Here is where I describe 6 main sections where you can discover the programs running (not stored but running) on your computer hidden. They can be legal or illegal, wanted or unwanted, from hackers or companies. No matter what their purpose is, you should know exactly what is running on your system, consuming electric, using precious processing power, making millions of calculations each minute, and slowing your system down to some degree, and also co-mingling with other active running programs you CHOOSE to use at the time. Windows you have open are not the only programs you have running on your system.
It is broken down into these sections:
1 START MENU,
2 TASK MANAGER,
3 THE TRAY,
4 SERVICES,
5 INTERNET ADD-ONS, and
6 STARTUP CONTROL PANEL
7 END NOTES
If you master these sections, you probably will always have control over your system (although this is just one part of the overall way to maintain a system optimally), and it will run at least double the speed, it will last twice as long through the years, it will crash much less, and your security will gain a massive boost. It is VERY hard to get a program to run secretly while hiding from all these sections I lay out.
This knowledge is better than the best of anti-virus programs, because YOU are the anti-virus program using common sense instead of blind judgement. Oh and remember that for the most part these are about the same meaning for all intents; program=app=service=process=.exe file, they are all referring to files which are running actively on your system, but have different sub-meanings.
And referencing the ADD/REMOVE PROGRAMS in the control panel if windows we all know about, not all your programs will show up here, it is up to the programmer if they WANT their program to show up here. Add the fact that with crappy programs or infections, if you choose to REMOVE a program in here, it will only remove it from showing so you think it is removed, but the program is still installed on your system and still running. Because there is no single place in windows to truly see 'the big picture' nor to see 'the honest picture', you have to be extremely careful when buying a new machine, and when installing new software or hardware, more often than not these companies are dishonest and sneaky and try to sneak in any way possible and become hard to remove, choosing to REMOVE a program in ADD/REMOVE rarely, rarely removes the whole program. In fact I can almost guarantee I could find some leftover files, folders, registry bits from something you 'think' you uninstalled. 95%+ of the programmers simply do not care.
1 The Start Menu
... you know this place, on the lower left where you go to load any program from storage (hard drive) to active memory/cpu. You also know that next to the Start Menu on the taskbar is the "quick launch" where I put program start-up icons you use most often so you can access them even quicker than clicking thru the the start menu (like internet explorer and windows explorer, plus whatever is your third and fourth most used programs)
This area on my configured systems are laid out in a logical manner, and is usually the most noticeable single change from my systems versus other systems. I do not know why more people do not sort it logically; it only takes a few minutes.
Let's review everything on the Start Menu from top to bottom;
TURN OFF to shut down the system or restart it
SEARCH to quickly find a file or word on your entire system (theres better ways though)
SETTINGS to access the control panel to adjust many settings in hardware and software
PROGRAMS there should only be two items here; a startup folder, and a 'windows explorer' icon
... above this is where i indexed your programs according to 'type' instead of a random shitstack ...
INTERNET where internet apps are
PLAYERS where apps that play media files and online multimedia are
OFFICE where office-related programs are
GAMES where games are
TOOLS where utility/maintenance apps are (burn a cd, defrag, check for viruses, etc)
SYSTEM where system tools and adjustment programs are, mostly avoid as an end-user
... depending on extra apps on your system, I could've also included the following ...
AUDIO where audio creation apps are
VIDEO where video editing apps are
GRAPHIC where photo and design apps are
WWW where internet creation apps are, like html editing, flash, ftp, etc.
TRAVEL where mapping, wireless internet connect, and other laptop-type apps are
RESEARCH where apps dedicated to research are
Now that you know the start menu layout, know that if anything ever shows up one day in here, some new folder or icons, contact me ASAP, because it means some program has installed itself whether you meant to or not. The app most likely will install folders and icons in the folder called PROGRAMS because that is where most programs install their icons by default when installed.
I keep PROGRAMS empty for you (except for startup folder and windows explorer icon) so that it is more obvious to you when something new is installed. When i install an app for you, I put its' startup icon within one of the above folders depending on the type of app it is. Again, anything new under PROGRAMS means a new program has been installed on your system, whether you knew it or not, and you are to notify me ASAP when that happens.
