(5.3) Recovering from Crashed Sessions

Sometimes OS/2 Warp will freeze when I run an application. What do I do?

Before rebooting with CTRL-ALT-DEL, try CTRL-ESC. Do not hit additional keys, do not move the mouse. Wait up to a minute. Either the Window List or an error message should pop up. You may close the offending application at that point; allow some time for it to close. (Try ALT-ESC if you have disabled CTRL-ESC in that application's DOS Settings. If you do not get any response, press CTRL-ESC or ALT-ESC repeatedly until the dialog appears.) Note that the Workplace Shell can recycle, independent of running applications, if it crashes.

If the system is badly disabled, sometimes pressing CTRL-ALT-NUMLOCK twice will result in a prompt to create a dump diskette. You may do so (the online Command Reference describes dump diskettes), or at that point you may reboot with CTRL-ALT-DEL.

To prevent applications from automatically restarting see (5.10) Clever Tricks. To restore the desktop to "factory defaults," and for other system recovery options, use ALT-F1 when OS/2 Warp starts (when you see the white rectangle as OS/2 Warp boots).

Related information:

(4.6)  Corrective Service Diskettes
(5.10) Clever Tricks

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