Are the pause and scroll lock keys obsolete?

[yoda313]

So what do those keys do anyway?? Is there any relevant need for those keys nowadays???

[vhelp]

MS Excel will use the SCROLL Lock key for this..
Well, I do know of one area where a key is used, and I often use it when I
need to scroll data around on the screen without moving the cursor pointer.

Its a nice feature to have when you want to scroll a page around, much like
you can do within imaging applications, where you use your mouse pointer
by first clicking (click+move) some know area of an image and then dragging
that image around.

Same or similar feature is found in Adobe Acrobat, where you have a page open
and you select teh HAND pointer, and then use this to drag pages around into
view.

All these are similar forms of "SCROLL Lock" feature.

-vhelp 4027

[bendixG15]

I use the Pause key a lot.....when the screen is scrolling fast and you want to stop it....

I used to use the Scroll lock in Excel a lot.....but don't do much Excel any more

So yes..these keys are Relevant to some of us....

[vmesquita287]

Pause is useful when you reboot and want to freeze the screen on boot to check something.

[gadgetguy]

Scroll Lock is used by my KVM switch as part of the process to switch computers.

[kschang]

Scroll lock is the default "screen shot" key for HyperSnap DX.

[yoda313]

Ok I guess there are some uses but I guess I still want to know why they were put there in the first place..

[jagabo]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scroll_lock

"The Scroll Lock key is a remnant from the original IBM PC keyboard. In the original design, Scroll Lock was intended to modify the behaviour of the arrow keys. When the scroll lock mode was on, the arrow keys would scroll the contents of a text window instead of moving the cursor as usual."

"In DOS, the Pause key pauses the screen output." -- like when you type DIR and the file list goes scrolling up the screen.

[yoda313]

Ok I guess I remember the Pause button for dos but I never knew the part about the scroll lock. Thanks jagabo.

[CrayonEater]

I use Pause in DOS all the time. Scroll lock is still useful in some editors.

[lordsmurf]

Somebody recently told me "PgUp" and "PgDn" were useless keys. I've heard the same complaint about F1-F12 keys too.

[TJohns]

Also, WINDOWS_KEY + PAUSE (BREAK) is the shortcut for START - SETTINGS - CONTROL PANEL - SYSTEM

As a techie I use that one a lot!
Trev

[Dv8ted2]

Also, WINDOWS_KEY + PAUSE (BREAK) is the shortcut for START - SETTINGS - CONTROL PANEL - SYSTEM

As a techie I use that one a lot!
Trev

Yes, I was about to say that. It is a quick way to get system info.