deleting un-needed system processes

[Matt Valloney]

Hello,
I have a very decent computer, but lately it has been running very sluggish. I cleared out all the add/spy ware but that didnt fix the whole problem. I went into the windows task manager and i had ~35 system processes running!! i understand that deleting certian ones can damage the system, so which can I delete!? i added a screenshot attachment of the problem if it helps

btw its a custom 512 RAM P4 2.6Ghz 80 Gig hard drive

Thanks,
-Matt

[msrance]

Hi matt. You know what I would do if I were you - I would first try and shut down the processes that are not realy not needed in my personal usage form.
Right click on my computer and choose properties - hereafter - in the window that opens - choose services - and click on each of them to see a brief on the use of the service. If you feel that some of the services dont pertain to you - just shut them down permanently to manual mode.
Shut down the 'background inteligent service' or something of that sort - I am on a restricted comp so cant check out the exact name right now - but this will be help enough. Then shut down remote calls for networking if you are using a stand alone comp.
There after - install some freeware like - regcleaner - (free download on tucows.com and download.com) - that will help you clean the registry once in a while. Try and keep minimal autostart programs at bootup.
Remember - lighter is faster. I hope this is some help.

[plextor guy]

There are a number of good management programs. I use the pay version of WinPatrol. The free version is just as good for most people. The only difference is that the pay version gives you access to a database with more detailed information concerning the processes. Even though the free version is essentially as good as the pay version, I'd highly recommend paying for it. It's a great way to encourage the shareware writers of the world. Besides, it's an oustanding program. http://www.winpatrol.com/ If you want to know more about the processes here's an excellent resource: http://www.blackviper.com/WinXP/servicecfg.htm

[92135011]

Slow computers are usually cause by a single bottleneck.
Here is a list of possible ones.

ram
hard drive
processor

It looks as though your ram and processor are ok. If you notice a fast computer in the beginning then a slowing down later, then it may be the hard drive. Running too many background programs also hogs your ram like mad. If you are using Windows XP, that may take up to 256mb of your ram to run it efficiently. XP is a big hog and anything less than 256mb will not likely run very well. Check out your background programs. You may have useless stuff runnning and hogging up all your ram.

Also, you might want to defragment your computer. It should be in your start menu somewhere. But I forget exactly where because I no longer use PC. defragmenting your computer can increase your overall speed by a good 15% from the last time I defraged. Now, if that doesnt help, you might want to format your computer, erasing all the information on it and starting again on a fresh sheet.

If it's your hard drive that is the bottleneck, You can get faster hard drives. Make sure your hard drive is running at 7200rpm. If now, then you might want to move to the industry standard. Next, check out the buffer. Most harddrives are 2mb buffers. Better harddrives have 8mb buffers. If you still want it better, you can move to SCSI harddrives, which are ultra fast and ultra expensive.

BTW, it's usually the harddrive or ram that causes all the problems with speed. Seeing that your ram is 512 and you dont do any major EDP work like pagemaker or photoshop, then I would guess that its your harddrive.

[r3dline]

Uhmm...I don't mean to sound rude and all, but...don't listen to this guy...on everything anyway. There is no need for you to go out and buy a new hard-drive. Buying a faster harddrive (upgrading from 5400 RPM to 7200 RPM, for example) will improve performance some...but not THAT much. As far as making pyshical upgrades, you'd see better performance increase out of upgrading your RAM.

As for Windows XP, it runs PERFECT on 256 megabytes of RAM on a 400 mhz processor, as long as you don't load the system down with a bunch of crap you don't need. XP is a resource hog...but not THAT bad.

Defragging...that will help. But that's a temporary fix. Another temporary fix is to run the disk cleanup, and delete every damn thing it will let you delete (recycle bin, temporary internet files, cookies, etc.). Of course, I would recommend running both of these temporary fixes every couple of weeks, if not every week. On the defragging, you can hold off and do that every month or so if you want, since it can take HOURS sometimes, depending on how bad it needs defragged.

