Understanding Task Manager in Windows 7

[PJ_in_FL]

Chris,

Are you sure you know everything that runs on start up? I'd suggest getting the Sysinternals AutoRuns tool and run it in administrator mode to find all the programs that run when booting up.

[ChrisGreaves]

Are you sure you know everything that runs on start up?

Absolutely not!
I'm OK with algorithms, and not too bad at implementing them in a programming language (right now Word2003 VBA), but my knowledge of O/S is pretty well frozen at 1973 ICL GEORGE III⁽¹⁾, CDC Master

I have seen several 3rd-party programs that help to identify pretty well everything that is fired up at boot time, but tend to follow Hans's dictum that that stuff is best left alone.
I side with old fellas like BobH who, on seeing something lurking, are tempted to uninstall it, but usually think like a programmer, and start by assuming that any fault or problem can be ascribed to me.

In this Firefox/Paging issue I do believe that it is 100% my fault - I just kept shoveling startup tasks into my autoexec. Most of those tasks can be started up after I quite my start-of-day multi-tab browser run; I mean, I don't go outside to read my electricity meter until after I have checked news, weather, forums, and how it was that the Blue Jays won/lost again yesterday.

I'd suggest getting the Sysinternals AutoRuns tool and run it in administrator mode to find all the programs that run when booting up.

This I will pursue; but I am unlikely to delete stuff until I have checked with Eileen's Lounge many of whose members, I add to my mea culpa, know waaaaaay more than do I.

Cheers, and thanks for the link.
Chris
⁽¹⁾"George 3 was implemented as a small memory-resident part and a collection of chapters (overlays) which were loaded into and removed from memory as needed"

[ChrisGreaves]

I would like to make better use of Task Manager in Win7 to resolve a specific issue.

Today I noticed, not for the first time, that closing FireFox does NOT shut down the auxiliary pane brought about by using "Show More Smilies". I thought to see what was running:-

DiskThrashing19.jpg

That seems like an awful lot of Firefox work for, at most, six potential panes of smilies.
Cheers, Chris