computer problem?

Question

Running windows xP.The task manager shows i have 30 processes running even when all im looking at is the task manager with no other programs running.Is this normal or a bad thing.If its bad what can i do to help it.I have been having freeze ups also..

Answer 1

Try this, it should help free up some recources....

1) To begin with click on "start", then "run" and type "msconfig". Press ok. Click on "Startup" tab. Uncheck names of those programs there that you do not need at startup. (These settings are reversible, if you uncheck something and later decide that it is necessary at startup; you can always come back and change the settings again.) Click Apply. Click close. Click on restart to reboot the computer. After reboot system configuration message window appears. Check the box that says "do not display this again", and press ok to close the box. This will keep programs from starting that use up alot of space on the processor and the ram, the first ones to go for me are yahoo messenger, and msn messenger, dont uncheck any of your antivirus or firewall programs, these are programs you want to start with windows........

Answer 2

It is normal to have many background processes running, but virusus, adware, spyware, etc. can also run in the background, and these can cause freezing and system degradation.

If you know someone who is knowledgeable about computers, have him/her do the following on your computer:

1) Choose Start: Run from the desktop.

2) Type "msconfig" (without the quotes) and click OK.

3) Click the Startup tab.

4) Uncheck any items that do not appear to be legitimate processes. This is why you want a knowledgeable user with you; otherwise you could end up disabling your anti-virus software or something equally serious.

Answer 3

Yeah, there are usually like 30 processes running in the background. They sustain Windows. If you were to end the process called explorer.exe, you wouldn't be able to see your start bar and all of your desktop icons, they'd still be there, but you wouldn't be able to see them. If you were to restart the process then you would be able to see them again.

As far as the freezing goes, you should just run some spyware scans and download Windows Defender from microsoft.com. Freezing can also happen when you try to run too many programs at once on a slow computer. If you aren't sure the computer you're using is a fast computer, then I suggest you don't try to run too many things at once.

Answer 4

30 is not bad at all. It is normal to have processes that run in the background all the time.

Some of the more common ones (that cannot be stopped without causing some form if instability) are:
-csrss.exe [Microsoft Client/Server Runtime Server Subsystem]
-explorer.exe [Windows itself. Closing this will remove desktop icons and entire start menu/task tray]
-lsass.exe [Windows security and logon]
-services.exe [starts or stops services as needed. To view running services, go to Start > Run > and type:
services.msc
... then hit {Enter}]
-smss.exe [Session Manager SubSystem]
-spoolsv [required for your printer to work, but can be removed]
-svchost.exe (multiple entries) [active services are broken down in to multiple svchost processes]
-System
-System Idle Process
-winlogon.exe [handles logins and logouts]

Other processes may be attributed to your current AntiVirus / Firewall software, or anything else you have running on your system when you boot it.

Answer 5

It could be bad if those background programs are taking up a lot of memory. Usually though 30 programs in the background is not bad and if you are not experiencing any problems then you don't need to worry. If you are experiencing problems then go to start, then run, and type in msconfig, go to startup and unclick any program that you don't need to start up with the computer and that will solve your problem

Answer 6

It's not unusual, I think I have like 32-35 or so....... XP is known for a lot of 'bloat' so a lot of crap runs..... I wouldn't delete anything unless you absolutely know what it's doing.......

If you have 256 mg of ram and/or a celeron processor - your computer could probably freeze -depending on what you're doing - also if you're running Norton, it makes it worse. A good option is AVG (free) or if you have cable, get their software (which is usually free).

Answer 7

you are looking at your applications tab. go to processes tab n that will show your processes. Which is normal. What is not normal is you freezing up. you have a spyware protection program?

Answer 8

Well, if you have an Anti Virus program installed on your computer, then it is running in the background.