66 running processes?

[Guest]

Hey all, quick question. Does 66 running processes seem like a lot? I cannot
seem to find a thread regarding this. (I'm sure there is, stopped looking
after 45 minutes) It doesn't seem to slow my computer at all. I AM running
quite a bit on here as far as spyware, virus scans, webshots, etc. It's also
a media center 2004 computer with all the trim so there are quite a few
windows processes on there. Even with AOL running, my computer is only using
430MB of RAM and I have 1GB. I have seen other threads where people have
40-50 running and they seem to think that is a lot. I have run all 5 of my
spyware programs, and anything that would pick up on programs that shouldn't
be here. Most of the running processes seem to look legit but 66 seems high
to me. I'm just curious what others are like with a fully loaded computer.
Thanks.

 

[Jupiter Jones [MVP]]

Jeremy;
Step 13 on this link will help you identify them:
http://www3.telus.net/dandemar/slowcom.htm

 

[Mike Hall \(MS-MVP\)]

If you are having no problems, then leave things the way they are.. back in
the days of Win 9x/ME, it was a problem, but XP is far more capable of
supporting multiple processes..

 

[Guest]

Hi Jeremy,

I'm no expert but if it's any use as "confidence" booster for you. I've got
Win XP, a firewall and an AV and about seven background utilities, and with
just IE6 running as an extra so I can post this my Task Manager shows I have
44 processes loaded taking 290MB of my 512MB RAM and 750MB swap file.

You say "running", but do you actaully mean "loaded". If I watch mine in
Task Manger, almost all the time almost all of them are not doing anything -
which as far as I know is perfectly normal as only a usually small handful of
relevant ones should spring into action when Windows is doing a bit of
houskeeping or I'm using a related program.

I mainly just surf the net and from what you say you've got about 30% more
happening on your machine, if you have 66 processes loading that sounds to me
what you might expect anyway.

I use FreeRAM XP Pro (a popular freebie anywhere off the internet if you
haven't got it) to manage the RAm, seems real good, never given me any
problems, runs entirely on its own in the background).

If you haven't got a problem dont try and fix one, but if you want I'd
suggest first thing open Task Manager and look at the Aplications panel
rather than the Processes one, and with each programs ask if you really do
want it to load right from boot up, or could you take it off the load list
and just start it from an ordinary desktop icon when you did actually want to
use it. [Quite a lot of programs load several processes so you might cut your
list a lot just by doing that with one or two programs].

Stopping programs you use loading early is only likely to make much
difference though if you're actually noticing lots of sluggishness or crashes
all the time, because any processes left out at start up will load anyway
when you call up their programs. In that case FreeRAM could be a better thing
to try.

PS: Most of the processes in my machine are about 2 to 8 MB in size, about
seven are 10 to 20MB, and three are 40MB. The larger ones cause most of the
start up delay whilst my AV scans them during their loading (From when I
click my blue screen account icon to when the desktop becomes set up and
usable takes about 40 seconds - and included in that is a period of about 10
seconds during which the machine is getting its broadband access sorted out
with my isp's server, so the underlying basic boot is really 30 seconds -
it's hardly fair to inlcude the time it takes the isp to notice my machine
has come online is it). If, offline, I stop my broadband, firewall and
antivirus loading then the machine will boot in about 8 seconds, which from
what I've heard is about as fast as it gets for an 2.6GHz multimedia system:
unless you want to do things to it that might well have it send your home up
in flames - together with all your licenses, warranties and insurances.

IE: I think you probably haven't got a problem.

 

[Guest]

Thanks everyone for your help. Albert, I didn't get your response after you
sent it. I was cleaning out my old Email today and had an Email from this
thread of an older reponse. So, I haven't seen yours until today. I
downloaded Anti-Spy.info and that told me a lot of whats going on. I also
have System Mechanics that helps me free up some RAM, but thats not too
important, I have some to spare. It takes my comp quite a bit longer than 30
seconds to boot, at least twice that. A bit longer to shut down. But, like I
said, I am not 100% sure what programs can be shut down, so I'm just going to
leave it. Like you said, if it's not broke, don't fix it, lol. Thanks again!

