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Community Newsletter: Q&A: What are all those startup tasks during bootup?
- 6/22/07 11:48 AM
easy answer
by One_Of_One - 6/10/07 5:44 PM In reply to: What are all those startup tasks during bootup? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
use msconfig from the start run menu and get rid of the non essential stuff. if you dont know what some programs are just google them.
one more thing
by One_Of_One - 6/10/07 5:47 PM In reply to: easy answer by One_Of_Onedefragging doesnt help with anything. that is tired windows 95 advice. ignore it.
Defrag
by samlopez - 6/16/07 11:23 AM In reply to: one more thing by One_Of_OneApparently you do not work with large files and folders.
Check with Diskeeper to see what it does!
http://www.diskeeper.com/defrag.asp
I have have used it for 60 servers and approx.500 users
It has made the computers much faster in accessing folders and files both on the computers and servers.
If the files are fragmented it makes sense to defragment them for faster access. Defragmentation has improved over the years and the reason I use Diskeeper is that it is a light version of what Microsoft uses in Windows!
Google is your friend
by cheshboy - 6/11/07 5:57 AM In reply to: What are all those startup tasks during bootup? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
What I usually do when I'm working on a computer is to type in the program name that I have in Google. That will show you what the program is and in most cases the affect it has on your computer. According to Microsoft svchost.exe is a program that: "checks the services part of the registry to construct a list of services that it must load. Multiple instances of Svchost.exe can run at the same time. Each Svchost.exe session can contain a grouping of services. Therefore, separate services can run, depending on how and where Svchost.exe is started. This grouping of services permits better control and easier debugging." Like I said in the subject line, Google is your friend.
Luckily This Has Been An Issue For Some Time
by vicnsuzn - 6/11/07 7:36 AM In reply to: What are all those startup tasks during bootup? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
I'm not affiliated with any of these sites, however as computers get faster I've grown more impatient. So I'd like to introduce you to my favorite sites. The first site I ever found about six years ago was www.blackviper.com since then the site has gotten even better.On the home page of BlackViper, in the main body, this very issue is addressed for XPsp2 and Vista. Whats nice about this site is the expanation of how to go about stopping unnecessary running processes as well as what they are and what program they support.
Another good site would be AnswersThatWork.com along with various computer related information there is a task list that defines several task, if they are needed and a recommendation.
One of my favorites is PcPitStop.com you will have to download thier activex but the results are with it. PC Pit Stop will run a series of test on your computer which include running proccesses and whether or not they are necessary, along with this they will cover a large variety of information on what you can do to improve you performance in general.
Should all else fail and there is still a process that hasn't been identified, do a search on the web there is a very good chance that someone has put out the information your looking for.
Last but not least there are retail programs available that perform most of this work for you, if you lack the time yourself.
Victor
300 programs display when turn on the pc
by babadogany - 6/11/07 9:11 AM In reply to: What are all those startup tasks during bootup? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
Keep off position your PC not to see he problems.
do not terminate svchost.exe
by mrobinsonjr - 6/11/07 9:32 AM In reply to: What are all those startup tasks during bootup? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
dont terminate svchost.exe if you do it cause system failure. svchost is a host application for other windows programs.
processes
by latinaunica - 6/11/07 1:14 PM In reply to: What are all those startup tasks during bootup? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
you can check out libraryprocess.com its a great source of information.
I don't have the answers, BUT I SURE SECOND THE QUESTION!
by rae2_2 - 6/11/07 6:57 PM In reply to: What are all those startup tasks during bootup? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
My system is similar and for years I've fumed at the stupidity of such cryptic nonsense that noone but the programmer who created it can decipher. WHY THE BIG SECRETS?
Why does Microsoft prefer legions of frustrated, angry "customers" (like we have any choice) rather than provide the average user with FULL EXPLANATIONS for such things as mysterious programs that eat up expensive memory. While they're at it, how about clear explanations of what error messages mean?
#Post 46 Can Help
by hhdawrs - 6/16/07 12:40 AM In reply to: I don't have the answers, BUT I SURE SECOND THE QUESTION! by rae2_2AnswersThatWork, (TUT for short), as noted in post #46 really explains your computer tasks in terms that are understandable. I have used the paid version for some time, and it saves a lot of time previously spent trying to determine what the cryptic task titles meant, what CPU and memory they used, and to what degree they were needed, if at all.
There is also a very simple, almost automatic, way to send TUT any task on your computer that they show as unknown to them. Their updates to cover those tasks, plus their 'normal' updates are very timely.
I start it after computer start-up, take a few seconds to see what's going on, and run it minimized (although it starts fast). The information for each task is extensive, the short recommendations are good and safe, and you can disable a task or service right there if you desire.
I have no affiliation with TUT. It's just nice to find a site consistently good service, so I recommend them when I find them.
Aloha,
Herb
Try Wintasks Professional
by mattcalled - 6/11/07 9:11 PM In reply to: What are all those startup tasks during bootup? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
There are some free utilities to identify processes in the task manager, but the absolute best I have seen is Uniblue Wintasks Professional which costs approx. $50 (you can search the web for discounts too) but it is worth it. They have the largest feed database of programs. It lists processes just like Windows Task Manager, but when you click on the process, it shows a complete description of the process and advise as how to deal with it. I have been using it for a year now and have not been disappointed.
a few suggestions
by Dango517 - 6/11/07 10:23 PM In reply to: What are all those startup tasks during bootup? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
To find what starting on your computer go to start>programs>startup> a list of elective programs can be found here. You can choose which ones you can live without and delete them.
