<alt> + <print screen/sys rq> + <R> – <S> – <E> – <I> – <U> – <B>
If the machine is hanging and the only help would be the power button, this key-combination will help to reboot your machine (more or less) gracefully.
R – gives back control of the keyboard
S – issues a sync
E – sends all processes but init the term singal
I – sends all processes but init the kill signal
U – mounts all filesystem ro to prevent a fsck at reboot
B – reboots the system
Save your file before trying this out, this will reboot your machine without warning!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magic_SysRq_key
Note: Your kernel needs CONFIG_MAGIC_SYSRQ=y
