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Community Newsletter: Q&A: What are all those startup tasks during bootup?
- 6/22/07 11:48 AM
Memory usage and system processes....
by myoda - 6/9/07 8:17 AM In reply to: What are all those startup tasks during bootup? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
Hi Larry
In order to assist you, I would need more data from you regarding the configuration of your system -
Specifically, what operating system are you running, hard disk size, what processor powers your system, how much ram is installed? And do you have a separate video card or a graphics chip on your motherboard?
Black Viper's website, Sysinternals Autoruns and Process Explorer are great tools to help you figure out what exactly is running (services, processes) on your pc, as others have suggested in this forum. My suggestion to you, after you figure out processes, is to buy more ram for your pc. I have 1024mb of pretty fast ram in my 2.6 GHz p4 homebuilt pc. As I type this, I have task manager open, with 49 processes running in the background. CPU usage is 4% and Page File usage is at 448mb - my pc is still pretty snappy in its operation. Will probably add another gig of ram to make me and my pc feel a tad better - you should too, especially if you are running Vista or thinking about upgrading to Vista.
Lastly, if you have a graphics processor on your motherboard, and not a dedicated video card, that could be sucking some vital resources - you are sharing system memory to process video on your pc if that is your configuration. Upgrading to a separate video card will also offload work done by your cpu to the gpu (graphics processing unit) on the video card. Please repost your system config so this community can further assist you. Good luck!
Unnecessary Services
by Boogaloo - 6/9/07 8:20 AM In reply to: What are all those startup tasks during bootup? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
This is a tough one. Unless you are a true geek (not me) with intimate knowledge of required vs. optional vs. bogus malware services, the average bear is in no-man's land, but there is a little hope.
49 services is not unusual, but it can pay to run a Google search with the service name. A number of sites will return detailing the service and its need. Note that my system, right now, has seven cases of "svchost.exe" running, as well ... a necessary Windows process. BUT, there are malware sites that will load a process named "svchost.exe" which turns out to be bogus, identified by its folder location. Also take careful note of the spelling!!
Do your research, then use Administrator tools to stop a suspicious service from booting and note the effect. There are but a handful of absolutely, totally necessary services to start your computer (research it), which means you can recover a service if it proves necessary.
Another easy fix, and cheap as well.
by Krackcode - 6/9/07 9:28 AM In reply to: Unnecessary Services by BoogalooAs someone else has already mentioned, System Mechanic Pro, by Iolo technologies, http://www.iolo.com/
iolo technologies - Providing trusted computing solutions , Is probably the easiest solution for almost of of your PC needs.
Now the MSRP is around 50-60 bucks, but you can get it much cheaper. For example Target has System Mechanic Pro 7 regular priced for 30 dollars i think? I was lucky, and I found an unsold System Mechanic 6 Pro set at a local Staples store. If you are lucky enaough to find a discounted System mechanic 6 pro box, then Iolo will bump you System mechanic pro 7 for FREE.
It is money well spent. It's basically a one stop soltution for all your needs. From registry cleaning and defragging to virus and hacker protection, this program has it all.
I would still strongly recommened though that you pay a visit to Sysinfo.org , as a simple capitol letter in the wrong place on a startup item can be something really nasty. So pay very careful attention to what is in your startup or running processes.
Looking for the same tips...
by ofbarea - 6/9/07 11:07 AM In reply to: What are all those startup tasks during bootup? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
I´m traying to find and answer for this also.
I recently bough a MacBook2, installed bootcamp and Vista Home x86.
In summary Mac OS X starts a lot faster than Vista running equivalent software in the same hardware.
Yet Vista boots faster than XP SP2.
Task Manager replacement
by k1darkknight - 6/9/07 11:59 AM In reply to: What are all those startup tasks during bootup? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
Actually there's a GREAT freeware utility from a company (Sysinternals) that has been (unfortunately) bought out by Micro$oft, called Process Explorer. It can be found at http://www.microsoft.com/technet/sysinternals/ProcessesAndThreads/ProcessExplorer.mspx .
It has 2 primary features that have made this program invaluable to me. First, it shows which processes need which other processes, in a nested-folder style structure, just like when you open the folder view in Windows Explorer. Second, it shows the actual file that each process is, and where it's located, not just the name of the process (which isn't always the same as its filename). This program has other nice little features, which may be a great help to others, but those are, in my mind, the biggest two reasons to get this great little utility. (And as I recall, it's a VERY small download, too!)
