What do those processes do, anyway?

[Pete/ME]

Just about everything the computer is running is displayed in some form in the process list, assessed from the task manager in Windows. Knowing what processes should and shouldn't be running can help you figure out if you have spyware, etc. running in the background.

Here are a couple of useful tools as to what the various processes listed in task manager do. These can be a good resource if you are suspicious of a process but aren't sure if you should shut it down.

The first is a program that gives details on the running processes including the DLLs the process is using. Notice that it is FREE!!!
http://www.sysinternals.com/ntw2k/freeware/procexp.shtml

The second is an index of commonly known processes and the relative safety of ending them.
http://www.answersthatwork.com/Tasklist_pages/tasklist.htm

 

[Ought Six]

The only problem with Process Explorer is that either Spybot or AdAware sees it as spyware and flags it for deletion. Be aware of that when you scan your system.

 

[Yours Truly]

Thanks for posting such a comprehensive list - just what I've been looking for.

There's one process that my PC shows that's not on the list. It's "Bmclient". I've "googled" it and all I can find is that it's a "remote user" - does anyone know what that means?

 

[blackjeep]

Here's a source for in depth info on processes and Windows "Services". I turned off the services that he listed as "safe" to disable. I've had no problems and the old computer runs better without all the background processes slowing things down.

http://www.blackviper.com/