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| What's Really Running On Your PC |
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PC Operating Instructions February 2001 • Vol.12 Issue 2 Page(s) 26 in print issue |
What's Really Running On Your PC How To Find & Close Background Applications | ||
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Your Windows 95/98/Me Desktop may look idle, but that doesn't mean it's not running a few programs without telling you. It's a good idea to find out what applications are really running for several reasons. For one, you should exit nonessential applications when you install a new one, and all those TSRs (terminate and stay resident programs) that run in the background absorb some of your PC's memory and processing power. That slows down everything your PC does and could cause freezes and other errors. Right-click My Computer and click Properties, and the Performance tab to see the free percentage of your system resources. If you have less than 90% or so available, you might consider freeing up some resources with the steps below.  System Tray The lower right corner of your screen is called the system tray. You'll probably see icons there representing TSRs, such as a yellow speaker that leads to the Volume Controls. You can click these icons to open their programs' interfaces.
If you don't want a TSR to ever run, click it to open its interface. Look for an Options or Preferences item that keeps the TSR from launching along with Windows, or re-enable the TSR if you change your mind. For example, in FileQuest 2.0, click Tools, Options, Preferences, the Startup tab, and Run FileQuest Every Time Windows Loads. Close Program You can see other applications running on your PC by pressing CTRL-ALT-DELETE simultaneously. ( NOTE: Don't press this combination of keys twice, or you'll reboot your computer.) The Close Program window will appear with a list of programs. You might recognize some as nonessential applications, such as Realplayer for RealNetworks's RealPlayer. Others are less straightforward, such as MMJB Database for MusicMatch Jukebox. To exit an application in Close Program, click it and select End Task (not Shut Down). Don't exit Explorer; here, it's referring to the Windows interface, not Windows Explorer or Internet Explorer. You can restart these TSRs through their parent programs or by rebooting your system. System Configuration Utility Win98 and WinMe users have more control over background applications than Win95 users. The System Configuration Utility lets you choose which TSRs automatically launch at startup. To open it, click Start and Run. In the Open field, type msconfig and press ENTER. Click the Startup tab for a list of TSRs. The ones with checkmarks load at startup. Certain applications, such as antivirus utilities, place components on this list during installation. Click the boxes next to the entries you don't want and click Apply and OK. Click OK if you need to restart your computer. Some entries might be redundant, but you should examine them letter-by-letter before you get rid of any. If you don't recognize a TSR by name, read the file path next to it for clues. For example, we didn't know that EM_EXEC had to do with our mouse until we read its file path, C:\ MOUSE\SYSTEM\Em_exec.exe. If you later decide you want the TSR to run after all, go back into the System Configuration Utility and recheck the box. Click Apply and OK twice. Win98 and WinMe users can also remove some TSRs from the startup list by right-clicking and deleting the icons from the STARTUP folder (Start, Programs, and STARTUP). We don't recommend this method, because not all TSRs are listed in STARTUP. More importantly, the deleted icons will go to the Recycle Bin, where they might be lost for good, making it harder to restore a TSR to the startup list. Although you can improve your PC's performance by freeing up system resources, always restart and test your system after each TSR you disable. That way, if any change to your startup list causes errors, you'll have an easier time figuring out what's wrong.  by Marty Sems |
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