A secure way to log in to a Windows system, especially adopted in older versions, is to configure it so that you’re forced to press Ctrl + Alt + Delete before choosing a user. The function has existed since the early days of IBM computers, and today it is mostly used to access restart commands or the Task Manager. Not everyone likes to have “so much” work just to be able to use their PC, however – and, surprisingly, Bill Gates is among these people.
The Microsoft co-founder participated in a chat at Harvard University, and admitted that adopting the shortcut “was a mistake.” It all started when the interviewer complained that he needs three fingers on the “Control”, “Alt” and “Delete” keys to turn on the machine, and asked why all the complication? In the answer, Gates said that he could have used only one button, but an IBM employee insisted that the sequence was adopted.
Before demonstrating regret, Gates explained that this is a way to activate the operating system in a tiny way, and only then secure access. It is worth remembering that a video that shows a speech by David Bradley of IBM shows a “right of reply” of the company.
