboard separate from the laptop. The problem is that CTRL+ALT+DEL invariably works even when windows locks up, where-as CMD,Option, Esc on a Mac often doesn't. Kind of annoying and the first area where pc's have the edge that I have found since I got this shiny, new and otherwise brilliant MBP...

 

[MacDawg]

Well, my experience with Ctrl-Alt-Del is different from yours because it often does NOT work flawlessly or invariably

I would say they both are about equally effective

Woof, Woof – Dawg

 

[Consultant]

You might want to try
- Force quit (Option-Command-esc), before doing
- Quit all applications and restart (Control-Command-Eject)

Keyboard shortcuts
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1343

However you definitely want to open disk utility and
- Repair permissions
- Verify disk

 

[kdum8]

However you definitely want to open disk utility and
- Repair permissions
- Verify disk

And what will this do?

 

[MacDawg]

And what will this do?

it can prevent a variety of issues and maybe correct what is causing you to lock up in the first place

Woof, Woof – Dawg

 

[kdum8]

Well, my experience with Ctrl-Alt-Del is different from yours because it often does NOT work flawlessly or invariably

I would say they both are about equally effective

Woof, Woof – Dawg

nah, not in my experience they aren't.

 

[MacDawg]

nah, not in my experience they aren't.

let me clarify, i am speaking of using ctrl-alt-del to get to the task manager to quit a program, like force quit on the mac

even using ctrl-alt-del to restart completely isn't flawless if you have a hung program

Woof, Woof – Dawg

 

[ScoobyMcDoo]

I have had a couple of times the UI on my mac has become unresponsive to anything I knew to try at the time. I don't know if this is an option for you, but I just went to my trusty linux box, ssh'ed into the mac. From there I just rebooted the mac remotely.

So, at least for me, it appears it's just the UI, not the entire OS that is locking up.

 

[redwarrior]

I would have to say that ctrl-alt-del works 50% of the time for me.

Sometimes on my mac if a program is unresponsive, I can go to another space and end it from there. That has saved me several times.

This is weird, I dreamed about this last night.

 

[kdum8]

let me clarify, i am speaking of using ctrl-alt-del to get to the task manager to quit a program, like force quit on the mac

even using ctrl-alt-del to restart completely isn't flawless if you have a hung program

Woof, Woof – Dawg

OK then I agree with you.

I have had a couple of times the UI on my mac has become unresponsive to anything I knew to try at the time. I don't know if this is an option for you, but I just went to my trusty linux box, ssh'ed into the mac. From there I just rebooted the mac remotely.

So, at least for me, it appears it's just the UI, not the entire OS that is locking up.

Linux huh. I use it at work, but how have you got your system setup?

 

[Consultant]

Linux huh. I use it at work, but how have you got your system setup?

You can also use any computer to SSH into Mac (if you have the admin password and you turn on SSH on your Mac), it can be a Mac, iPhone (jailbreaked), Linux, or even windoww machine.

Then run the command: TOP to see if anything is unresponsive, and then you can end the unresponsive app with a command and the process ID (shown in TOP)

it can prevent a variety of issues and maybe correct what is causing you to lock up in the first place

Woof, Woof – Dawg

Exactly. Forgot to say that. I suspect the OP's HD will need to be repaired by Disk Utility due to various hard power offs.

 

[kdum8]

Exactly. Forgot to say that. I suspect the OP's HD will need to be repaired by Disk Utility due to various hard power offs.

Hard power offs??? What on earth are they? I ran the Disk Utility, don't really know what I am doing though...although it successfully executed.

 

[TuffLuffJimmy]

I can't believe no one has mentioned that the problem could be that you are running your Macbook Pro in clamshell mode. Having the lid closed traps a lot of heat that would have otherwise dissipated, it's best, even when working on an external monitor to just leave the laptop open.