Your main problem is that you have way too much crap loading at Windows startup. Click on your Start menu, click on "Run" and in this open box type "MSCONFIG" and click "OK." Across the top of the window that appears you'll see tabs. Click on the far-right tab labled "Startup." This will show a list of everything starting up when Windows starts up. Scary, huh? Bet you didn't know all that crap was loading EVERY TIME you booted up windows. You can uncheck the box by each one to disable it, or you can simply click that "Disable All" button. Pretty much everything in here is safe to disable.

Look down by your clock on the bottom right. How many icons do you have down there? If you have more than 4 or so...you've probably got way too much crap loaded up. If you've got stuff like Instant Messengers and File Sharing stuff down there, close them unless you're using them right at that second. If you're not using them, they're just bogging down the system.

There's an application called Ad-Aware, downloadable from download.com. Install it, run it's update feature to make sure it's completely up to date, and scan your entire computer. Let it remove/fix anything it finds (it's called spyware and does nothing but slow your computer down TRAMENDOUSLY). If this disables stuff like Kazaa...maybe that's a hint that you need to find a better file-sharing client anyway...of you can just reinstall Kazaa and start bogging your system down all over again.

And basically, if that doesn't help. Just format the hard-drive and install Windows fresh. You'll be glad you did. Back when I used Windows (up until about 6 months ago), I would just make it a rule to format every year. :D

Trust me, the problem isn't your hard-drive. You can add some more RAM if you want, and that will help more than you would imagine. But more than anything, you just need to get rid of some junk and stop everything from loading up when you're not using it.

When I was 15, I began my first job with a networking and programming firm, which was a Microsoft Certified Partner. I've been servicing Windows systems for longer than I can remember. And now I work as an IT consultant at the University of Kentucky. And trust me, I get at least 10 calls a day from students complaining of how "this new dell is running so slow." And everytime, what's the problem? They just download so much crap that they don't even need and end up boggind down the system. By no means do they need to "buy a faster hard-drive."

Hope this helps. And let me know if you need any help.

[plextor guy]

msconfig can cause problems if the person using it doesn't understand what they're stopping. Better yet, the program I recommended in a previous post will let you view, manage and learn about the garbage running in the background. I'm with you about the amount of crap many people have running on their machines. A coworker complained about the sluggishness of his pc recently. He had every sleazy program imaginable running in the background. Weatherbug, Gator, Webshots to name three and about 70 pieces of AdAware identified spyware. By the way, it's pricey but the best Spyware/Adware tool I've found is Pest Patrol. AdAware is close but Pest Patrol will find a few things AdAware won't. Spybot is good too but their definitions aren't updated as much as the other two. For a free program though it's amazing.

[jeskibuff]

Yes, before you go out and buy new hardware, take the trash out.

Don't forget to do a scan for viruses. They can do a number on a system.

Note in your list that AOL Instant Messenger (aim.exe) is the 2nd largest program displayed on your list. In other words, it's a resource hog.

[poneal]

The only way to truely clear up all that cr*p in there is to format and reinstall windows. I do this at least once a year. Just make sure you have all your important files backed up before doing it. You or someone's program will never find all the nuances that have infected your system. Some may say this is drastic but believe me its the quickest, easiest way to clean up your system. Personally, I fdisk my hard drive first, then format it and then load windows and presto--a fast nice computer again until you start downloading from and surfing the internet. Yes, the net is nice but plays havoc on computers since there are so many unscrupulous hackers out there.

[r3dline]

I just wish that when students called in and asked me why their computers were running so slow and why they had so many popups, I could just tell them, "Stop lookin' at porn," and hang up. haha

[kingcrim05]

I've built a computer or two and can assist you i believe. First off, it's certainly NOT your Hard Drive (HDD) that someone mentioned. If you have a problem with a HDD, your computer won't run =)

First things first, if you have a computer now, you need 512 MB of RAM. It's a must. If you're running with less, you're wasting minutes of time everytime you're on the computer, and it really adds up (5 mins/day is 35/mins a week, is...)

Second, use Ad-Aware or Spybot. Both of these programs can be had from www.download.com . I use them both and have not had a problem. I also use Norton 2004.

Third, you certainly have more programs starting up than needed when you boot up your compter. I suggest you do use the MSCONFIG utility, then the startup tab to se what's all coming with you when you boot up. If you see things that you don't understand, refer to www.windowsstartup.com . This site will tell you what the executables are that you don't understand.

Hope i helped.