Startup program decoder ring

The Windows XP Task Manager shows a list of all running programs. You can pop up this list by pressing Ctrl+Alt+Delete or Ctrl+Shift+Esc. The Applications tab shows every running program and corresponds to the items shown on your taskbar.

Much more useful is the list on the Processes tab, which shows every program and service running, even those that are hidden. This is a great way to see which programs are sucking up too much CPU time or memory. It’s also an excellent technique for determining whether you have a spyware/adware or Trojan horse program lurking on your computer.

Deciphering the entries on the Processes list can be tricky, because all you have is a list of program names to go by, and those names aren’t always descriptive. To decipher these listings, bookmark the immensely helpful Start-up Applications page put together by Paul “Pacman” Collins for Pacman’s Portal. After reading the brief introduction, you can go straight to the list itself.