2 Task Manager
... to get there - rightclick on windows taskbar, choose 'task manager' then choose the tab 'processes'.
This is the main 'core' of windows; it shows you all the apps currently doing millions of calculations per second/minute. You can see here what apps (remember files ending in .exe are programs/apps because they are EXEcuting themselves, ie running) are running, as well as some further information that is handy. Remember, apps don't always run in visual windows; programmers can also have them run as 'hidden windows'. 'Task manager' is also important because it lets you see how much memory is being used by an app, and it lets you know how much cpu is being used. Your memory is limited by how much you have (perhaps 512mb, or 1024mb, or even 2gb which is 2048mb) and your cpu is gauged based on 100% total. If a single app is using 100% of your cpu, then either something is dreadfully wrong, or else your system is underpowered, because you should rarely go over even 50% in regular use unless you are doing major multimedia editing or some intensive game.
The task manager is the first place to go whenever the system is acting strange or slow or begins hiccuping, here you will see what program is taking up perhaps all the memory or cpu that it affects the whole system; it could be a single program using 100% of memory of cpu, or it could be just dozens of small uneeded junk programs which in total add up to consuming 100%. Sneaky hackers or companies do not care if they take up all your memory or cpu and make everything else slow down, because they want their program to use as much as possible, that is all they care about. As a tip do this; restart your computer, make a list of the processes running with no programs or windows open, and save that list somewhere. In the future when somethings not feeling right, or just once a month, open task manager again and make sure there is no new processes running hidden. Viruses and all illegal and legal (company) infections will show up here most of the time, making it plainly apparent what's happening. Remember if a person has a hidden program that alters your system and it sneaks in, it is considered a virus or some scary term, but if it is a company that installs and runs a hidden app/program/process, well then it is ok, because as of yet there are no laws to protect end users; the common man never reads the small texts and disclaimers before installing programs so he does not realize all he is handing over to them (ie his control of his computer) and yes you can download 'that' program for free, but who checks to see what other programs they will install hidden, and how you give the companies rights to control your system remotely.
Now let's get into the best way to have control over your computer - the task manager..
* NOTE: if in task manager you do not see these columns (image name, cpu, mem usage, peak mem usage, base pri), then go to VIEW, then SELECT COLUMNS, and make sure only these are checked (cpu usage, memory usage, peak memory usage, base priority) and hit OK, that should give you the best way to view task manager info. And remember you can 'drag' the column titles left/right, I personally view them in the order mentioned above (name/cpu/mem/peak/base).
- Firstly, do this; at the very bottom of the task manager window you will see the number of processes running. Now, on a clean system, windows itself needs about 15 processes/programs/apps running, and these combined compose what we know as the windows interface. Beyond the 'about 15' necessary ones, are all the rest that are running right now on the system, and you should always know what purpose each one serves, because if someone was one day standing in your living room, certainly you would ask who they were, and why they were there. Because computers all can run many programs at once, you should ALWAYS know how to SEE what programs are running, now, in a decade from now, and in your lifetime.
The column called 'image name' is the running program/process/app/service (all terms for the same concept), and next to that you can see how much memory it is taking up right now, and also how much cpu it is using at that moment, and all in real-time. So if you show 50 processes running with no windows open, that means theres about 35 hidden programs running (after subtracting the vital 'about 15' windows ones), and sure, maybe 1 or 2 of them are anti-virus programs you chose to install and run hidden (we do not always need to see the anti-virus window open), and maybe you chose to have another one or few running hidden because they are programs you need to always run, but you never need to see their windows, but what of the rest? why are they running? why are they hidden? what purpose do they serve you and not someone else?
- Next to the app name, is the memory it takes up (under mem usage), so add up those numbers down the full column of programs. if you have 512mb of memory, and a certain app is taking up 50mb, that means it is taking up 10% of your memory. the needed windows programs add up to about 50-100mb on a typical system. again, this is not hard drive space which is just storage (and i am not picky about how much space your files take up on your hard drive, that's your business and it does not affect things to a great degree although it is nice to keep a hard drive clean, optimized and defragged), we are talking of active, running memory which is very limited and directly affects a systems speed, and it is important to keep to a minimum usage so that your real programs have the memory they need to work properly and keep up with you (you can always tell a system with little or no memory left because the hard drive always runs since its out of memory and has to pretend the hard drive is more memory, and that's not good).
