Task Manager - Tasks and Processes

[Michael J. Gould]

Trying to follow MS advice "Improve System Performance" found in material on
how to get rid of Sasser worm.

MS says: Open Task Manager and select various files in it - - including
*_up.exe, avserve*.*, skynetave*.*, hkey.exe and others. Once selected,
click on the END TASK command button.

Here's the problem: In Task Manager, there are four tabs: "Applications,"
"Processes" and two others. Under "Applications" there is a task column,
which is usually blank. If I run a program (say Word, for example) then
Word appears as a task in the task column. If I exit Word, it disappears
from the task column. There is an END TASK command button, which is another
way to exit Word and get Word to disappear from the task column.

Under the second tab ("Processes") I found lots of the files that MS told me
to select and "end-task." Problem is, they are found in a column entitled
"Image Name" and there is no END TASK command button under the "Processes"
tab. There is an END PROCESS command button. I could select these files
and then "end-process" them.

So I'd like to know - - what is the difference between a "task" and a
"process" in the context of the Task Manager? And, more importantly, did MS
really mean that I should select the named files and click the END PROCESS
command button?

Any general background information that goes with this stuff would also be
very welcome.

Thank you.

 

[Wesley Vogel]

Items inside brackets are quoted from Task Manager HELP.

[[Task Manager provides information about programs and processes running on
your computer.]]

[[processes
An executable program, such as Windows Explorer, or a service, such as
MSTask.]]

[[To end a process with Task Manager
On the Processes tab, click the process that you want to end, and then click
End Process.]]

[[program
A complete, self-contained set of computer instructions that you use to
perform a specific task, such as word processing, accounting, or data
management. Program is also called application.]]

[[To end a program with Task Manager
On the Applications tab, click the program that you want to end, and then
click End Task. ]]

The key word here is END.

[[If you end an application, you will lose unsaved data. If you end a system
service, some part of the system might not function properly.]]

A program (applications) is something that you use. A process is something
that Windows uses.
-----

This is can be confusing because items can appear under both the
Applications and Processes tabs.

Like notepad.exe that I am using to write this. It appears as
Untitled - Notepad under the Applications tab and notepad.exe under the
Processes tab.

The Applications tab shows the status of the programs running on your
computer.
On this tab, you can Go to Process.
Right click the program
Click: Go to Process
This will switch to the Processes tab with
the related process highlighted.
-----

[[The Task Manager window contains four tabs: Applications, Processes,
Performance, and Networking. The Applications and Processes tabs provide a
list of applications or processes currently active on your system. It can
also contain a fifth tab; Users.

The Applications tab shows the status of the programs running on your
computer.

On this tab, you can end, switch to, or start a program.

On the Applications tab, click the program that you want to end, and then
click End Task.

On the Applications tab, click the program you want to switch to, and then
click Switch To.

1. On the Applications tab, click New Task.

2. In the Open box, type or select the name of the program you want to add,
and then click OK.
Note
• New Task is identical to the Run command on the Start menu.]]
-----

The Processes tab shows information about the processes running on your
computer.

For example, you can display information on CPU and memory usage, page
faults, handle count, and a number of other parameters.

To sort the list of processes
• On the Processes tab, click the column heading you want to sort by.
Note
• To reverse the sort order, click the column heading a second time.

 

[Michael J. Gould]

Yes, Wes, this helped me to understand the basic nature of a "process" and
the fact that it is a program used by Windows. In that sense, if the
instruction named executable files and said to "END TASK" them, it looks
like these files are processes and I can stop them running without any
long-term effect on Windows. They'll start again if I boot up. So I can
just substitute END PROCESS for END TASK on these files and proceed to
follow the rest of the instructions. I think.
This seems to make sense. I'll try it.

Thanks.

Michael

Items inside brackets are quoted from Task Manager HELP.

[[Task Manager provides information about programs and processes running on
your computer.]]

[[processes
An executable program, such as Windows Explorer, or a service, such as
MSTask.]]

[[To end a process with Task Manager
On the Processes tab, click the process that you want to end, and then click
End Process.]]

[[program
A complete, self-contained set of computer instructions that you use to
perform a specific task, such as word processing, accounting, or data
management. Program is also called application.]]

[[To end a program with Task Manager
On the Applications tab, click the program that you want to end, and then
click End Task. ]]

The key word here is END.

[[If you end an application, you will lose unsaved data. If you end a system
service, some part of the system might not function properly.]]

A program (applications) is something that you use. A process is something
that Windows uses.
-----

This is can be confusing because items can appear under both the
Applications and Processes tabs.

Like notepad.exe that I am using to write this. It appears as
Untitled - Notepad under the Applications tab and notepad.exe under the
Processes tab.

The Applications tab shows the status of the programs running on your
computer.
On this tab, you can Go to Process.
Right click the program
Click: Go to Process
This will switch to the Processes tab with
the related process highlighted.
-----

[[The Task Manager window contains four tabs: Applications, Processes,
Performance, and Networking. The Applications and Processes tabs provide a
list of applications or processes currently active on your system. It can
also contain a fifth tab; Users.

The Applications tab shows the status of the programs running on your
computer.

On this tab, you can end, switch to, or start a program.

On the Applications tab, click the program that you want to end, and then
click End Task.

On the Applications tab, click the program you want to switch to, and then
click Switch To.

1. On the Applications tab, click New Task.

2. In the Open box, type or select the name of the program you want to add,
and then click OK.
Note
• New Task is identical to the Run command on the Start menu.]]
-----

The Processes tab shows information about the processes running on your
computer.

For example, you can display information on CPU and memory usage, page
faults, handle count, and a number of other parameters.

To sort the list of processes
• On the Processes tab, click the column heading you want to sort by.
Note
• To reverse the sort order, click the column heading a second time.
---

Also click Help on the Task Manager toolbar.


--
Hope this helps. Let us know.
Wes

In

Trying to follow MS advice "Improve System Performance" found in
material on how to get rid of Sasser worm.

MS says: Open Task Manager and select various files in it - -
including *_up.exe, avserve*.*, skynetave*.*, hkey.exe and others.
Once selected, click on the END TASK command button.

Here's the problem: In Task Manager, there are four tabs:
"Applications," "Processes" and two others. Under "Applications"
there is a task column, which is usually blank. If I run a program
(say Word, for example) then Word appears as a task in the task
column. If I exit Word, it disappears from the task column. There
is an END TASK command button, which is another way to exit Word and
get Word to disappear from the task column.

Under the second tab ("Processes") I found lots of the files that MS
told me to select and "end-task." Problem is, they are found in a
column entitled "Image Name" and there is no END TASK command button
under the "Processes" tab. There is an END PROCESS command button.
I could select these files and then "end-process" them.

So I'd like to know - - what is the difference between a "task" and a
"process" in the context of the Task Manager? And, more importantly,
did MS really mean that I should select the named files and click the
END PROCESS command button?

Any general background information that goes with this stuff would
also be very welcome.

Thank you.