Best software to find what's running on my notebook?

What's the best software to identify what software is running on my notebook?

Taskmanager tells me I have 72 processes running on start up! What's the best software for finding out what these are & whether (& how) I can remove some? I know these programs exist - & hopefully for free - but I've never used one & don't which one I should trust.

Recommendations appreciated!

 

72 is not really that bad depending on the Windows version and whether or not you're running a 32 or 64 bit system, and the amount of RAM you've got. It might be a bit high for an older XP system, but for a Vista 64 bit system it's not that bad. I run around 100, and my processes are low - I don't let anything start I don't need. But I've got a VU 64 bit system with 8gb of RAM too so I don't really see any issues.

One way to tell if you've got too much running on startup is to look at your System Tray - if you've got more than 6 icons (besides volume, clock, and other Vista/XP regular icons) then you've got too much. Also if you're dealing with RAM resource issues too soon you've got either too much running or not enough RAM. Don't underestimate the value of a full deck of RAM.

Memory Boost - Even though it won't really work for a 64 bit system, it will still ID all your processes, tell you how much RAM it's using, and if you right click on the process in the Detective feature, and select Properties for the process, it will tell you what program it belongs to. It has a full trial download, but even then it only costs 30 bucks.

Memory Boost will really help you if you've got resource issues (too much crap running in the background) as it will let you reclaim RAM that's been used but not returned to the system. Each time a program or process starts, a certain amount of RAM is allocated, but when it stops the same amount of RAM isn't given back to the system for reuse - it's always less. Over time, if you don't restart, your available RAM gets less and less until it reaches critical levels, at which point the HD becomes a Virtual RAM device. If you've ever had a system get to the point where it's slowed down to where your mouse is skipping or programs are freezing for a few seconds, these are symptoms of low available RAM. MB allows you to reclaim the RAM that was used but isn't available.

System Mechanic also has a good utility for this - it goes further and will tell you what program a process belongs to and whether or not the process is critical for operation or not and whether you can shut it down or kill it in the Startup Manager. Current version is around 35 bucks, discounted right now.

It has a lot other useful utilities for a 32 bit system also that MB doesn't have.

 

Take a look at Process Explorer

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/bb896653.aspx

cheers ...

 

At this point I'm talking about the factory preload only - on an 32 bit XP system which is limited to 2GB RAM. So, from my point of view, 72 at stage is definitely too high!

 

factory instal with factory bloat...

Go to Control Panel -> unistal software and get rid of the obvious bloat (google toolbar, picasa (?) )
You can use CCleaner to getrid of autostart junk - Adobe quickstart is an example - no-one needs it at every startup - but beware - keep entrys you do not identify and only deactivate them.
Then get the Microsoft Sysinternals Suite - it contains above mentioned process explorer and will allow you to hunt down anything you don't like - please note its recommended to keep all windows processes and services under Vista.

(PS: All the named software above is free - first is part of Windows)

 

Why? With all due respect, that makes no sense whatsoever. What metric tells you, a priori, that 72 processes is too high? For all that we know, 72 might not be sufficient.

That being said, if you bought the system with .Vista preinstalled, it almost assuredly came with a lot of bloatware, some of which has an annoying tendency to leave little reminders behind after you've uninstalled it. As such, going through your running processes in detail is a worthwhile experiment. I don't have any experience with the Memory Boost or System Mechanic tools recommended by CyberVisions; however, he usually knows his stuff up and down, so I would accept his suggestions without reservation. I have played around with Sysinternals' Process Explorer - the tool recommended by qhn - and can vouch for being able to get down to the nitty-gritty detail of running processes with that tool. The one plug I would add for Process Explorer is that it was written by Mark Russinovich, one of the co-authors of Windows Internals, one of the almost-mandatory resources for those seeking to explore the hidden plumbing of the Windows-OS family.

 

Thanks, but I wasn't really wanting to engage in an argument about what constitutes too many processes runing on my system (FWIW, it was a stripped factory preload of Windows XP - not Vista w/- endless bloatware). That's obviously a subjective judgement. I've had (happy) prior experience with Memory Boost & & System Mechanic and I will absolutely give Process Explorer a spin - it may be exactly what I am looking for. Thanks all for your input.

 

Fair enough; however, there are enough people out there who take the unthinking approach to the number of running processes that, unless it's obvious from the get-go that you're not one of them, the point has to be made.

 

a process that doesn't eat up cpu doesn't slow down your system.

it actually makes your system FASTER because the moment you need that process, it's allready there, waiting for you. else, the system would have to start up an app from disk just for some tiny task.

if you have 72 processes each eating up cpu resources, then yes, you can talk about problems. but if your cpu is idling around 0, then no, NONE of those hurts you. NEVER EVER.