I've always heard that if you want something done right, do it yourself. Well, I've gotta say, if you want to understand something, the best way is to research about it yourself. Process Explorer is an incredibly powerful tool for this, as you can (usually) tell a LOT about what is running, just based on where it is on your hard drive. I think they give still more information about each process, but that's the basics, anyway. Oh, and it's pretty easy to use, too. Try it out, and see what you think!
British Pound Sign
by scarnes - 6/9/07 1:06 PM In reply to: What are all those startup tasks during bootup? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
This may not help you, but if you will hold down your option key on a Mac, there are several symbols you will need from time to time. I hope this helps you. For instance under the j there is a triangle.
Speed Up The Startup Process
by JRMtwo - 6/9/07 1:38 PM In reply to: What are all those startup tasks during bootup? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
The problem is that over time you have added clutter to the operating system. On startup the computer spends a lot of time finding and loading the clutter. If you are well orginized, using Windows XP and can free up about 4 or 5 hours then you can do the following:
1. Find any software (CDs or floppys) that came with your computer.
2. Collect all the origninal software that you use. Don's forget the Windows startup if it didn't come with your computer.
3. Read the instructions on how to restore your computer and make sure you can find everything you need.
4. Make a full backup of the hard drive and the system files just in case somthing goes wrong and you need to restore everthing.
5. Back up your data files taking note where they are stored.
6. Check hard drive for sectors other than what Windows will install.
7. Format your hard drive for the version of Windows you are using.
8. Reinstall Windows and each of the programs that you use. After each load clean up the hard drive using "Disk Cleanup" and defrag using "Disk Defragmenter" (one defrag is not enough I usually do at least two) the hard drive.
9. Load your data files making sure your programs have the correct path to find the files.
The computer should now be clear of clutter and start much more quickly. Plan to back up, clear up clutter, and defrag on a regular schedule to keep computer in tune.
Task Manager Process List
by waytron - 6/9/07 5:00 PM In reply to: What are all those startup tasks during bootup? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
For those of you who may not know, you can think of processes as programs or parts of programs that are currently running on your computer. Even though you may not be aware of it, your computer is almost always doing something. You get a partial idea of what your computer is up to by checking the number of processes running on your computer by going into your task manager and selecting process tab by tapping the Ctrl+Alt+Del keys.
Checking the number of processes running is fine for a spot check, but the best way to deal with too many processes is to first make sure your computer is totally clean. By clean I mean that you should:
1. Fully scan your computer for all Viruses, Malware and Spyware
2. Uninstalled all programs that you do not use or need
3. Stop programs from starting during boot. You can do this by going into many of your programs such as Instant Messenger and unchecking the box that tells it to load at startup.
4. Use MSCONFIG from to check your startup items and uncheck the ones that you do not want to start. If you are unsure of any items listed, leave them or perform a Google search to learn more about them. START > RUN > Type “msconfig” > Press Enter> Click on the STARTUP Tab.
Once you have your system fairly clean you can now start looking at the individual processes running in the process list. You can go down thru the list one by one and perform a Google search on each process or go to http://www.tasklist.org/tasklist_s.html or http://www.liutilities.com/products/wintaskspro/processlibrary/ or http://www.processlibrary.com/ or http://processlist.com/ to learn more about each process. Note: If you choose to END a process from task manager, this will only end that process until the next time you restart your computer.
The number of processes running on your computer at any given moment is dependent on a huge number of factors such as:
1. What operating system you are running – Because of all the extras, Windows Media Edition usually has the highest number of processes running.
2. Installed Hardware – Extra Drivers to control hardware such as high end Video, Sound cards as well as modems and other extras can increase the number of processes running. Even installing an All-In-One printer can add several new processes to your list.
3. How many devices you have plugged in – Your numbers will continue to rise if you have a ton of devices plugged in such hard drives, web cams, joy sticks, printers and scanners.
4. The software that you have installed – Many software packages have updaters and other components running all the time even when you are not actually using the program.
5. Security Software Installed – Some All-in-one security suites that have Antivirus, Antispyware, firewall, Antispam, Antiphishing and Anti-everything can add a large number of processes.
6. When you take the reading – Your numbers can vary greatly depending on what is going on inside your computer at that moment. Antivirus software could be checking your drive for viruses or Windows could be downloading updates.