Services are found in start>programs>administrative services>services> right click, open>open normal window (so you can see them). Expand description so it can be read. Most are fairly easy to figure out. Some you will need to search the web for. then ask yourself these questions does this service need to be opened by the computer (automatic). Will this be a service that I will open (manual)? then if your really really sure. Can I disable it (disable)? Here's a hint 90% you wont be disabling. How do I know, the hard way.
You will also see these services in task manager as well. If there in services then there probably all right. But nothing beats a good anti-hacker and anti-virus program to be sure. I'd suggest you go to Sysinternals at Microsoft and get Process explorer it has many good features but you will need to give it some time to understand it. Please note that although many processes are shown in task manager and process explorer only a few are actually doing anything. Click on CPU at the top of the list and they will all group together giving you a clearer few of whats actually happening. In my XP pro. sp2 usually less then 8 are running at any one time. But some of them really eat up resources. Cideamon.exe, for example, uses 50% percent of my multi-threader when its running. Also, note that the priorities of each can be reset but this must be done carefully or you'll start over taxing your system. Take this slow. For instance internet explorer might be set higher. If you run your anti-virus as a stand alone application then move it up. These are just a few examples. Everyones machines and needs are different. You might want to make a list of what you've changed so, if things go wrong, you'll know what you did.
Right now I'm running 85 or so processes, about 850 threads but my processor is idling along at about 50%. That just fine. But turn on the tunes, watch some vids, as your running three maintenance items in the background and your CPUs going to cook. It might be best to leave the maintenance for later. This is for me, but I think overheating is a bigger issue then too many processes. Keep your CPU running cool and your system well maintained and you can run 100 processes and 1000 threads at 100% of CPU capacity. Besides if your running too many processes guess how put them on there. Only keep the really good stuff and clean out those files.
Of course some wont agree.
Google is your friend!
by Travisuberdownloader - 6/12/07 7:53 PM In reply to: What are all those startup tasks during bootup? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
I was able to link what was running in my processes to what I actually needed by Googling</a> each one! You can use msconfig (Start, Run, Msconfig) to turn off startup programs. It is always best to disable startup programs from the initial program, but that's not always possible.
Another good site to check your bootup apps is Bleeping Computer (http://www.bleepingcomputer.com). I have been able to get the lowdown on my running processes quickly with this site. They have a very good search for running processes, applications, and bootup apps.
Processes
by El Alquimista - 6/15/07 12:29 PM In reply to: What are all those startup tasks during bootup? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
listed in Task Manager are those programs currently being executed. Some of these processes are always Windows components; others are related to tasks, services, and applications being executed at the time. When you first turn on the system, this includes everything specified in the startup file as well as any started by the registry. Almost certainly some of these processes are related to your antivirus, your firewall, and to some peripheral drivers. In my “minimal” system, there are 40 processes running at startup, using 270 MB of memory; In another system with more in the startup, there are over 50 processes. Therefore, your 49 processes using 300 MB is not at all out of line.
The names of these processes are the names of the executable (.exe) files that are running. Sometimes, especially for apps, the name may give you a clue: for example, excel is just that, winword is MS Word (any version), and taskmgr is rather obvious. But as you have noticed, these names are often cryptic and offer few clues as to what they are for. In your case, for example, shstat is the McAfee Virus Scan; UdaterUI is the McAfee Common User Interface; issch is the Install Shield Update Service; wmiprvse is Windows Management Instrumentation. For such as these you need to refer to a process library to learn not only the function of the process, but what calls it, if it is essential or could be suspended, if it is safe or possibly malware, etc. There are a number of such lists on the Web; you can google “windows processes” to find them. Two that I regularly use are:
Uniblue
AnswersThatWork
The free utility Process Explorer, which can be obtained at CNet's download.com, is also useful in that it provides more information on processes than does Task Manager (but only on processes – there is nothing on apps, performance, networking, or users. In most cases it does include a brief description of the process and the name of the company that supplied it. The processes are also displayed in tree form and are color-coded. It is still desirable at times to refer to a process library to learn more about the process. I have found it advantageous to copy the Task Manager Processes page to Word and print it out. This simplifies the process library lookups, and serves as a reference for finding new processes that may be added at any time.
You questioned the multiple occurrences of svchost. This is normal and necessary. It is the generic host process for Win32 services that run from .dll files. To find out what is being hosted by each instance of svchost, go to the command prompt (Run cmd.exe) and type tasklist /svc (This works in XP Pro -- I am not sure if XP Home has this feature). Again, the names will be cryptic, but you can find many of them in the process libraries. For others, you may need to google the name itself.
Another Windows service that may appear more than once is wmiprvse. If it does, it is necessary – so don’t worry about it, and don’t stop it.
Hope this helps
Frank
Message was edited by: admin to add links
Sorry, but
by El Alquimista - 6/13/07 10:56 AM In reply to: Processes by El Alquimistamy post was accidently sent before I got some links in. The two process libraries that I use most are:
Uniblue
AnswersThatWork
Frank
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