Quite often, users of Windows XP and higher operating systems, when trying to complete a process or a frozen application, encounter an unpleasant situation when the system reports that the “Task Manager” is disabled by the administrator. What is the reason for this behavior of the system, few guess. Even fewer users know how to fix the problem. The following are several solutions that will allow the dispatcher to bring to life.
"Task Manager" is disabled by the administrator: what is the reason?
In the case of computers on which several users are registered, the reason for blocking can be completely banal. Indeed, the computer administrator or system administrator could block this service so that the user does not accidentally complete some vital system process. In addition, the local user may be set too high a level of control regarding access rights to certain functions and tools of the system, even though it does not need to have special privileges to call the dispatcher. In such a situation, it is easiest to contact the administrator to make changes to the established restrictions, if this is the reason for the block.
However, most often a notification appears that the “Task Manager” is disabled by the administrator in Windows 7, for example, due to a virus effect on the system. Some virus applets, when they penetrate a computer, are capable of blocking this by registering their own keys in the system registry and changing system settings.
Thus, if such a message appears, the system immediately needs to be checked for threats, using not a standard anti-virus, but portable programs like Dr. Web CureIt. If the utility cannot neutralize the viruses found, use the Kaspersky Recue Disk program, which must be written to removable media, boot from it, bypassing Windows startup, and perform a thorough scan with the subsequent removal of all found threats. For scanning, it is desirable to select all the objects that will be presented in the list, and not just local disks and partitions.
"Task Manager" is disabled by the administrator: how to enable through group policies?
However, you can remove the lock even without checking for viruses, but only if the local user has access to the registry editor, which may also be blocked. We will proceed from the fact that access to system tools is not limited.
So what to do if the "Task Manager" is disabled by the administrator? The first method to fix the problem is to adjust the settings of group policies.
To do this, use the gpedit.msc command to call the appropriate editor through the Run menu and go to the capabilities item Ctrl + Alt + Del through the administrative templates in the user configuration and the system section. On the right, there is the option to delete the "Task Manager." Double-click to call up the options editing window and activate the “Disabled” or “Not set” lines if the enabled mode is set. In order not to reboot, minimize all active windows, press Win + D, and then select "Update" in the menu that appears.
Dispatcher activation through the system registry
Suppose that the "Task Manager" is disabled by the administrator in Windows 10 or in systems of a lower rank, but the previous method did not give an effect (which is unlikely). To activate the dispatcher, you can use the editing of the corresponding registry key, since group policies simply duplicate registry settings. However, registry settings have a higher priority. In other words, the options set in policies through the registry can be changed, but vice versa - not.
Again, use the run console and invoke the editor by typing regedit.
In the HKCU branch, through the SOFTWARE section, you need to go down to the Policies directory, in which there is a System subkey. Usually this is where viruses create the DisableTaskMgr key and assign it a value in the form of a unit. Having opened the parameter with a double click for editing, change the current value to zero, and then reboot without fail.
Enabling Manager in Windows XP
Now let's see what can be done if the "Task Manager" is disabled by the administrator in Windows XP. By and large, you can apply the above methods to resolve the problem. However, for many novice users, they may seem overly complex. Therefore, it is much easier to use the small free portable utility XP Tweaker.
After launching the application, it is necessary to go to the protection tab, and in the system section, uncheck the “Call Manager” call barring item.
Note: if the check mark is not initially installed, but the dispatcher is not available, install it, apply the settings, then uncheck and save the changes.
Using the AVZ Utility
Finally, if the "Task Manager" is disabled by the administrator, you can use the utility from AVZ (by the way, also of a portable type) to restore access to it.
After starting the program through the file menu, you need to select the system restore item, check the unblock item on the dispatcher and press the button for performing marked operations.
Conclusion
As you can see, if the "Task Manager" is disabled by the administrator, you can fix the situation quite simply. What to choose from the proposed solutions? It seems to ordinary users or novice users the easiest way is to use the described portable utilities. If you do without them, it is better to immediately edit the value of the corresponding key in the registry, and not in the policies, since viruses affect the registry with its priority settings. It is better to use policies if a short-term failure occurs in the system and no viruses were detected on the computer.
However, it is worth saying that all the above methods are effective and work even without preliminary neutralization of threats. If access to the registry turns out to be blocked, you can restore it through the policy settings by selecting the appropriate item in the parameters. The technology is the same as for the dispatcher.