Enable Task Manager disabled by Administrator or Virus in Windows

Enable Task Manager disabled by Administrator or Virus in Windows
Windows Task Manager is used to view details about processes running on your computer. Since it can be used to terminate programs that are misbehaving or are viruses disguised in the form of harmless programs, most spyware and viruses disable it to prevent themselves from being closed through it. Some administrators also disable Task Manager to prevent users from closing important security programs like antiviruses and anti-malwares.


In such situations, running the Task Manager will give the "Task Manager has been disabled by Administrator" error. However, there are some techniques you can use to re-enable task manager and close those harmful programs manually. This article contains few such simple techniques you can use to regain access to Task Managing privileges.

Enable Task Manager from Registry in Windows 7, XP or Vista

Registry Editor is an inbuilt Windows tool that is used to modify registry keys which tell Windows how it should work. A simple registry modification can be used to bypass the Task Manager block. To do so, just follow the steps:-

1. Click on Start. Go to Run. If you use Windows 7 or Windows Vista, go to Search.
2. Type regedit and press Enter. Registry Editor will start. If Registry Editor is also disabled, you will first need to enable registry editing.
3. Through the left hand navigation pane, navigate to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\ Windows\ Current Version\Policies\System.
4. In the work area, double click on "Disable TaskMgr". A window will pop up.
5. Enter its value data as 0 and press OK.
6. Close Registry Editor. If Task Manager is still disabled, restart your computer.

Enable Task Manager from Group Policy Editor (Gpedit.msc)

Windows Task Manager in Windows 7

Group Policy Editor is a feature in Windows which is used to edit local policy settings. It can also be used to enable Task Manager. To do so, just follow the steps given below:-

1. Open Star Menu. Windows XP users click on Run. Windows 7 and Vista users, click on Search.
2. Type gpedit.msc and press Enter. Group Policy Editor Window will show up.
3. From the navigational pane at the left hand side, go to: User Configuration>Administrative Templates>System>Ctrl+Alt+Del Options.
4. In the work area, double click on "Remove Task Manager" and set its value to Disabled or Not Configured.
5. Restart your Computer or Log Off and Log back On to apply the changes.

Enable Task Manager by Running a CMD Command

Command Prompt can also be used to directly enable Task Manager.

1. Just open Run command by pressing Window Key+R or through clicking on Start Menu and opening Run.
2. Copy the code given below and paste it in the text form of the Run Command.

REG add HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\System  /v  DisableTaskMgr  /t REG_DWORD  /d /0 /f

3. Press Enter. A command prompt window will flash for a second and then disappear indicating successful execution. After running the command, you will be able to again use Task Manager. If Task Manager is still not available, restart your computer.

Create a Registry(.reg) file for enabling Task Manager

If you are unfamiliar with manually editing the Registry, you can create a Registry file which will automatically modify the Registry Key to re-enable Task Managing. To create one such file:-

1. Open Notepad or any other text editor.
2. Copy the code given below and paste it as it is in it.

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00 [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\ CurrentVersion\Policies\System] “DisableTaskMgr”  =dword:00000000

3. Save the file as Enable Task Manager.reg or *.reg.
4. Open the file by double clicking on it.
5. Registry Editor will ask you for confirmation. In the confirmation Window, click Yes.
6. Task Manager would immediately be accessible. If it is not, restart your computer.

The techniques mentioned in this article work on Windows 7, Windows XP and Windows Vista

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Enable Registry Editor disabled by Administrator or Virus

Registry Editor is a useful utility in Windows which allows users to easily change advanced Windows settings by altering registry keys present in a hierarchical arrangement called the Windows Registry. Despite being such a powerful tool, Registry Editor is not totally error-proof.

A simple virus infection is all it takes to render it useless. Or, there are times when your administrator has actually disabled Registry Editing. When you try to open the Registry Editor in one such computer, you are likely to receive the“Registry editing has been disabled by your administrator” error. Due to this error, it is impossible to remove this restriction using Registry Editor itself.

Windows Registry Editor

This article suggests some workarounds for re-enabling Registry editing in a computer running Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows Server 2003/ 2008 or Windows 7.

Enable Registry Editor Using Group Policy Editor

1. Click on Start. Go to Run. Users running Windows 7 or Vista, go to Search.
2. Type gpedit.msc and press Enter.
3. Navigate to User Configuration/ Administrative Templates / System.
4. In the work area, double click on "Prevent Access to registry editing tools".
5. In the popup window, encircle Disable and click on OK.
6. Normally, Registry Editor will be immediately accessible. If it is not, restart your PC.

