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This is a PC prank, to make a Windows box appear to be locked up - no response from the Start Bar, no response from the icons on the desktop, nothing. To someone unfamiliar with keyboard shortcuts (more on this later), the PC will appear to be completely locked up. Rebooting will not fix it, either.
While there are a few steps involved, once you have practiced them, you can get it set into place in just the space of a co-worker's walk to the printer & back.
While there are a few steps involved, once you have practiced them, you can get it set into place in just the space of a co-worker's walk to the printer & back.
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Signing UpStep 1Create a picture of the desktop & set it as the wallpaper
The first thing you must do is to create a wallpaper of the current desktop - this picture includes the current wallpaper image, as well as the start bar, and any and all icons on the desktop. You must close ALL applications, and not be running ANYTHING.
Once you've done that, press the "Print Screen" key. On some keyboards, it is labeled PrtScn or something similar. Pressing that puts an image of the screen in the clipboard. launch Microsoft paint, choose Edit/Paste, and you should now see an image of the entire desktop. Save the image onto the hard drive, then choose File/Set as background (Centered)
Once you've done that, press the "Print Screen" key. On some keyboards, it is labeled PrtScn or something similar. Pressing that puts an image of the screen in the clipboard. launch Microsoft paint, choose Edit/Paste, and you should now see an image of the entire desktop. Save the image onto the hard drive, then choose File/Set as background (Centered)
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However, step 3 addresses that - you move the taskbar to the top, left, or right of the screen before hiding it. That way, after it's hidden, if they hover at the bottom of the screen, the bar will not pop up. Yes, it can still pop up if they hover to the side or top where you moved the bar, but moving it to an alternate location on the screen minimizes the chance of that happening.
then teh option list thingy pops up
not to be critical or anything
Frankly, I would never pull this on someone non-technical, like my mother, wife, or friends that come to me for help; I would be more likely to pull this on Dave or Rob, since they are also IT workers like me. Kind of a minor hazing. Things that they "should" be able to figure out & fix.
malakesher's "Quick and easy PC prank" 'ible is similar to yours as well.
Sorry if you're upset about it, but I assure you, I created it completely on my own.
Honestly, I like my approach a little better, as it appears the entire machine is locked up, versus just one application that will not close. I also went into a little more detail on how you can spin the prank, assuming you are pulling it on someone that comes to you for help with their "problem".
These are the kind of things we pull on each other where I work. Which has led to EVERYONE locking their machine when they walk away from it, lest my friend Rob happen to find the PC unsecured.