What is the Windows Task Manager?

The Windows Task Manager is the tool that comes up when you press Alt + Ctrl + Delete or right-click on the task bar & click on Task Manager. The task manager lists all the programs that are currently running, including those running in the background. The task manager is very important for closing unresponsive programs & detecting the number of programs running in the background.

The task manager has 5 tabs, which are explained below :

Applications : This tab lists the active windows & its status. You can end a program by clicking on End Process, switch to a window & Start a new program from this tab.

Processes : This tab lists all the processes that are currently running & the amount of memory they are using. It is from here that one can see the processes running in the background. The various types of Spywares & Viruses always run in the background. To check the details of a particular process, visit Search Tasks. It is recommended to view the details of every process running on your PC to make sure that you don't have any spyware/virus related process running. The following processes are essential for Windows XP to run properly, & are thus safe :

svchost.exe - Normal Windows Services
taskmgr.exe - This is the Task Manager that you are currently running.
explorer.exe - A Windows utility.
lsass.exe - Local Security Authority Service.
winlogon.exe - Microsoft Windows Logon Process
csrss.exe - Microsoft Client/Server Runtime Server Subsystem
smss.exe -Session Manager Subsystem
System
System Idle Process

Services that are necessary for minor Windows services :

spoolsv.exe
alg.exe
ctfmon.exe

If you have any other processes running, check the process in Search Tasks.

The Performance & Networking tabs give details regarding network & CPU Usage, while the Users tab shows the users logged on to the PC.

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Turn off visual effects to boost your PC performance

One of the various features that Microsoft® Windows XP has over the previous versions of Microsoft® Windows is its display effects. For example, the colorful start menu, shadow effects, etc. It definitely adds up to the display value of the OS. But for slow computers, the effects lead to slower PC performance. Therefore, it is highly recommended to turn off all the visual effects of Microsoft® Windows XP if you are using an older PC. To turn off the visual effects, follow these steps :

1) Click on Start.
2) Right-click on 'My Computer' & click on Properties.

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3) Click on the 'Advanced tab'.
4) Click on the first 'Settings' button under the Performance area.

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5) Select 'Adjust for best performance' (or you can also uncheck the options that you want to turn off. The more options you uncheck, the faster your performance will be).

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6) Click on OK & Click on OK again.

Note : Microsoft product screen shot(s) reprinted with permission from Microsoft Corporation.

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Decrease the number of applications on the Startup List.

The Startup list has a list of the applications that start along with Windows. Many applications put itself on the Startup list by default. Thus, the startup time of Windows increases considerably. So, it is recommended to reduce the number of programs on the Startup list. To do this :

1) Open the Start menu (By clicking on Start/Pressing the Windows key)
2) Click on Run.
3) Type 'msconfig' & press Enter/Click on OK.

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4) Then click on the Startup tab.
5) Now, uncheck the programs that you do not wish to open on Startup. The lesser the programs selected, the less time it will take to start the PC.
6) Click on OK.
7) You will then be asked to restart your computer, which is not necessary. So, you can click on 'Exit without Restart'.
8) When you start the OS (Operating System) again after following the above steps, a window of an msconfig message will appear. Check the option given above the OK button & click on OK.

Some programs get ticked again even if you untick it. For such programs, you can mention to them not to start on Startup by changing the settings/preferences in the program. Also, if you wish to load only the basic applications on Startup (to minimize the Startup time), follow the above steps till Step 3. Then, select the Diagnostic Startup & click on OK & then follow the 7th & 8th steps.

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Note : Microsoft product screen shot(s) reprinted with permission from Microsoft Corporation.

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