The next column is 'cpu', and shows how much of your cpu is being used (on a scale of 0% to 100%) to perform millions/billions of calculations per second. Most will show 0% because they could be using .9% or below (which still could be millions per second) and some only go above 0% when they need to do a major function then they drop to 0% again. If you are not doing anything on your computer and all programs are closed, then you should see 0% on everything except "system idle process", this is a tiny 'loop program' that windows runs perpetually until you start using the CPU to run your programs. and "system" could go to a few percentage points once in awhile because this is the program windows uses to adjust windows settings and to manage all programs.
If your CPU usage is high in a certain program the whole system slows down and other programs wont run as well. If you want to see a visual graph of CPU and MEMORY being used instead of just numbers, go to the PERFORMANCE tab. Even in this tab when you are doing nothing, this should stay at 0%.
- Personally, I keep task manager open most of my workday, constantly seeing what programs are using memory and cpu, so I can see whats slowing me down or how much power I have left to do work since I like to work on many things at once, or just because it is a good way to see if you have a problem with a certain 'good' program you like to use, because again, there is no single bug-free program in the world, to one degree or another all programs have bugs, and those bugs could be memory or cpu leaks (meaning they are not working correctly and are sucking up memory or cpu). Get used to the Task Manager, try keeping it open one full work week and you will get a feel of what programs are consuming the most energy, and you will get a feel of how computers manage themselves, because the Task Manager is the core of what windows is about. This is the visual of what we mean by "multitasking"; it means the ability to run many programs at once. 15 years ago before the internet on PCs, and 24 years ago on my 'amiga' computer, the 'task manager' would only show the windows you had open, and once the internet arrived and companies saw the exploitations they could forcefeed on people, they got busy developing ways to take advantage of 'multitasking'.
- Remember that if you have 40 hidden programs, thats like having 40 windows open onscreen. People who do not have a system of mine say "my system gets slow if i have 4-5 windows open so i close them out and reopen them when needed in the day', but that's mostly due to the 40+ hidden windows running, not their 4-5 ones showing. Someone with a system of mine can open 50 programs at once and only then will my system drop to the speed of any other system with zero windows open, and that's a major difference. Again, this is probably the biggest reason people consider a 3 year old system 'obsolete' when I dont consider that even near its' prime of service. As months/years these hidden programs also install even more memory-hogging programs, or update themselves with even buggier and invasive versions, and change system setting so you think your systems just not up to par.
I believe on one of my systems 4-5 years is when it is at its' peak of life, and then the remaining 5-6 years it very gracefully begins losing a few hairs until by 8-10 years it then approaches being a bit chuggish due to all the new software out there that needs more memory and cpu that did not exist the decade prior, although i do have systems running older than 10 years out there, running xp and internet fine for basic needs.
- Symantec, Norton and some other antivirus programs used to be simple honest programs (in the 90s they just ran one or two hidden programs that did not affect anything, but now they are as much a scam and system-bloodsucker as real infections, these programs have not just the program/process running that stops infections, they have MANY other programs running hidden, ones totally unecessary like those damn popups of their and bothersome reappearing icons and they constantly keep connecting to the internet doing god-knows-what. Many antivirus companies have really taken advantage of fear tactics as much as some governments do, so they just invade your systems life based on that. I mention anti-virus programs because when I look at systems outside of my own ones, that's the #1 reason those peoples systems are a wreck, and uninstalling them and installing an honest anti-virus program gives them a new lease on a computers life. There is no regulation when it comes to companies running hidden programs, or changing your settings, or messing your system intentionally, it's a bounty many of them are in on. It's where the real money is. No matter what your profession is in life, I could personally sit you down and give you analogies to how your system is really working.
