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within it's process but doesn't release it once it's finished with it. Over time it uses more and more memory. This is more usually a problem in larger complex multi-threaded programs like browsers. If you find a process exhibiting this behavior you can attempt to close it and restart it. If the program has ceased to respond to user input, you can end it in Task Manager by right clicking the process in the list, and clicking on 'End process' in the context menu that appears. If there is no particular 'System Hog' but just a lot of processes running, it may be time to consider whether they are all necessary. You can control which process Windows should start automatically using msconfig (simply click the Start button, then 'Run', type msconfig and press enter.) Or the services console (Type services.msc into the Run box in the Start menu.) Where you can control whether certain services should start automatically/manually or be disabled altogether.

To determine how necessary a process may be for your set-up, or if you suspect any of the processes to be malware, spyware or a virus. Cutting and pasting the name of the process into your favourit search engine will usually provide enough useful information for you to make an educated decision.

Finally in Windows there is one particular process you will see that often appears more than once. This process is svchost.exe. This is for service programs (Programs that run in the background) that are compiled as Dll's (Dynamic Link Libraries) Dll's are not directly executable in themselves, they are loaded dynamically on request into an already running process that wishes to use it's functionality, hence their name. If you're running XP Professional you can see what is running inside svchost.exe by typing 'Tasklist /SVC' (without the quote marks) at the prompt in a command window.

It is important to be familiar with the process that run on your system, in order to keep things running smoothly and responsively, to stop any programs that have become unresponsive, and to detect any uninvited viruses or spyware that your scanner may have missed.

Learn more about this author, Holly Styles.
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