Windows Task Manager in English
by Meryl K. Evans
You use Ctrl+Alt+Del to see what’s running on your PC, to close crashed programs and processes, and to check performance. You probably avoid a few processes whose names mean nothing to you, but they’re essential to Windows. svchost.exe sure likes to appear all the time and multiple times at that. What’s taskmgr.exe? Oh yeah, it’s the window you’re looking at right now. ctfmon? Is he related to Pokemon? navapsvc.exe? Navy? Napa Valley? Navel? NOTA (none of the above).
This is not a comprehensive list as that would take days. It has the standard processes as well as process names from popular applications. If you want to know about a process, the best place to go is… ProcessLibrary.com. Just like adware and spyware, there are bad processes that come to life thanks to the bad guys like Trojans and viruses. The site has a list of the top five security threats, so watch out for those processes.
Also, beware the bad guys like to use legitimate names of processes. For example, rundll.exe is a system process that should not be terminated. However, recent reports have stated, "It can also be the LOXOSCAM virus depending on Operating System and file path; this is always a virus on Windows XP and 2000 operating systems however."
You can download software that provide more information about the process. Task Manager, as you know, says nothing except the name of the process and how much CPU it's using. One example is Process Explorer, a standalone application that also has the option of replacing the built in Task Manager for windows. It shows you information about which handles and DLLs processes have opened or loaded. http://www.sysinternals.com/ntw2k/freeware/procexp.shtml
acrotray.exe
Acrobat Assistant that is used
when printing documents to a
PDF. The process should not be
removed while converting
documents to PDF.
ADService.exe
Active Disk Service is a
component of the Iomega zip
drive.
AppServices.exe
Also for the Iomega zip drive.
ccEvtMrg.exe
Associated with Symantec’s
Internet Security Suite. Keep it
and protect your PC.
ccSetMgr.exe
Also associated with Symantec’s
Internet Security Suite. Keep it
and protect your PC.
csrss.exe
System process that is the main
executable for the Microsoft
Client / Server Runtim Server
Subsystem. It should not be shut
down.
ctfmon.exe
Non-essential system process. If
you’re using only English as the
language, then it is not needed.
However, it’s recommended to
leave it alone.
explorer.exe
This must always be running in
the background. It’s a user
interface process that runs the
windows graphical shell for the
desktop, task bar, and Start
menu.
iexplore.exe
Internet Explorer browser. But
why are you using it unless it’s
for a site that doesn’t work in
any other browser? Use Firefox
instead.
lsass.exe
Local Security Authority Service
is a Windows security-related
system process for handling
local security and login
policies.
Navapsvc.exe, nvsrvc32.exe,
and navapw32.exe
These are Symantec’s North
AnvtiVirus processes. They or
whatever virus program you use
should run all the time.
realsched.exe
RealNetworks Scheduler is not an
essential process. It checks for
updates for RealNetworks
products. It can be safely
disabled.
rundll32.exe
A system process that executes
DLLs and loads their libraries.
savscan.exe
Nortons AntiVirus process. Keep
it.
services.exe
An essential process that
manages the starting and
stopping of services including
the those in boot up and shut
down. Do not terminate it.
smss.exe
Session Manager SubSystem is a
system process that is a central
part of the Windows operating
system. If you try to kill it,
it will be difficult… hence, the
importance of leaving it be.
spoolsv.exe
Microsoft printer spooler
service handles local printer
processes. It’s a system file.
svchost.exe x 6
You may have more than six
appearances of this process or
less. It’s there multiple times
to handle processes executed
from DLLs. Leave it there.
System
This is a file that stores
information related to local
hardware settings in the
registry under ‘HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE’.
Kill it and kiss your PC’s
stability bye bye.
System Idele Process
Calculates the amount of CPU
currently in use by
applications. This won’t go away
no matter how hard you try.
Don’t try it, OK?
taskmgr.exe
Appears when you press
Ctrl+Alt+Del.
wdfmgr.exe
Windows Driver Foundation
Manager is part of Windows media
player 10 and newer. Better not
to stop the process.
winlogon.exe
Handles the login and logout
processes. It’s essential.
winword.exe
The great Carnac says, “You’re
running Microsoft Word.”
Don’t panic if you see something you have on the “bad guy” list. svchost.exe is important, but some are good guys and some are bad guys. Do your research before deleting anything. For instance, I have admin.exe, which has been reported as a bad guy. However, it is the admin process for one of my programs. When I closed the program, admin.exe also went away.
Meryl K. Evans, Content Maven, is Editor-in-Chief of eNewsletter Journal and The Remediator Security Digest. She's a slave to a MarketingProfs weekly column and a Web design reference guide at InformIT. She is the author of the popular e-report, How to Start a Business Blog and Build Traffic. Visit her site at http://www.meryl.net/blog/ for free newsletters, articles, and tips.
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