- There are 10,000s of programs that can run hidden, both illegal viruses/spyware and legal spyware, so i cannot give a list of bad ones, but you can go online and type the name in of the process and search out its purpose, but even then they can make it falsely seem it will help you to stay running 24/7 (like track toner usage on printer or help load a file faster) but i have yet to see one really needed in 8 years of xp; they can also be disabled and everything still is fully functional and never limited. Experienced users know that they chose to install hidden programs to provide special functions beyond normal computer usage to make certain tweaks or special items available 24/7 in windows. I don't care what someone chooses to install and stay hidden, I am not going to tell you how to run your system, it is all free choice as long as you KNOW first that it's a hidden program and meant to be that way, otherwise in a one-on-one meeting I could probably show you truly how useless that hidden app is and how it can be more of a hinderance.
- Here I give you a brief list of the programs/processes windows needs to run, though you might need one or a couple more, they include these-
TASKMGR.EXE
the window you're in now SVCHOST.EXE
needed by windows, all of them, they are 'services'
SERVICES.EXE
needed by windows, also handles 'services'
WINLOGIN.EXE
needed by windows, handles logging into and out of windows
RUNDLL32.EXE
needed by windows, it helps programs work in windows
LSASS.EXE
needed by windows security
CSRSS.EXE
needed by windows security
SMSS.EXE
needed by windows security
SPOOLSV.EXE
needed by windows, handles printing
SNDVOL32.EXE
needed by windows, handles sound
SYSTEM
needed by windows SYSTEM IDLE
needed by windows, it's what the system does when nothing else is happening
EXPLORER.EXE
needed by windows, this provides the graphical interface of windows itself, try closing it...
3 The Windows Tray
to get there, look next to the clock in the lower-right of windows for a row of icons, and there might be a small arrow which is hiding even more of them if the system wasn't done by me.
This row of small icons are running apps (they all show up in task manager as well since they are running in memory) which are not quite hidden, and yet not quite open windows; they are apps running but tucked away as small icons which will expose the full window when you click on them.
The onces that are typical in windows XP are the sound icon (which brings up the sound control panel to adjust volumes), the network icon (which brings up the network control panel to adjust network settings), and the power icon (showing power settings or battery strength when clicked on). These are the primary microsoft apps running down there as icons 24/7, anything else is a running app and you should know its purpose, and consider whether it is really needed or a gimmick. 99% are gimmicks that I've seen on 1000+ systems. It is reasonable that your anti-virus program has its' icon there (again, you don't need to have an anti-virus windows always open while you work, but you do want it to run and remain accessible if needed to open its' window), and maybe you have a instant messenging program you like to run most of your time on the computer and it stays down there tucked away but running. But lots of printer companies, installed media players, hardware makers, and more, all install useless apps as icons there. These actively running programs are not totally hidden because they also help to constantly show their icons like product placements, tiny ads sucking up power.
Do not confuse icons in the tray (which are running apps consuming memory and cpu) with icons on your desktop or start menu. Those desktop and start menu icons are just icons in storage that let you to load up apps from your storage and run them in your memory and cpu; they don't mean the app is actually actively running so even 100 of them on your start menu or desktop takes up virtually no memory. Personally as a side note, I have never kept icons on my desktop ever, nor do i have them showing on other peoples systems since they just look sloppy compared to a nice black background or nice photo background, desktop icons are just a clutter of advertisements, and how could you access them with windows open anyways? if you need to load programs quicker than the start menu with one click, well that's what the quick launch icons are for, and those are always showing.
Another thing to know, some apps when minimized do not go to the bottom of the windows taskbar taking up an inch or so, they go to the tray instead as a tiny icon, and that's fine, the programmer just wanted their programs to take up less space when minimized (like an instant messenger program or a fax program or vnc or winamp).
Just to summarize this section; always know what apps are running in the tray, and what their purpose is, and if you REALLY need it, because these programmers come up with the lamest excuses as to why it needs to run, and i rarely rarely rarely ever see one that is needed beyond program you really want to run there. If it is not a valid purpose, look into it online if the system isn't mine, and try to uninstall that programs or disable its icon. No program should have an icon there all the time unless you desire it to run all the time, taking up memory and cpu.
