Where can I go to see if any programs are running unseen in th ebackground?

My itunes was freezing up, task manager said CPU usage 96-100%. I need to find out what's causing this, thought I'd try to see what else may be running. I have windows XP.

 

start>run>type>msconfig. this give you a list of everything running in the background on startup, however it was told to me is not recommended that you change any processes this way. There is a program you can download on this site that you can safely use to disable any of these processeshttp://majorgeeks.com/StartUpLite_d5583.html

 

startup will affect progrms that you installed yourself. If these are numerous they will slow your pc down. Lot of times some of them are unnecessary. i.e. an auto scheduler for certain prpgrams. Lot of times when you load programs they will setup objects to do that are unnecessary. You have to tweak each prog after installation. Some will cause themselves to autoload at windows startup. I use a rule to not let anything open automatically unless i allow it. My antivirus for instance. I want my pc to run with high resource availability when i use it. Also in your startup folder you might find progs starting on their own under the start\programs\startup folder. You can delete those as well if you find the unneccesary. Run thorough cleanup like a "ccleaner" or win disk cleanup. Scan entire system for bugs. Defrag your hard drive as well as your registry. Clean the registry first. This also can slow your pc down. A good program is "windows Advanced Systemcare 3". Just a suggestion, i hope this might help.

 

Press Ctrl-Alt-Del(ete) together.
This brings up "Windows Security".
Click on Task manager.
Maximise your popup if need be.
Click on Processes Tab. Click (or double click) on the CPU tab to see what processes are hogging your CPU usage.
Post back your findings here and someone will be able to help out further, if you need it.

Bazza

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Bigbazza, When I went under processes and looked under cpu column SYSTEM IDLE PROCESS was fluctuating between 97-99, taskmgr.exe 1 and iexplore.exe 1. Was I suppose to look under that column or the memory? There were about 40-50 programs listed, seemed like a lot. I couldn't figure out how to copy or paste it. The CPU usage during this was 3-6%, rather than high 90's. Does this mean the issue has something to with something within itunes? Would Dr Moriarty's suggestion help?

 

I think this is the log from file lister, can you make anything out of it?

 

Thanks, I'll probably delete McAfee. Can you or anybody else see any other issues? I was unable to send a message to Dr Moriarty because I have less than 50 posts.

 

Your Java 2 Runtime version is chronically out of date. Remove the current version SE v1.4.2_06 through the Control Panel > Add or Remove Programs options, then run a cleaner like CCleaner . Once clean, reboot your PC and download and install the latest version of Java 2 Runtime from here

Also you are running XP Service Pack 2. Yo should consider upgrading to XP Service Pack 3 which you can download and install from here

These will not directly improve the performance of your computer noticeably, but they are additional security upgrades you should make to ensure your computer is well protected.

Also, just as a heads up for your information, we ask that you keep replies to tech threads in the forums, and not PM those who have been trying to assist you here. That way all the potential solutions and things tried are kept logically in the thread, in case others are tryiing to help or even other members who have a similar issue as you are trying to follow the solutions offered

 

I'm sure this a dumb question, but when I click the link to the McAfee removal tool, I don't understand where to click to download. Where or what is the MCPR.exe? I was finding registry cleaners, driver updates, etc. Was I suppose to download the program from pctools? As far as the spyware, Spywaredoctor is the paid version. I'm not sure I understand what you're asking. Should I replace ad-aware with SAS? Or do I not need ad-aware now that I have Spyware doctor?

 

Hi you need to pick a server...Florida or Texas for instance...then your download will start

MCPR.exe is the set up file for the Mcafee removal tool, and when you do run the removal tool you should run it twice to be sure

 

I know how you feel: it's kind of tricky getting to read the download sites on here, as they are surrounded by ads, but the download site says "free downloads from" and right beneath that it--usually--says "author's site", and then has several sites, usually in texas or florida--pick closest--and you'll be on your way...or pick the "author's site", I usually do, haven't had a problem since, I kind of see it as the sort of initiation many of go thru, learning the ropes around here...I started out on malware forum, and that'll get your attention quick

I did the same thing, too, downloaded a couple of ad apps I didn't want, and got pissed, but it's how the site pays it's bills, and once I got the hang of it, it was no problem: I ususally click "save" rather than "run" and save the file to my desktop, and then open it...if you click on the site, you'll see, right there, towards the top of the screen, in the middle, are the "free downloads from:" that's what you want...

P.S.: I looked at the download site, and what you are talking about is further down on the page, the free downloads are towards the top^

best wishes...