CentralNotice From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to: navigation , search This article is written like a manual or guidebook . Please help rewrite this article from a descriptive, neutral point of view , and remove advice or instruction. (June 2012) The SysRq key The magic SysRq key is a key combination understood by the Linux kernel , which allows the user to perform various low-level commands regardless of the system's state. It is often used to recover from freezes, or to reboot a computer without corrupting the filesystem . [ 1 ] Its effect is similar to the computer's hardware reset button (or power switch) but with many more options and much more control. This key combination provides access to powerful features for software development and disaster recovery. In this sense, it can be considered a form of escape sequence . Principal among the...