If you have a system of mine, and suddenly a new icon appears down there, contact me ASAP so I can see what happened.
4 Services
to get here, go to Control Panel in windows, then go to Administrator Tools, then go to Services, then click on the 'startup type' in the top row so that all services set to 'automatic' show up sorted at the top, so it makes it easy to see what services are all set to 'automatic'.
This area called 'Services' are apps which are running hidden, and are considered 'critical' for certain windows functions to operate properly. Some of these apps show up in task manager as well, but most do not show up in task manager because microsoft wanted services to hide in the background and not clutter the task manager with these dozens of extra running apps. services are special in the fact that they are the one place where an app can run, yet be hidden from the task manager. This makes 'services' a prime target to have a program run on a computer and remain invisible to a user.
All the services set to 'automatic' means those apps loading up when windows first boots up. The 'status' column shows if this program is running right now, and most 'automatic' services/programs loaded at startup are currently running.
You will also see in 'startup type' that some apps (again called 'services' here but the same basic thing) are set to run not 'automatic' but 'manual', that means they do not load at bootup, but that another app can load it up as it chooses, and again, the 'status' column shows if it is running right now.
The last type of service type is 'disabled', and those are prevented from ever running. They cannot run. I set all unused services to disabled, so that no program, no infection, no company, can turn them on.
There are about 25 'automatic' services that 'really' need to run on a windows system, and even fewer 'manual' ones needed. The rest should be set to 'disable' so that they never run, because they will never be needed or they pose security risks and will consume memory/cpu.
Many companies install new 'services' sneakily without telling the user, and they set them to automatic. Under 5 times have I seen a 'new' service that is actually needed, and that could be for instance a anti-virus program using a service (although again, crap companies like symantec and norton will install many many services needlessly since they are a legal infection versus an illegal infection in my view. The slowest systems I have ever seen all had these apps running, and when uninstalled the users felt like they were just given a new lease on their systems life, so find another antivirus program like avast or avg).
There are websites (do a search for 'black viper services' or 'list of windows services') that list all the common services which are definitely needed, versus ones which dont serve a purpose (only slowing a system down and providing security risks) and can be set to disabled, and the rest which can be set to manual so they load up when needed, and then unload when not needed anymore.
Here is an example of most services that should be automatic, and beyond this things become questionable, these are all from microsoft and not third party services. You will find lots of third-party services activated on your system but if they are not antivirus programs it is highly doubtful (though could be) they are needed to be 'automatic' -
AUTOMATIC UPDATES needed to get updates from ms, even if you do so manually as i do
BACKGROUND INT.TRA. needed so you can get updates from ms
COM EVENT needed as it allows programs to 'talk' to each other in windows
COMPUTER BROWSER needed to let networked computers see each other to share files
CRYPTO SERVICE needed to run security operations in windows
DCOM SERVER needed for windows to run
DHCP CLIENT needed for your computer to connect to the internet
EVENT LOG needed to keep logs of things happening for reference
HID INPUT SERVICE needed to work with external devices
NETWORK CONN. needed so you can connect to the internet
NET. LOC. AWARE. needed so you can connect to the internet
PLUG n PLAY needed to know when new things are hooked up
PRINT SPOOLER needed to do printing
PROTECTED STORAGE needed for security
REMOTE ACC. CONN. needed to connect to the internet
SECURITY ACCOUNTS needed for security
SERVER needed needed to share files with other systems
SHELL HARDWARE needed for to know when cd, dvds, memorysticks are put in
SYSTEM EVENT needed for windows to run
TASK SCHEDULER needed to do automated tasks like updates
TELEPHONY needed to use your modem for dialup internet or faxing, etc
THEMES needed so windows looks 'shiny' instead of old school 98
WINDOWS AUDIO needed to handle sound processing
WIN IMAGE ACQ... needed to do scans and import photos from cameras, webcams
WIN MAN. INSTRU... needed for windows to run
... and there are also a few that need to be set to manual, ill list those later some fine day, and the rest are DISABLED permanently on my systems. If I were you, I would keep a list or snapshot of services on your system, so if a new one shows up you will know which one it is, and if it is one of my systems you can notify me, I quickly check all systems services monthly in 10 seconds visually and can tell. And as a side note, since some do showup in task amanger, you may see them listed in there as "svchost.exe".
