Windows XP Task Manager
Article Published By Marc
Liron - Microsoft MVP
The Windows XP Task Manager...
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In this article I am
going to introduce you to some of the features of the Windows XP
Task Manager.
Under Windows you can open many different programs at the same time.
This is called "multitasking" and it is a great feature of today's
operating systems.
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Depending on your age
you might not actually remember the days when all you could do was
use ONE program at a time - No, really there was a time! and it was
called DOS...
So how do you keep track of all these programs running on your
computer? Well Microsoft have given us the Windows XP Task
Manager...
Note:- Now it is a very useful tool to have, but does lack
additional functionality that is contained in alternative programs
like
WinTasks 5 Professional...
So lets take a look at some of the uses for Task Manager!
First of all lets open it up on your screen...
To do this simply click these 3 buttons together:
Ctrl + Alt + Delete
Now you should have the Windows XP Task Manager on your screen?
Windows XP Task Manager
(click to enlarge)
Have a click on all the Tabs and see what they display... I'll still
be here!
OK, so what can we do with this program?
Well lets take a look at the following popular uses:
1) Killing an application...
2) Killing a process or application in the Processes tab...
3) Checking out the CPU usage...
4) Get out of trouble with by creating a new task...
5) Leave the Task Manager running in the system tray...
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1) Killing an application...
There are times when Windows XP will just cease to respond when you
are using a program.
For instance you may be typing a document and MS Word just freezes.
So how do you shut down the program when the mouse will not let you
click the close button?
Well open up the Windows XP Task Manager and select the Applications
Tab. Now look at the programs running and check the Status. In our
example or MS Word freezing on you, you will more than likely see
the Status for word as Not Responding.
If this is the case then click MS Word in the list and then click
the End Task button at the bottom of the window.
The program that is Not Responding should now close. If not then
repeat the process again.
This is a very handy remedy to "frozen" programs!
2) Killing a process or application in the Processes tab...
The Processes tab is very useful as it tells us what .exe's are
running on your computer and how much CPU/memory they are consuming!
If you are trying to trouble shoot a program that has frozen and
using the advice in the previous section has not helped. Then you
can locate the program on the Processes tab and then click the End
Process tab at the bottom of the window.
However, please be careful on what .exe's you terminate in this
section... you would not want to throw your computer into a complete
mess!
3) Checking out the CPU usage...
You can get a great idea of how things are performing on your
computer by using Windows XP Task Manager.
Start up the task manager and then select the Performance Tab. Now
you will see a graphical representation of the CPU and Memory usage.
This is useful if for instance your computer seems a little
"sluggish". (Or running like treacle is another phrase.)
By looking at the data here you can see for instance is much of your
memory being used. Or perhaps is the CPU running at 100% constantly.
The latter is a good indication that there is a problem with a
program or process.
In this instance you can then look in the Processes tab and locate
the offending .exe (see previous section.)
4) Get out of trouble with by creating a new task...
Now just "occasionally" you may end a process, or terminate a
program, and then you lose everything! By this I mean you just have
a desktop but NO task bar at the bottom of the screen and NO icon's
on the desktop.
If this happens then start up the Windows XP Task Manager and select
the Applications tab.
Now select the New Task button at the bottom of the window. A new
smaller window will appear. In it simply type:
explorer.exe
explorer.exe is the Windows Program Manager (or Windows Explorer.)
It manages the Windows Graphical Shell including the Start menu,
taskbar, desktop, and File Manager. By restarting this process the
graphical interface for Windows will reappear.
5) Leave the Task Manager running in the system tray...
Sometimes I like to have the Windows XP Task Manager running in the
system tray (the bottom right hand corner of your screen.)
This might be if I am running an application and I want to see how
much CPU it is using on starting up and for how long.
Instead it will appear as a small icon in the system tray. When the
CPU is busy you will see the icon change colour. By hovering over
the icon with your cursor you will see the CPU percentage being
used.
Now there are many more features of the Windows XP Task Manager. But
these are some of the most useful tips I can share with you!
As I mentioned at the beginning of the article. If you need more
Task Manager functionality then take a look at:
http://www.updatexp.com/wintasks-5-professional.html
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Kind Regards
Marc Liron -
Bio
Microsoft MVP
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