System Processes

[igs942]

Hi all,

I've seen what I am about to type here before but am guessing every PC is different so here goes....

Have been wondering whether I can increase my PCs performance by reducing the amount of processes. Have just looked and found 73 (!) current processes running. I'm not that hot on computers so have no idea which I need and which I don't. Can anyone tell me if deleting these will offer a noticable improvement and if so which can I get shot of?



Cheers Ian

[justpassingthrough]

That

[ctjoyce]

If you use www.processlibrary.com you can check anything you are unsure of, and if its not needed, close it to free up some system resources.

Also if you hit windows key + r and type in msconfig, then click startup and uncheck any of the unneeded processes (IE qttask.exe ituneshelper.exe realchst.exe) you can help improve your startup time. and prevent yourself from opening up task manager every time you log in to clean it up.

Cheers
Cameron

[Alonso]

Holy sh''!!!

That is about 4x the processes I run... seriously.

[igs942]

I know! I aint got a clue where they all came from. There's one called iPodservice.exe.....I aint even got a frickin iPod :-? :-? :-?!!!

[justpassingthrough]

If you use www.processlibrary.com you can check anything you are unsure of, and if its not needed, close it to free up some system resources.

Also if you hit windows key + r and type in msconfig, then click startup and uncheck any of the unneeded processes (IE qttask.exe ituneshelper.exe realchst.exe) you can help improve your startup time. and prevent yourself from opening up task manager every time you log in to clean it up.

Cheers
Cameron

Careful with that one, especially if one does not know what they are doing. I tried that library myself and ended up leaving things in I didn't need and taking stuff out I should not have.

Its a good reference but it really requires a pro go over things to ensure its done right.


Ipod stuff gets installed with other software, possibly quicktime or other software. I see things on that list I would kill but I am afraid of giving out advice like that.

That is one area you need a pro to go over with you, and a pro I ain't

There is also the pick and peck method if you know how to backup the registry keys and start deleting stuff. You can use MSCONFIG>STARTUP tab to uncheck items and see if they cause a problem not being started with Windows. Once you have a list of everything after a few weeks of running to ensure everything works OK, then you can start getting rid of them perminantly in the registry.

NickN used the advanced area of SpyBots Search and Destroy with one person in the FSX forums to help them clean that up and delete the junk without having to enter the registry.

[Nick N]

That is an excessive list and it would probably take me some hours to go through everything to verify its use for removal.

As miltest said, you can use msconfig <-- typed in the RUN box and under the startup tab uncheck things you think you dont need. You can always re-check them if you find you may have made a mistake and after you get them paired down to just the absolute needed items, clean the registry perminantly.

I run 6 items on startup in the msconfig list. Everyone is different. There may be different types of startup support you need for hardware and you must be careful what you get rid of. Things like video and special sound drivers that need to boot with windows must remain in the list.

[Alonso]

Every HP computer comes with iTunes, and so, with those Apple-related processes.

[Mushroom_Farmer]

Much of what you have listed is typical for an OEM system, especially HP. A few OEM's are also known for for reducing performance in the hardware so you'll come back in a couple years for the next latest and greatest system they have. It's also the very reason reason I never buy OEM.

[Politically Incorrect]

Buying OEM is fine and at times you can score a good deal. Just format and reinstall Windows on a new computer and you won't have to worry about all the fluff.
Of course though make certain that you have any special drivers for hardware from a OEM this is especially the case with laptops.

[ctjoyce]

Every HP computer comes with iTunes, and so, with those Apple-related processes.

Not for the last 2 years, not since they lost the rights to manufacture iPods.

Cheers
Cameron

[igs942]

Thanks for the help guys. Had a look at msconfig and it looks kinda straight forward. Will my PC still run if I uncheck something which ends up being quite important? I guess that if it does, I can just check it again in the list on the startup tab??

Thanks again for the help.

Cheers Ian

[Mictheslik]

http://www.processlibrary.com/processscan/

Brings up an easy to use list of all your processes and their jobs including the risk of each one...

.mic

[justpassingthrough]

Thanks for the help guys. Had a look at msconfig and it looks kinda straight forward. Will my PC still run if I uncheck something which ends up being quite important? I guess that if it does, I can just check it again in the list on the startup tab??

Thanks again for the help.

Cheers Ian

If something goes wrong, as NickN said, simply place a check back in the box and reboot. You can always do that in safe mode too if for some reason it would not boot into Windows but I have yet to see that happen, just loss of a software use or driver.

If you are like me and at one time I did not know what-was-what, it can take a long time to figure out what is needed and what isn't

I would not stop anything that is driver related, like sound, network, modem or video and AV, but stuff like realplayer, ipod (if you dont have one) and other junk I would dump.

Printer stuff is usually also crap. Unless you need the support for some type of photo card reader in the printer itself, HP is another resource hog that usually does not need to be booted with Windows. The windows print spooler should call up the printer when it is asked to print something. Much of the HP software is just hogging the memory and calling home, like real player every time you boot and get on the net.