5 Internet Add-ons
... go to CONTROL PANEL, then to INTERNET OPTIONS, then the PROGRAMS tab, then the MANAGE ADDONS button.
This section is where programs also run, and just like services, these also can be hid from the task manager unfortunately. This section of programs called 'add ons' were intended to only run when you visit websites that need that programs to run from within their webpages (such as flash and java and other types of 'interactivity' online), but as with all else, this is another area which is abused by both hackers and companies, as they can sneakily install programs here. The most common abuse of 'internet addons' is the internet explorer toolbar, notice how everyone wants you to install their useless toolbar when you install programs or visit websites? For good reason; toolbars help report everything you do online back to someone on the internet, and there's money in that. I also want you to know at this point, that ALL programs have bugs in them no matter if it is a $xxx,xxx piece of software, and so items like 'free internet toolbar' by hackers and companies have even more bugs in them, because they don't give a rats ass about your system working effectively, they only need to ream you for information so they just whip up some sloppy code-of-a-program to get their job done, they don't spend the time fixing bugs and making efficient code.
Let's see how we can control the 'internet addons'. First here, you can choose to show "addons currently in use by internet explorer", and this will show the apps currently running right now in memory, or you can choose "addons that have been used by internet explorer", and this shows all the apps that are installed but not running right now until you visit a website that activates them to run in memory.
The best way to browse them is to sort by "publisher" by clicking on that column title, so you can see who wrote the program. For the most part the ones (but not all of them) from microsoft, or java/sun, or google, or adobe, are ok, as things like flash and java and activex are pretty common on the internet in webpages to make them interactive. But if you see publishers with no name, or strange names, its best to look it up on the internet and see what it is; you can always choose any of them and DISABLE them so they won't load next time you use internet explorer, and this does no damage because you can always reactivate them later, at worst, when a website tries to 'load' that disabled program, it just won't load and you will get an error, so then just re-enable it.
If internet explorer is crashing or acting strange, or if a toolbar suddenly is appearing, or pop-ups are coming up, then this is the first place to check to see what has been installed and is loaded. If these things happen on a system of mine, contact me ASAP and I'll remove it properly.
So again, this section is where small installed programs show up, and you can see who created it, and if it's running right now in memory, and you can also disable questionable ones.
Remember, never choose to DISABLE the pop-up blocker in internet explorers perferences, there is an option to disable it for exact sites that might honestly need to use pop-ups, so use that. If you disable pop-ups entirely, you'll get bit at some point in the future.
6 Startup Control Panel
... go to control panel, and look for STARTUP CONTROL PANEL. This only applies to my systems.
This is actually a program I have installed on my systems. The app makes it easier for user to access a part of windows called the registry (which is a place in windows that regular users should not get into as one mistake will crash a system). This app easily lets a person see apps which load up automatically when windows first starts. If you need this free program, you can go to the SOFTWARE section of my site and go to ADD-ONS 3RD PARTY to look it.
This program has 5 tabs and if you go through them all, an average system will easily have over a dozen or two load-at-startup apps that are not needed. Both legal and illegal infections will insert themselves here, so to remove them just right-click on them and delete/disable them (you can always re-enable them all here too so don't think you'll lose something). This is the most abused section you will find in all six sections because this is where they all load at start and then appear in the tray, or just plain hidden totally except in task manager. Lots of crap from hardware/software companies will show up here, and very, very rarely are any ever needed. It is safe to temporarily disable them so that you can reboot and see if it affects anything negatively, and you can always look them up online to see if the app is neccessary, but disabling a dozen+ in here will really boost a systems speed because it's like closing dozens of unneeded windows.