7. Number of Programs currently running – Every program that is actually running will add to the process list.
8. Programs set to run at Start Up – Many programs may be set to start automatically upon boot such as Instant Messenger, Winzip, Real Player and Windows Messenger.
9. Virus, Malware and Spyware Activity - Process numbers can rise with any unwanted activity, so make sure your computer is totally clean of all Viruses and Spyware.
10. Number of Users - Having more than one user logged into your computer can also increase the total number of processes.
To give you an idea of what numbers are possible. A clean install of Windows XP on a basic stripped down computer without any extra hardware can be as low as 21-25 processes running. After installing some basics such as a simple printer, Antivirus Software, Microsoft Office, and Adobe Reader you might end up around 29-36. Now on the other side of this, I have gone into the local computer store and checked the number of processes running on a brand new Windows XP Multimedia computer and found as many as 75 processes running. With all the trial and Free software that is pre installed at the factory, I have found many new computers right out of the box are in the 50’s and 60’s. Determining how many processes your computer should have running is not an easy task and can take a fair amount of time to research. Just as an example: A quick check of the 5 WIndows XP computers that I have on my bench right now, I get 48,39,42,30,and 32 total processes running.
There are a number of tools available to help you fine tune what is running on your computer. SpyBot Search and Destroy and Microsoft Defender both come with some advanced tools to help identify and shut down unwanted startup items.
NOTE: Shutting down some processes may prevent your computer from working correctly.
It would be impossible to tell you what processes you need or don’t need without all the information about your computer’s hardware, software and knowing something about your personal preferences.
Best of luck!
Dana
Wayland Computer
Clean up-boot up - but restore down!
by mrlemarquis - 6/16/07 12:40 AM In reply to: Task Manager Process List by waytronI recall, not long ago, getting an information from either this forum or one of the others I visit, that one way of speeding up the start of the system was to have the C disk as clean and uncluttered as possible. More free space meant quicker boot-up times, and quicker reaction from the PC. One of the items suggested was to go and delete all but the last GOOD restore point on "System restore".
I did just that, and was amazed! I suddenly got more than 4G's back (wish they had been Dollar/Pounds/Euros or any other currency!)and my PC started up much,much quicker, and all my programmes seemed to work normally!
Now I do this regularly, and EVERY TIME I get at least over 1G back!
Don't know if this will help any of you, but it certainly helped me! Of course you MUST make sure that the only restore point you leave is a GOOD one (ie A point that your PC and all it's programmes were working correctly, and a point since when you HAVEN'T istalled any new Programmes!)
Delete System Restore Points
by loganbrown - 6/16/07 3:14 AM In reply to: Clean up-boot up - but restore down! by mrlemarquisSorry to be thick, but how do you delete System Restore points?
Graham
loganbrown
by tomron - 6/16/07 3:33 AM In reply to: Delete System Restore Points by loganbrownCheck this link under How-To Guide How do I delete restore points in System Restore?
Tom
System Restore Points
by Narlene13 - 6/16/07 1:44 PM In reply to: loganbrown by tomronI followed the instructions, however, my system does not have "System Restore." What I find is System Information and at that point I am lost as to what to do. I do not want to delete the wrong information and possibly remove necessary files.
Do you have information that will assist me? I do have Windows XP, Home Edition, Version 2002, Service Pack 2.
System Restore
by samlopez - 6/16/07 3:16 PM In reply to: System Restore Points by Narlene13Check your computer to see if system restore is turned on.
1. Go to start
2. Go to run
3. Type in control and click ok
4. Double click system
5. Click System restore tab.
6. Uncheck the disable system restore
7. Click OK and exit
If you do not have System restore reinstall Windows XP
System restore is a a separate program than system Info
1. start > all programs > accessories> system tools> system restore
System Restore
by Narlene13 - 6/16/07 3:39 PM In reply to: System Restore by samlopezThanks Sam,
Now, how do I give my computer a recovery point?
Creating a restore Point
by samlopez - 6/16/07 3:53 PM In reply to: System Restore by Narlene13Open System Restore
Check the create a restore point
next
I usually type in Daily
check create, it will give you the date created.
To check it go to home and check restore my computer then next
there you can see all the restore points. The bold dates have points.
Some are created by other programs when installing or removing them.
click cancel to exit.
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