I have a user who recently had an arm amputated. He is doing ok typing but is struggling with the Ctr-Alt-Del to log in part. He is holding a pen in his mouth to hit the delete key.

I've tried macros attached to programable keys on the keyboard and they don't work for that key combination.

Any of you other I.T. folk out there know a way around this?

What windows are you using? There is a provision in Windows 7, where you do not have to use the buttons to log in and the make the log in screen appear directly.

I'm confused...there are ALT and CTRL keys on both sides of the spacebar. What is his keyboard configuration?? I ask because I do that maneuver one-handed with no problems.

It's a laptop.

He was right handed... now he is left handed and struggling with this key combo.

Windows XP

I've done the one handed Crtl-Alt-Del for years, using the right sided Ctrl-Alt... but I'll admit, I've got big hands.

IMHO, its easier to do the right-side Ctrl-Alt-Del with the left hand, as the thumb hits the Alt, the Index finger hits the Ctrl and your pinkie can easily hit any Del. Granted, this gives you an Alt-Ctrl-Del as your drop your fingers, but that works the same.

Problem is that it sounds like they need to use this to fix a locked up interface, and few hot keys or other input methods are going to interrupt the process as well as a good old fashioned C-A-D. In theory, Ctrl-Esc should regain control, but in practice, its not.

Perhaps he might want to get a one handed keyboard or a chording keyboard/mouse, such as the Twiddler... handykey.com.

Frogpad.com looks interesting, as well...

Of course, I would also say that he could always gets someone to rip apart a cheap USB keyboard and build a scratch-made "Red Button" that does a 1 press C-A-D.

Edited March 15, 201114 yr by SAmadei

Can't you right click on the toolbar to get into the task manager with XP? Or is that not what this is about...?

He's talking about before you log in, you have to press C-A-D to bring up the log in dialog.

Have you tried StickyKeys under Accessibility Options in the Control Panel? I just tested Ctrl-Alt-Del while already 'logged-on' to a Windows machine and it worked. I'm not sure if the functionality would be retained when not logged in.

yeah, task manager is find. this is about the log in process

Have you tried StickyKeys under Accessibility Options in the Control Panel? I just tested Ctrl-Alt-Del while already 'logged-on' to a Windows machine and it worked. I'm not sure if the functionality would be retained when not logged in.

I hadn't tried that. I did try the on screen keyboard.

I'll try stickykeys at work tomorrow

good luck! would it be to much to ask why he lost his arm?

http://www.bltt.org/quicktips/totw_stickylogon.htm

shift 5 times at logon to get sticky keys

good luck! would it be to much to ask why he lost his arm?

Cancer

Another option is to get him a fingerprint reader.

http://www.bltt.org/...stickylogon.htm

shift 5 times at logon to get sticky keys

THANK YOU!