processes | Techerator https://techerator.com Techerator is an excellent source of tips, guides, and reviews about software, web apps, technology, mobile phones, and computers. Thu, 18 Mar 2010 03:58:28 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=7.0.2 7158109 How to Find Out Information About Processes in the Windows Task Manager https://techerator.com/2010/03/how-to-find-out-information-about-processes-in-the-windows-task-manager/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=how-to-find-out-information-about-processes-in-the-windows-task-manager https://techerator.com/2010/03/how-to-find-out-information-about-processes-in-the-windows-task-manager/#comments Tue, 16 Mar 2010 19:00:02 +0000 http://44.229.110.106/?p=6028 The Windows Task Manager is a system utility included with all versions of Windows that allows you to view details about the applications that are running on your PC.  When looking at the Task Manager, you’ll probably see a long list of ambiguously named processes – so how do you know what those processes are? […]

The post How to Find Out Information About Processes in the Windows Task Manager first appeared on Techerator.

]]> processquicklink-thumb The Windows Task Manager is a system utility included with all versions of Windows that allows you to view details about the applications that are running on your PC.  When looking at the Task Manager, you’ll probably see a long list of ambiguously named processes – so how do you know what those processes are?

ProcessQuickLink is a free utility for Windows that adds information about your processes directly to the Windows Task Manager.  After installing ProcessQuickLink, open the Task Manger by pressing CTRL + SHIFT + ESC (this keystroke combination will take you directly to the Processes tab).  You will now see a green icon next to each entry which you can click to view detailed information about that process.

processquicklink-processes

Clicking the process information button will take you directly to the ProcessLibrary.com process database.  This website includes general data about the process and can even tell you if the process is harmful and should be removed.

processquicklink-description

Note: ProcessLibrary.com advertises services to scan your computer to improve its performance.  If you think your computer may be infected, I highly recommend running a scan using free software like Microsoft Security Essentials in lieu of their scanning software.

processquicklink-ignore

ProcessQuickLink is a great way to get insight on the applications that are running behind-the-scenes on your PC and is a free download for all versions of Windows.

The post How to Find Out Information About Processes in the Windows Task Manager first appeared on Techerator.

]]> https://techerator.com/2010/03/how-to-find-out-information-about-processes-in-the-windows-task-manager/feed/ 6 6028 How To: Figure Out What svchost.exe Is Actually Doing https://techerator.com/2009/05/how-to-figure-out-what-svchostexe-is-actually-doing/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=how-to-figure-out-what-svchostexe-is-actually-doing https://techerator.com/2009/05/how-to-figure-out-what-svchostexe-is-actually-doing/#respond Thu, 28 May 2009 17:38:20 +0000 http://44.229.110.106/?p=1410 Windows XP/Vista:  If you’ve ever dug around in your Windows Task Manager (available by pressing CTRL + SHIFT + ESC and clicking the Processes tab), you no doubt have noticed multiple instances of a process called svchost.exe.  Not only is the title of this process ambiguous, it typically exists as System, Network Service, and Local […]

The post How To: Figure Out What svchost.exe Is Actually Doing first appeared on Techerator.

]]> svchostthumWindows XP/Vista:  If you’ve ever dug around in your Windows Task Manager (available by pressing CTRL + SHIFT + ESC and clicking the Processes tab), you no doubt have noticed multiple instances of a process called svchost.exe.  Not only is the title of this process ambiguous, it typically exists as System, Network Service, and Local Service resources.

So what exactly are these processes doing, and are they safe to kill?  Svchost Process Analyzer is a free (and portable – no installation required) application that will analyze and identify all of the services that are currently running under the guise of svchost.exe.

How is this useful, then?  Although it isn’t typically safe to kill any svchost processes, many viruses and trojans (such as the Conficker worm) embed themselves into this process to avoid detection.  Even if you don’t find any malware in your svchost process, it still is interesting seeing what exactly your system is doing behind the scenes.

svchost4details

Svchost Process Analyzer is a tiny (400 kb), free download for all flavors of Windows.  [Download]

The post How To: Figure Out What svchost.exe Is Actually Doing first appeared on Techerator.

]]> https://techerator.com/2009/05/how-to-figure-out-what-svchostexe-is-actually-doing/feed/ 0 1410