XP Home Question About Thing Running In Background

  • Thread starter Thread starter whayface
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whayface

Got new box with XP home and was wondering what HAS to be running in background. I am one
of these persons that do not like having a bunch of stuff running that is not need. In
Win 98se I think Explorer and Systray HAVE to be running for Win 98se to run. What about
XP? What HAS to be running for XP to run? Not what people think SHOULD be running.



http://users.ameritech.net/lestark/
 
Nothing HAS to be running for XP to run.

Do not make the mistake of confusing applications that run in the background
with XP's own processes. The former are programs that you install, whereas
the latter are the guts of the Windows operating system.

It's up to you to decide what you want to be running in the background. Most
people choose to have their antivirus software running at startup. That's a
good idea, IMHO.
 
The memory restrictions that dogged MS-DOS based Windows installations for
so long do not affect XP in the same way..

Install whatever you want, and if you have a problem, we will try to help
without disabling every process in your computer..
 
OK maybe I was not to clear on what I asked.

If nothing HAS TO BE RUNNING in background, like when I do a Control-Alt-Del why is it
that occasionaly if I do a Control-Alt-Del and shut something down (DO NOT ASK WHAT
BECAUSE I DO NOT REMEMBER) Windows shuts right down?? I realize there is a difference
between programs that you install and the guts of the Windows operating system. I guess
that is what I am asking. What are the "the guts of the Windows operating system" that
has to be running?? Not what people think should be running like virus programs and such.

Like I said in Win 98se I think Explorer and Systray HAVE to be running for Win 98se to
run and I would imagine the same is true of XP. I know they has to be things like that
that show when I do a Control-Alt-Del that has to stay running for XP to run. That is
what I am trying to find out so when I re-install XP I can dump the stuff running that is
not needed to keep windows running.

I can not give examples because I went back to 98se because of all the stuff or processes
that were going in the background or behind windows. I hope I explained it enough so
SOMEONE knows what I mean and not pick out 1 or 2 words that I may have misused and dwell
on them.



http://users.ameritech.net/lestark/
 
If you understood the inner workings of the Windows XP operating system, you
wouldn't be asking your question. Lacking that understanding, if you try to
hack away at the operating system you will eventually get burned, so leave
it alone.

And if you are able to reliably tell the difference between fact and
opinion, there are some people in Washington I'd like you to talk to. Lots
of them.

--
Ted Zieglar
"You can do it if you try."

whayface said:
OK maybe I was not to clear on what I asked.

If nothing HAS TO BE RUNNING in background, like when I do a Control-Alt-Del why is it
that occasionaly if I do a Control-Alt-Del and shut something down (DO NOT ASK WHAT
BECAUSE I DO NOT REMEMBER) Windows shuts right down?? I realize there is a difference
between programs that you install and the guts of the Windows operating system. I guess
that is what I am asking. What are the "the guts of the Windows operating system" that
has to be running?? Not what people think should be running like virus programs and such.

Like I said in Win 98se I think Explorer and Systray HAVE to be running for Win 98se to
run and I would imagine the same is true of XP. I know they has to be things like that
that show when I do a Control-Alt-Del that has to stay running for XP to run. That is
what I am trying to find out so when I re-install XP I can dump the stuff running that is
not needed to keep windows running.

I can not give examples because I went back to 98se because of all the stuff or processes
that were going in the background or behind windows. I hope I explained it enough so
SOMEONE knows what I mean and not pick out 1 or 2 words that I may have misused and dwell
on them.



http://users.ameritech.net/lestark/
Click to expand...
 
Whayface

To start, forget whatever Windows 9x did.. it was a Windows shell, running
on a DOS base.. you can't apply the same rules to XP as you could to it's
earlier cousin.. yes, cousin.. XP is NOT a continuation of the Win 9x
family..

For an OS to run, there has to be background code running.. how do you think
that XP keeps a desktop in the order that you set it up?.. how do you think
that XP knows when you plug in a USB device?.. or remembers that there is a
mouse and keyboard connected?

Looking at Task Manager, there are a whole bunch of processes listed, but
they are NOT all running.. some will be invoked by others.. they are doing
no harm, and if you disable them all, you will be back here complaining that
some things no longer work.. and this assumes that you can still connect to
the net..

XP manages memory way better and differently to Win 9x.. the constraints
that a Shell running on DOS presented no longer exists..

The items in system tray, or notification area all appear because the user
has determined (in most cases) that the function is required.. do they slow
the system down?.. some maybe but not all.. and if you don't want them
there, right click on each one, and see if there is not a checkbox to stop
it appearing..

MSCONFIG is and always has been a DIAGNOSTIC tool, not a quick way for a
user who can't say no to downloading or installing all kinds of things to
try to get some performance back.. the laugh here is that some would become
paranoiac about system tray entries, and yet have 150 assorted icons
scattered across the desktop, a scenario which had just as much effect on
the system as ever a few icons in system tray ever had.. and yes, Win 98 had
code running in the background to keep them all there.. you just didn't have
access to the process or the knowledge that something was running..

If you system has enough RAM, a half decent cpu, a clean hard drive that is
not almost full to spilling, and you take precautions re. net access and use
tools to help with this, your computing experience will be a whole lot
better than ever it was with Win 9x, and that is without much intervention
from you..
 
A process and a program are different. A program may envelop or spawn a
number of processes and some processes (most notably svchost) will be an
umbrella under which several activities are running.

I think what you are looking for is something else. A number of
commercially packaged computers have a bazillion unnecessary programs that
are set to start when the system starts. They like to install their own
"management consoles" and "update notifiers", many of which are not necessary
for the correct functioning of your system. A program can start with
Windows by being placed in the run key(s) in the registry, in the startup
group on the start menu, or by running as a service. While an experienced
user may make changes to the run key(s) in the registry and disable services
in the services console, there are some serious (and sometimes unrecoverable)
consequences of making a mistake. A safer way is to use your Add/Remove
programs applet in your control panel (or type appwiz.cpl after going to
start > run) to view installed applications and uninstall things you don't
want/need. But be careful--if they came pre-installed, you may not be able
to re-install them if you change your mind without completely wiping your
system and restoring it to its from-the-factory condition.

Some programs that you may want to keep (such as Acrobat Reader or Real
Player--which I refuse to allow on my system), run an applet at startup that
places an icon in the system tray and runs an "assistant" that detects
available updates or attempts to open applications that might use the
program. You can usually uncheck a box that says "start with Windows" or
"load at startup" or something like that by going into the properties of the
program (right click on the icon and select "options" if available or
"properties".

There are websites that may help you to understand XP services and even make
suggestions for what is (and is not) essential. Use with care. One of them
is TheElderGeek http://www.theeldergeek.com/services_guide.htm. While there
is a lot of good information, there is also some that I'm leery of. It's one
of those caveat emptor situations.
 
Thanks <[email protected]> for the reply. Your answer came the
closest to explaining what I was asking. Most others just told me I should leave thing
alone and maybe I should but I would still like to know even if I do leave things as they
were.

Thanks again very much.
 
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