When an application stops responding, the Task Manager can help Windows users close it. But the tool itself may also take a long time to load. Microsoft developer Raymond Chen explains that this can happen when the system is short on CPU resources: the Task Manager and taskbar are affected along with the application causing the slowdown.
Windows schedules threads using priority levels, but a higher priority does not guarantee that a thread can run immediately. The Task Manager still needs CPU time to draw its window, refresh the process list and respond to input. And if one of its threads is waiting for a lock, file or other resource held by another thread, priority cannot make that resource available sooner.
Chen likens this to a supermarket checkout: a priority pass can put you at the front of the line, but you still have to wait for the person ahead of you to finish. Similarly, giving the Task Manager more CPU priority cannot speed up a resource or network that is holding it up. Chen also notes that it is difficult to fix a system that has become unresponsive from within that same system.
If the Task Manager or taskbar stops responding, pressing Ctrl+Alt+Delete opens the Windows security screen on a separate, protected desktop. From there, users can launch the Task Manager, sign out or restart the computer. Chen’s explanation, reported by t3n, notes that this screen can also be delayed if Windows is severely blocked.
Sources: t3n.