hello, i have been using MS dos/windows for years since i have the first computer, but never know what is the use of the "Scroll Lock" on the standard keyboard. well, what is its use anyway? and why it can "survive" for so many years without being removed? this is probably the wrong forum to ask this question, but i have got used to ask programer questions, since i like to program as well :)

"Scroll Lock" is a legacy from the early days of DOS (DOS 2.1 - 1982) when pressing that key stopped the rollover on the screen enabling to view lists longer than 25 lines in a way resembling the "More" command.. Today it survives because that key has special meaning for dedicated applications that use it as a special "function key" no more related to its original purpose. E.G. I know a terminal emulator software that performs the clear screen function pressing that key.

I like Scroll Lock... I remapped it to open the Windows Calculator. No more [WindowsKey]+R then 'calc' for me...

lol... I always wondered what that key was for. And why does the Print Screen key usually have "SysRq" written on it? -Burbble

The reason SysRq shares the key for Print Screen is quite the same I said for Scroll Lock. In the early '80s the centralized model of computing ruled the industry, so keyboards inherited many functions designed to connect to host computers (mainframes and large Unix servers). SysRq means "System Request" and its original purpose is lost almost as dumb terminals are. However those exot(er)ic keys remind us Windows is not the only operating environment you can run on your workstation.