Hi Jeremy,

I'm no expert but if it's any use as "confidence" booster for you. I've got
Win XP, a firewall and an AV and about seven background utilities, and with
just IE6 running as an extra so I can post this my Task Manager shows I have
44 processes loaded taking 290MB of my 512MB RAM and 750MB swap file.

You say "running", but do you actaully mean "loaded". If I watch mine in
Task Manger, almost all the time almost all of them are not doing anything -
which as far as I know is perfectly normal as only a usually small handful of
relevant ones should spring into action when Windows is doing a bit of
houskeeping or I'm using a related program.

I mainly just surf the net and from what you say you've got about 30% more
happening on your machine, if you have 66 processes loading that sounds to me
what you might expect anyway.

I use FreeRAM XP Pro (a popular freebie anywhere off the internet if you
haven't got it) to manage the RAm, seems real good, never given me any
problems, runs entirely on its own in the background).

If you haven't got a problem dont try and fix one, but if you want I'd
suggest first thing open Task Manager and look at the Aplications panel
rather than the Processes one, and with each programs ask if you really do
want it to load right from boot up, or could you take it off the load list
and just start it from an ordinary desktop icon when you did actually want to
use it. [Quite a lot of programs load several processes so you might cut your
list a lot just by doing that with one or two programs].

Stopping programs you use loading early is only likely to make much
difference though if you're actually noticing lots of sluggishness or crashes
all the time, because any processes left out at start up will load anyway
when you call up their programs. In that case FreeRAM could be a better thing
to try.

PS: Most of the processes in my machine are about 2 to 8 MB in size, about
seven are 10 to 20MB, and three are 40MB. The larger ones cause most of the
start up delay whilst my AV scans them during their loading (From when I
click my blue screen account icon to when the desktop becomes set up and
usable takes about 40 seconds - and included in that is a period of about 10
seconds during which the machine is getting its broadband access sorted out
with my isp's server, so the underlying basic boot is really 30 seconds -
it's hardly fair to inlcude the time it takes the isp to notice my machine
has come online is it). If, offline, I stop my broadband, firewall and
antivirus loading then the machine will boot in about 8 seconds, which from
what I've heard is about as fast as it gets for an 2.6GHz multimedia system:
unless you want to do things to it that might well have it send your home up
in flames - together with all your licenses, warranties and insurances.

IE: I think you probably haven't got a problem.

 

[Guest]

Hi Jeremy,

One minute or so to boot up is not so bad, don't forget you're running more
than me, and that there are all sorts of options in Windows and the other
software loading in our machines that could well make quite a big difference
in how long it takes them to boot.

Don't worry if the machine seems to take a while to shutdown, as it does so
Windows and any other runing programs usually do a bit of tidying up to be
ready to do the next start up fairly quickly, so what happens will depend
very much on how much you have done on the machine in the session concerned,
more likely in terms of how varied it was rather than in it's plain quantity.
With the way I use my machine I would say if I bothered to measure the times
and plot them I would get something like a standard bell shapped probability
curve ranging from about half a minute to five minutes, and with most of the
shutdown durations falling between about 45 seconds and one and a half
minutes.

So, I'd say, carry on computing! And if one day you feel inclined to do
anything as a tidy up, do a new posting listing the programs that start up
and asking which ones you could change so as to only load when you actually
want them to - if you want you could probably get all the information to go
into the posting by using Microsoft's free "bootvis" utility - it'll be on
this site somewhere, try a search for it, it will give you a fairly easy to
grasp diagram showing you when each program loads during bootup and how long
each of them takes to do so, it might look as though your Antivrus is taking
longest but remember it's section of the plot will probably be showing you
the time it is spending scanning the other stuff as it lets that load up.
I'd say get bootvis and have a look even if only as a sort of computing
general knowledge thing.

No need to reply.

 

[integrii]

Two words

Backup --> Forma

Anything over 30 processes with all utilities runing is FAR TOO MANY


Format then install the following

XPSP
Microsoft Anti-Spywar
AntiVi
Firefo
K-Lite Codec Pack (Media Player Classic

You will have no more problems unless you do somthing amazingl
unhealthy for your computer, this would be the best course of actio
because by the time you have amassed that many problems you hav
corrupted and destroyed the operating system itself. Format is th
only REAL fix for your situation