Editing Triple fault (section)

==Other uses==
The [[Intel 80286]] processor was the first x86 processor to introduce the now-ubiquitous [[protected mode]].  However, the 286 could not revert to the basic 8086-compatible "[[real mode]]" without resetting the processor, which can only be done using hardware external to the CPU.  On the [[IBM Personal Computer AT|IBM AT]] and compatibles, the documented method of doing this was to use a special function on the [[Intel 8042]] keyboard controller, which would assert the RESET pin of the processor.  However, intentionally triple-faulting the CPU was found to cause the transition to occur much faster (0.8 milliseconds instead of 15+ milliseconds) and more cleanly, permitting multitasking operating systems to switch back and forth at high speed.<ref name="Osterman_2005_286"/>

Some operating system kernels, such as [[Linux kernel|Linux]], still use triple faults as a last effort in their rebooting process if an [[Advanced Configuration and Power Interface|ACPI]] reboot fails. This is done by setting the IDT register to 0 and then issuing an interrupt.<ref name="Collins_2000_Triple"/> Since the table now has length 0, all attempts to access it fail and the processor generates a triple fault.