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ABC ~ All
'Bout Computers What the Heck IS
That "Running in the Background"? One of the most frequently asked questions I see in all the computer forums I'm in is "When I hit ctrl+alt+del to see my Task Manager or run msconfig, I see this process running in the background (or at startup) and I don't know what it is. What is it and can I get rid of it?" Well, I commend the people who ask first because a lot of these processes that are running all the time are not really necessary and can slow your system way down and rob it of precious "resources". (If you don't understand what resources are, read this ABC article written by Hal Cardona.) And, some of these processes are even dangerous security risks. However, some processes are necessary for your operating system and programs to work properly, so you should NOT remove them. Believe me, if the names you see in your Task Manager or Msconfig don't make sense to you, you are not alone. I used to spend hours Googling these names to find out what they are, then more hours trying to figure out whether they are necessary. And THEN, I would read things that said, "Well, it's necessary but it doesn't require high priority." Well, what does that mean? Though I could figure out how to turn it off completely, I had no clue how to make it "low priority". So, I've added some stuff to my website to help you all, and make it faster and easier to figure this out. First, I've put a feed on my site to The Process Library, so you can easily enter a process name in the box and search for a full description, which also tells you whether it's necessary or even dangerous. There are also links to the most commonly researched processes, the newest processes added, and processes which are dangerous security leaks. Click here to see my new Process Lookup page. I recommend you bookmark my Process Lookup page, because the links there are constantly updated to include the most recent information. Ok, so that tells you what they are and whether you can safely remove them, but what about changing their priority? For that, I use WinTasks5Pro, which shows me all the processes and gives me a description of what they do, suggests whether they are necessary or not, and easily lets me assign a priority (which simply means where I put them in the resource chain -- which ones get the most resources allocated to them, in what order). WinTasksPro has recently released a new version 5 and it greatly improves the usability for less experienced users. I reviewed the earlier version here and recommended it for more advanced users. Now, with the new improvements, I think it's more user friendly and I recommend it to a wider audience. Version 5 makes it so easy to just click on a process and change the priority level ... and it explains the different levels in terms most could understand. For me, it's a life saver. It even helps me when my anti-spyware programs tell me they've detected something and recommend I let them remove it. I find that, in many cases, I let them remove it, but it comes right back and they are warning me again, the next time I run the anti-spyware program. But, if I disable it in WinTasksPro, in most cases, it doesn't come back, and I really like that. So, now I let the anti-spyware programs identify these things for me, but I use WinTasksPro to remove them more effectively. Whether you choose to use a program like WinTasks5Pro or you just use the feeds on my site to identify these processes and remove them yourself, I do think both of these services should help you better understand what's good and what's bad "in the background". Here's wishing you safe and stable surfing! Linda Johnson is a college instructor of all of the Microsoft Office Programs, as well as Adobe PhotoShop and Windows. She also teaches online distance learning classes in Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint, Publisher, and Word at Eclectic Academy. She has worked helpdesk and teaches and lectures at many local businesses and tech schools in her area. Support this newsletter by checking out Linda's eBooks, MS Word MAGIC!, Book I: Fonts, Fun & Formats and Book II: Table Wizardry, How To Get Started As a Software Trainer, and her newest series of MSOffice eBook Tutorials and CD |
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