Here is a list of some apps which i intentionally have load at startup, and for some peoples needs I might have one or two more load on startup, and all usually run, perform a task, then close themselves automatically once that tasks is completed -
WINCOLOR - this app runs, then ensures your onscreen color is properly calibrated, then it closes itself. i have calibrated your monitor to world standards with color hardware, and it makes all the difference in the world in the photos you view on your computer; sometimes when windows loads you will see it switch color suddenly, thats when this program kicks in.
NVCPL & NWIZ - it sets options for your videocard and windows that makes windows look and operate smoother, then it closes itself out once it makes the corrections.
STARTUP DELAYER - it can hide a useless icon in the tray (the safely remove hardware icon) and then it unloads itself.
EARTHDESK - runs hidden purposely. It updates your desktop every 15 minutes with a image of earth from space, showing the cloud cover currently, and the sun and moons light positions on earth right now as well. This is really the only 'eye candy' i install on systems as it looks nice for the small amount of memory it takes up, and helps you know the weather and what time it is according to the sun and moons positions.
WINSPLIT - if you have a 1920x1200 monitor or larger, i might have this program load on bootup. It shows as an icon in your tray (looks like a lcd monitor icon) and shows a little panel with arrows. It lets you quickly adjust the size and placement of all windows so you dont have to keep adjusting and moving and resizing windows so you can work with many windows at once. It's called 'winsplit revolution' and is in my SOFTWARE section on this website. Worth consuming a bit of memory for the utility it provides.
HAMACHI - if you have multiple networks on the internet (like work and home) then i might have this program run on bootup, it shows up as a little triangle icon in the tray. It lets you connect to all your computers and printers from anywhere in the world easily. This has worth running all the time for the small memory it uses and utility it provides, or just run it when you need to remotely connect to your other systems, just like VNC does. Again it's in the SOFTWARE section here.
7 End Notes
- These 6 sections above may sound like alot but once you're used to 'this', when installing a new system doing all these steps takes at most an hour to configure them all properly. It is one part of a proper xp new install, and will speed the system xxx% faster, not just 10% or 50% but xxx%, and make it reliable for a decade, and will make a crash seem as rare as white elephants, and it secures a system MASSIVELY over a 'auto install' of any piece of software or hardware. Of course there are other things which make a clean xp install with the operating system and the software you add and the hardware you add and the network details, but this is a sizable chunk of that. The proper hardware purchases and installations, uninstalling unneeded windows programs and installing only programs you use from other programmers, properly going into every setting in windows/programs/network and setting options correctly; these steps help round out a proper xp fresh install.
- On systems I build and install for people, do not think they are limited because of me limiting running programs, in fact, they are many times over more powerful and more compatible then any other system, I stake my life on that claim. The users of my systems can run any programs they want and they have no limits because hidden programs again, 99.99% of the time serve no purpose. Every program I install on a system, I do after much studying up on it, and I make sure I have direct contact and emails with the programmers, even if it is Microsoft or Adobe I make sure to make my points to them. All programs can have their hidden secondary programs disabled and still allow the main program to run at 100% operability, even the 'bad' sneaks like Apple with Quicktime.
- I believe that unneeded invasive hidden programs cost over $1b in electric usage annually in this country when you add up the systems and all the hidden programs within, and I believe it costs us billions a year in throwing away and buying new hardware and filling our dumps with these synthetics and chemicals. In fact, no matter what 'your' concern is in this life, in some way it can be tied in with hidden processes on your computer, no matter how humanitarian, economical, selfish, paranoid, efficient, etc you might be.
- Why does no company explain the simple fact of the task manager, because perhaps it really exposes too easily what it happening on the 1 billion+ windows systems in the world. I would love to educate the general population but it is all I can do to manage my few systems and put "bread on the table" in my own life. There is not much in the realm of computer ethics, which is a shame as for now it is literally a virtual wasteland of who can take the most advantage..
- If you let these sections stay the way most all systems are, you will never reach your systems true potential because as humans if we cannot work in 'real time' with items we tend to just not do it at all or just feel negative about it, and using a computer is more pain then pleasure. I want my clients' systems to excite them and always stay one step ahead of them whether it is an 8 year old or an 80 year old. It is as if the system was the carrot leading my clients' to their goals and aspirations. A creaky, slow, failing, half-assed system of incompatibilities and slow-downs and errors does not inspire people. Todays computers are the supercomputers from 6 years ago, yet they choke when you open a website or file document, why do you think that is? what billions of operations per minute could possibly be happening on there? hmmm...