Getting access to Registry Editing

Related: Enable Task Manager disabled by Administrator or Virus

Enabling Registry Editor using UnHookExec.inf from Symantec

Symantec has created a small .inf file which can be installed to remove restrictions on modifying registry keys at the click of a mouse. Most viruses, spywares, Trojans or worms normally affect the shell\open\command keys which allows them to run each time when a file of specific type is executed. Normally, they associate their execution with .exe files. UnHookExec.inf not only enables registry editing but also removes such associations.

Just save UnHookExec.inf and install it by right clicking and selecting install. Installing the file will not show any popup or notice box.

Enable Regedit by simply running a CMD Command

1. Click on Start. Go to Run. Users running Windows 7 or Vista, go to Search.
2. Copy the code given below and press Enter.

reg add "HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\System" /t Reg_dword /v DisableRegistryTools /f /d 0

Visual Basic Script to Enable/ Disable Registry Editor

 Doug Knox has created a VBS Script which allows users  to easily enable and disable Registry Editor. Just download regedit tools.vbs and double click on it. This script reverses the current state of Registry Editor. If registry editing is set to enabled, this script will disable it and if it is disabled, it will enable it.

If the above link does not work, copy the code given below in Notepad and save the file as *.vbs or Registry Editor.vbs.

Option Explicit
Dim WSHShell, n, MyBox, p, t, mustboot, errnum, vers
Dim enab, disab, jobfunc, itemtype
Set WSHShell = WScript.CreateObject("WScript.Shell")
p = "HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\System\"
p = p & "DisableRegistryTools"
itemtype = "REG_DWORD"
mustboot = "Log off and back on, or restart your pc to" & vbCR & "effect the changes"
enab = "ENABLED"
disab = "DISABLED"
jobfunc = "Registry Editing Tools are now "
t = "Confirmation"
Err.Clear
On Error Resume Next
n = WSHShell.RegRead (p)
On Error Goto 0
errnum = Err.Number
if errnum <> 0 then
WSHShell.RegWrite p, 0, itemtype
End If
If n = 0 Then
n = 1
WSHShell.RegWrite p, n, itemtype
Mybox = MsgBox(jobfunc & disab & vbCR & mustboot, 4096, t)
ElseIf n = 1 then
n = 0
WSHShell.RegWrite p, n, itemtype
Mybox = MsgBox(jobfunc & enab & vbCR & mustboot, 4096, t)
End If

After running the VBS file, if Registry Editing is not enabled, try restarting your PC.

Also: Password Protect Folders in Windows without any software

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Change Processor Name Permanently

A while ago on Technology Inspired, I published an article on changing your processor name. But recently, Technology Inspired reader Anil Kumar pointed out that the trick only changed the name temporarily.

After a user restarts his computer, the name reverted back to original which is obvious as each time Windows boots, it checks the connected hardware and updates the registry value automatically. So, changing the processor name using the earlier article did not had permanent effect on the processor name.

Thus, the alien processor name you had earlier again reverted back to the boring old one.

Problem: To, make the name change permanent, it was required that the user updates the Processor Name String registry key each time when Windows starts.

Solution: It is very easy to change your processor name permanently by creating a registry key and placing a shortcut to it in the windows start up folder. To do so, just follow the steps given below:-


Steps :-
1.  Open Notepad.
2.  Copy and paste the exact code given below:-

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\HARDWARE\DESCRIPTION\System\CentralProcessor\0]
"ProcessorNameString"="My Processor name 50000MHz"

To change the processor name, edit the part of the code given in blue. Also understand that \0 in the above code should only be present if Windows store your processor name at that location. Please open Registry Editor and navigate to the above mentioned keys to check whether or not to include the \0.

3.  Click on File Menu, click on Save As and select "All Types" in Save as Type option. Save the file as ProcessorNameChange.reg or *.reg.
4.  Create a new shortcut on your desktop. Enter regedit / S "Location of the .reg file" as the location of the item. For example, enter regedit /S "C:\Processor Name.reg" if your registry file is located in the root of C:\ drive.

5.   Copy the created Shortcut file.
6.  Navigate to C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Start Menu\Programs\Startup (in Windows XP) or to C:\Users\ User-Name\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Startup (in Windows 7 and Windows Vista . Also remember that AppData is a hidden folder.)  if C: is your System drive.
7.  Paste the copied file.


