When something is wrong with your computer, such as it suddenly becomes slow, it is wise to to see what processes are running.
Windows allows us to view the processes, those you are aware of and those which are hidden, easily by accessing the Windows Task Manager.
Press CTRL+ALT+DELETE to open Windows Task Manager.
This neat little application is useful when you want to find out which program is troubling your computer.
The best way to learn how to use it is to play around with it - just like any other computer application. But here you will be taught the basics. You can read the tutorial below if you want.
Calculator Tutorial
In this tutorial, we will be playing with the Calculator that comes with Windows.
First, open Calculator by clicking the Start button, clicking All Programs, clicking Accessories, and then clicking Calculator.
Now the Calculator program is running. You can view running programs in Windows task Manager. If Windows Task Manager is not opened yet, open it by pressing CTRL+ALT+DELETE.
By default, the Applications tab is displayed. Calculator should be there. Under Status, it says "Running". This means the Calculator program is running.
But if it says "Not Responding", that means the program is not running. It is stuck. And anything that's stuck slows down the computer. However, a tiny program like Calculator very rarely gets stuck.
Right-click Calculator and click Go To Process. This brings you to the Processes tab with the Calculator's process highlighted. calc.exe is the name of the Calculator's process.
Look at the Mem Usage of the process. The number represents how much memory is being used by Calculator.
Now let's try to stop this program. There are two ways of doing this:
1. Go to Applications tab. Right-click Calculator and click End Task.
2. Go to Processes tab. Right-click calc.exe and click End Process.
Try both ways. Both will close the Calculator program.
Useful Tips
Slow Computer
Check the memory usage of a program every time you run it and you will know what is normal for the program. When the number is abnormally high, you will know that the program has a problem and is slowing down the computer. This is how you can find out who is slowing down your computer.
Virus
Once you have spent enough time with Windows Task Manager, you will recognize if an "alien" process that you have never seen before is running. An unusual process might be a virus. Search the process name using Google to know if it is really a security threat.
Stop Associated Processes
Right-click and select End Process Tree to stop that process as well as all processes that are associated with it.
Increase A Program's Performance
To increase the performance of a program, go to its process. Right-click, go to Set Priority and select anything above Normal, such as High. This will sacrifice other programs' performance to speed up the program of your choice.
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