- Lots of hidden programs, even when you look them up online, might sound like they are needed, but still they are not, they only make it sound that way. But it is a case by case basis, again, in 1000+ xp systems I have made or just wandered across outside of my own 'realm', I can count the really needed ones on my fingers, and disabling them does no harm, only help. That includes over 100 professions and walks of life.
- Remember many hidden programs also change the settings of your programs that you have set up the way you want.
Remember many hidden programs purposely disable any competitors software on your system that you use.
Remember many hidden programs report your activities to unknowns on the internet.
Remember many hidden programs block you from accessing media files, or send file info back to companies.
Remember many hidden programs allow companies to use your systems more than you ever will.
Remember many hidden programs purposely cause hardware/software to be obsoleted.
"This worked for me yesterday, but today it does not, how could that be, I didn't change anything". Sound familiar?
- Many hidden apps pass themselves off as 'this hidden program we install so that we can update your program when we offer a new version', well that's a crock of shit. They could easily have in their 'real' program an option in the menu called 'check for new updates' where you could manually download a new update with one click, or they could just have their 'real' program automatically check for updates online, say, when you load the program each time or once a week/month. That is what decent programmers do. Why would a company install a secondary hidden program beyond the 'real' program which runs 24/7 constantly checking on the internet for a new update? The honest programmers and software makers out there have had 'check on program start' or 'check for updates every so often' on their menus for almost 15 years now, and those work perfectly. I do not see a reason for any program to stay running and connected to the internet all day and night looking for an update to a program which only happens every so many months anyways. That's ridiculous.
- Some programs will have a secondary hidden program running 24/7, and the programmer will tell you "oh we have that hidden program running so that when you want to open the 'real' program, it will open faster for you", but that is ironic, because if all those hidden programs were not running, then there would be no delay in opening real programs and real windows because you will have 100% of your systems horsepower and not the 10-50% I see everywhere. On my systems all programs open and people work as fast as they can move their fingers, if someone on my systems mention some delay, we both INSTANTLY know something is wrong somewhere.
- Hidden crap programs from legal companies not only waste your electric, efficiency, hardware, stability and security, but they also make it much easier for illegal hackers to get into your system through these hidden programs. If a company like comcast for instance, can sneak in and out of a window they opened when they came to install a new cable jack, then certainly a theif will use that open windows for themselves to come in and invade your premises. The companies don't care; they are not responsible if someone else breaks into your systems besides themselves.
- If you have a system of mine, and want to have some fun and pretend it's 99.99% of the systems out there, go and open about 50 programs of any type until you have over 50-70 processes running, minimize the windows, and there you go. magic. back to prehistoric times of these modern days. perhaps the next generation will come to their senses and take control back, by then computers will be inside the human body by all accounts.
- IF COMPUTERS TODAY ARE RUNNING OVER 50 HIDDEN PROGRAMS DOING ALL THE ABOVE AND MORE, WHAT WILL BE THE STATE OF THE WORLD WHEN COMPUTERS ARE WITHIN THE HUMAN BODY, DO YOU THINK THEY WILL BE CLEAN SYSTEMS WITH NOTHING HIDDEN RUNNING? THIS CAN ONLY END IN COMPLETE DISASTER OR COMPLETE ENLIGHTENMENT, WE HAVE NO VIRTUAL LAWS OR REGULATION OR MORAL CODES TO COMPLY WITH, IT IS UP TO EACH OF US AS INDIVIDUALS TO TAKE CONTROL BACK OF OUR COMPUTERS AND THIS IS ONE OF THOSE STEPS. I hate all caps.
- To everything stated above, there are exceptions. I know that. There are exceptions to everything in every aspect of life except the fundamental laws of nature and even then we are trying to find exceptions, I am trying to provide the broadest view in laymens terms for the public, but I can get as deep as you'd like on a one on one basis. |