BleepingComputer.com: My Computer Uses Way Too Many Processes! Help Me!?

Hi, well my computer uses up to about 85 or so processes , and it slows my laptop and can make it noisy at times! I need some advice on how I can cut down on unneeded processes.. here's a background on how I use my laptop:

- I use bluetooth to send/receive files
- I have a wireless net connection to our Sky router
- We do not have a network drive or anything like that
- I use the internet/MSN often
- I play games every now and then
- I like using gadgets and Windows Media Player
- I use office programs for school work
- I use Windows Vista Business
- Use Internet Explorer/Firefox for different sites (I need to)
- I have used CCleaner, defragmenter etc. but they do not help a great deal..
- I have scanned with Norton anti virus

Here are some screenshots of my processes:



Sometimes it takes ages to do the simplest things like opening folders etc. Please help! It will be greatly appreciated if someone can tell me how to cut down on processes

Cheers in advance

Jay

BTW Sorry if this is the wrong section or anything, I'm new here.. so hey guys, looks like a great forum here

Hello JayTG and welcome,

http://www.blackviper.com/WinVista/servicecfg.htm

It is a good site which lists the many service configurations, that should cut the number of processes down.

How much physical memory (RAM) do you have? Increasing RAM is an easy way to help speed up your system - but there are limitations to how much you can use (and how much Windows will recognize). I'd suggest checking http://www.crucial.com to see what your laptop can handle. If you're using 32 bit Windows Vista, the max that Windows can use is 4 gB - but you'll only see about 3.26 gB on the system. Currently the "sweet spot" for Vista is 2 gB, with 4 gB gaining ground rapidly.

You can investigate services in depth at http://www.blackviper.com
Once you've trimmed your Windows services with the assistance of BlackViper, you'll be left with other services such as the Encarta and LightScribe services - and you can trim them based on your research and your needs.

nigglesnush85, on May 29 2008, 01:06 PM, said:

Thank you, and cheers for the welcome I found that site to be very useful, I've removed some pretty useless apps that I'll never use - things seem a little smoother now

usasma, on May 29 2008, 01:15 PM, said:

Thank you very much again, I might consider raising my memory from 1GB to 2GB now, I think the rest of my family would find that nice for playing games on it too.

If I could ask another question, I have read before that the HP tools installed on my computer can be responsible for lagging up my computer, and I have suffered problems like it refuses to recognise it has already updated itself ¬_¬

Considering I already have Norton Anti virus, would it be ok if I disabled the HP processes like the health check and protect tools?

Thanks again guys, you have been very helpful to me

It depends on if you need these tools on a regular basis. If you don't, then you can stop them from starting up (without uninstalling them) and you can then open them when you want them.

To stop them from starting, you can open up Windows Defender, click on the Tools menu, then on Software Explorer. That'll give you an interface where you can disable/enable the startup items. That way, if you disable something that you want, you can simply go in and re-enable it.

I will do that! Thanks a ton, you've been a great help

I'm glad I joined this site.

JayTG, on May 29 2008, 02:46 PM, said:

Norton is probably a big part of your problem.......It is a resource hog.

gr277, on May 29 2008, 06:48 PM, said:

Yeah I've heard that too but I need some sort of protection for my computer.

hi Jay,,, here's a couple of programs to give a try,,, both free and very good,,, ccleaner is ok,, but a mild reg cleaner/fixer,,, for a bit more depth try this one,,, it also has an auto backup on it,,,http://www.eusing.com/free_registry_cleaner/registry_cleaner.htm
http://www.eusing.com/free_registry_cleane...try_cleaner.htm

the other is a spyware scanner,,, if your pc is acting sluggish for no reason it could be some uninvited nasties,,,, give it a scan with this,,, Malwarebytes,,,, http://www.malwarebytes.org/mbam.php

also here's a good defragger,,, always good to have a second one,,, picks up stuff the os defragger misses or leaves,,,, also free,,,
http://www.auslogics.com/en/software/disk-defrag/download

good luck.

I don't recommend registry cleaners - I've seen too many problems caused by them (including my own). FWIW - here's an excellent discussion about the use of registry cleaners: http://www.windowsbbs.com/showthread.php?t=61015

You can select some good, free protection software here: http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/forums/topic3616.html

Thank you both, I will try those

Already many good tips. Consider this one too:

Having many applications installed on your system is not the problem as far as they not running at the same time. They don't use the RAM when they are not running. I think you have too many programs which start with the Windows.

1. Use a software/utility handling startup items.
2. Check if they are needed to run with Windows (right above this page under Startup List fill in the name of the file as appearing op the startup list and press search. It'll tell you if the startup item is needed, is a malware, is optional to user or it is not needed).
3. Use the program settings to disable running at startup. If there is no option use the startup utility to disable/uncheck the startup item.

Applications handling startup entries:

1. Startup Inspector for Windows for both novice and expert user: http://www.windowsstartup.com/startupinspector.php : It helps manage Windows® startup applications.

2. Startup Control Panel with easier interface than Autoruns: http://www.mlin.net/StartupCPL.shtml

3. Autoruns for more advanced users:http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinte...s/bb963902.aspx

JayTG, on May 29 2008, 06:50 PM, said:

Anything but Norton.

By the way, I use WinPatrol to control my start up programs and running processes.

gr277, on May 30 2008, 07:43 PM, said:

WinPatrol is also a good one. It has a free version and it let you know if an application (with or without your knowledge) running on your computer. It also shows the hidden processes and many more, so it is definitely recommended to use: http://www.winpatrol.com/download.html