This registry file would now execute each time when windows starts and the Processor Name String would be modified each time. So, even upon restarting your computer, you will see that the changed processor name is permanent.

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Show Administrator Account on Welcome Screen-Windows XP, Vista, 7

Windows automatically creates  an Administrator account during installation process which is by default hidden from view on the Welcome Screen. This article will show you a trick using which you can easily show and enable the administrator account on the welcome screen in Windows XP, Vista and 7.
Most of the time we require access to the hidden administrator account in windows to change passwords or to perform system tasks limited only to system administrators. The hidden nature causes great problem if you are using a welcome screen as you might be forced to use the classic login to access the account. So, here is the solution.


Before going into the ins of this tweak, let me remind you that this trick requires editing the registry, so you must take utmost care not to do it wrongly and mess your computer up. If you have any doubt, you can always comment and ask before trying it out practically.

So now let us begin this article. The steps to enable the administrator account are as follows:-

1. Click on the Start Button.
2. Windows XP users click on Run and Windows 7 and Windows Vista users type 'run' in the search bar.
3. Type "regedit" (without quotes) in the open field and press enter.
4. Navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\ Software\ Microsoft\ WindowsNT\ CurrentVersion\ Winlogon\ SpecialAccounts\ Userlist .
5. Right Click in the Work Area and create a new DWORD entry.
6. Name it as Administrator and change its value to 1.
7. Exit Registry Editor and Reboot/ Restart your computer to apply the changes.

To hide the administrator account on the welcome screen, change the value of Administrator DWORD to 0 in Step 6.

After using this trick , you will be able to view administrator account on the welcome screen every time you log on.

More about → Show Administrator Account on Welcome Screen-Windows XP, Vista, 7

Have a Personalized Logon Wallpaper in Windows XP

Have you always wanted to have your image displayed as a log on banner whenever you start your PC? This article explains the exact procedure required to have your own photo or your pet's photo being displayed as one such banner. With this trick, you can have a personalized wallpaper which would appear before your log in screen each time you start your computer.

To use this trick, you need to have a bmp file. If your image is of any other format, you can save it in bmp format using MS Paint or Irfan View(To download Irfan View, visit 5 Essential Freewares for your PC).

Now that you have the bmp file, follow the steps given below.

1. Click on Start.
2. Click on Run.
3. Type "regedit" in the dialog box without quotes.
4. Navigate to HKEY_USERS\.DEFAULT\Control Panel\Desktop.
5. In the right hand pane, double click on the value Wallpaper.
6. In the Value Data option, enter the full path to your bmp file you created to be your wallpaper. Example: For a file named image.bmp placed in Windows folder, type "C:\WINDOWS\image.bmp" without the quotes.
7. Double click on Wallpaper Style, and change its value to 2 to get a stretched image.
   
   

Close the Registry Editor and Restart the PC to apply the changes.

Once the changes are applied, each time you start your PC , you will see the log on wallpaper. To undo the trick, simply delete the address to your image in Step 5.

P.S: I have my photo as the log on wallpaper.  What is yours?

More about → Have a Personalized Logon Wallpaper in Windows XP

Change your Processor's Name

Are you bored with your old processor? Do you want a new processor with a breath-stopping name but are not going to upgrade any time soon? No need to worry. You can still have that new processor's name in your computer. Well not only that, you can also have a better one than the one you are supposing to buy. Just follow this trick.

With this trick, you can change the name of your processor to a personalized one like My Processor or something alien like Decacore Processor 50 GHz .  These are just a few examples. It is up to your creativity to change the name of your Processor to anything you like.

To have one such cool processor, just follow this step by step tutorial.

1. Click on Start.
2. Click on Run.
3. Type "regedit" without quotes.
4. Navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE/HARDWARE/
   
5. From HARDWARE, navigate to DESCRIPTION/System/CentralProcessor/.
6. In the work area, double click on ProcessorNameString, and change its value according to your choice.
7. Click OK

Right Click on Computer icon and select properties.The final outcome would be something like one in the image.


Try it on your PC and show it to your friends to see the fun.

P.S.: Personally, I have recently changed the name of my processor to "iLife Processor 7, Alien Technologies".  Tell me what you changed yours to.

Note: This article changes the processor name temporarily. To permanently change processor name, visit Change Processor Name Permanently.

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