Find the hidden apps!

[Paul Simon]

What software can I run (preferably for free) that will tell me what apps
are running, that aren't obvious? Over time, my system has gotten slower
and I want to try to get some of the useless junk out of the box. Then once
I find them, how do I get rid of them?

I am running XP home.

Thanks....

 

[Heirloom]

Process Explorer, free, from www.sysinternals.com , will show you every
running process and the % of cpu usage by each in real time......plus it
will 'graph out' about 5 or 10 minutes (don't know the exact duration) and
by placing your cursor over the graph, it will tell you what app was causing
the 'spike' in usage and the %........so you don't have to be constantly
monitoring PE.
For PE to work on XP, you may have to download some tools from MS........it
will tell you if needed. Of course, you can always go to Start, Programs,
Accessories, System Tools, System Information, Software Environment, Running
Tasks and it should give you a good idea of what is running and where it is
coming from.

Once the app is identified, the first place to look for removal should be
Add/Remove in Control Panel. If it is something you want to keep, just not
start at boot, you should have that option in the app settings or you could
uncheck it from Startup in MSCONFIG.

Don't forget regular mtce. after you have removed the items you no longer
want. Disk Cleanup and Defrag (in System Tools) would surely help.
Heirloom, old and hope this helps

 

[Wesley Vogel]

Autoruns
http://www.sysinternals.com/Utilities/Autoruns.html

Silent Runners
http://www.silentrunners.org/index.html

--
Hope this helps. Let us know.

Wes
MS-MVP Windows Shell/User

In

 

[Alan Smith]

What software can I run (preferably for free) that will tell me what apps
are running, that aren't obvious? Over time, my system has gotten slower
and I want to try to get some of the useless junk out of the box. Then
once
I find them, how do I get rid of them?

I am running XP home.

Thanks....

Control-Alt-Delete, Read the dialogue box and choose the appropriate tab.