How to Know if Programs are Running Behind Your Desktop

Is your computer running slow and you only have Internet Explorer running? Most of the time, especially if you leave your computer on for long periods of time, you will have more programs running in the background than you know about. Here are a few simple steps you can take to find our which programs are running behind your desktop.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• General knowledge of the Task Manager in Windows

1. Press Ctrl+Alt+Delete and the Task Manager will open. Note: If you have your computer set up to lock with this key stroke, then the Task Manager selection will appear on the option menu.
2. First, take a look at the Applications tab. This will tell you the main program you are running. They are generally seen on the bar at the bottom of your screen. If there is a program on this bar that you do not want to run, you can either pull up that program, or shut it down direct from the Task Manager by selecting the program and clicking "End Task"
3. Next, have a look at the Processes tab. This will show both the programs running "in front" as well as the programs running "behind" everything else. Do NOT touch "System", "Network Service" or "Local Service"! These are the programs that make it necessary for Windows to run. Instead, sort the menu by User Name by clicking that tab. You should see your computer/registered name. If you are not sure what a program is, then you can Google it to find out if it is necessary to run. Again, be careful on what you touch on this tab.

Tips & Warnings

• If your computer is still running slow, then it may need a "cleaning". A great book I recommend is "How to Clean Windows XP for Dummies" (only if you have XP, of course). It details how to do things like defrag, disk clean-up, etc.