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    Running processes question

    Discussion in 'Windows OS and Software' started by tears_for_fears, Jul 6, 2006.

  1. tears_for_fears

    tears_for_fears Notebook Consultant

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    Ive had my new dell xps m1210 for a few days now.

    When I'm only doing web browsing, listening to music, and on AIM, there are 74 processes running. Is there any way I can eliminate them? Ive closed as much as I can from the bottom right tray. Will cutting down these processes produce a noticable difference in speed (1.83 ghz duo core, 1 gb ram)?

    thanks!
     
    tears_for_fears, Jul 6, 2006
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  2. Tim

    Tim Notebook Virtuoso

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    Download ccleaner and run that.

    Another thing you should do is stop some of the useless programs that start with windows. Go into the start menu and click run. Type msconfig and click on the startup tab. Go through those programs that are listed and search their names in googe. Turn off the ones that are not needed. That should help a little bit.
    Tim
     
    Tim, Jul 6, 2006
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  3. nickster87

    nickster87 Notebook Consultant

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    Dell installs so much crap on their pcs, so just go to add/remove programs in the control panel and start taking away stuff you don't need/want. That will cut back on processes tremendously. Also, if you let windows handle the wi-fi and delete the intel pro wireless software, you can get rid of about 5 or 6 more processes.
     
    nickster87, Jul 6, 2006
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  4. factory21

    factory21 Notebook Enthusiast

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    74 yikes! I'm running 2 taskbars worth of apps (1280x1024) and TM shows 55 total processes for all users on my system.

    edit:
    Quitting or getting rid of the extra apps should help free up memory (which will help speed if you're maxing it out), startup and shutdown times..
     
    factory21, Jul 6, 2006
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  5. mjpartyboy

    mjpartyboy Notebook Evangelist

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    I thought I would remove the Intel software, after reading a thread about it versus XP's Wi-Fi management a couple of weeks ago, and not only did I get rid of several processes, but XP's Wi-Fi works just as good as the Intel software.
     
    mjpartyboy, Jul 7, 2006
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  6. Alcyon

    Alcyon Notebook Consultant

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    a good program to use (free) that shows exactly what processes are running is Process Explorer. Just google it to find and download. It can be used to replace Task Manager and you can customize it to show as little or as many details about a process as you want. It also shows a graph in the tasktray icon and within the program itself how much cpu usage each process steals and what process is using the most. When it's minimized (and hidden) to the tasktray, it uses virtually no resources. I've been using it for quite some time. Highly recommended.

    Another way to see what starts up each time you boot is through Spybot S&D. There are many other programs that will do this, but I find this one my favorite. It gives descriptions of startup items, etc...

    Also, as others have said, get rid of unnecessary crap from the add/remove programs menu. just be sure it's something you don't need/use.
     
    Alcyon, Jul 8, 2006
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