# Help! Laptop bogged down by too many processes and not enough RAM



## Khur (Jul 2, 2010)

Okay, so. I have an older laptop that is breaching 5 years running and have had few problems with it...with the exception of for the past year or so it has been running agonizingly slowly. I have to choose between running photoshop and playing Sims, for example. Can't have both installed at once or my computer freezes up.

I run cleaners, defrags, etc but they only seem to do so much. The real problem is that I have very little ram (less than 1 gig) and a honking list of processes running that I have no idea about. I've tried looking up a few of them and mostly they seem to be harmless, but do I really need ALL of this stuff running all the time? Surely not. When I install things I am always sure to tell it NOT to start automatically, but it doesn't seem to have helped.

So. My question is this: does anyone out there know if I can select "end process" on any of these:






Links to helpful tech forums would be cool too so I can double check with them. There are so many of them out there, I have no idea which ones are good.


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## ToeClaws (Jul 2, 2010)

Damn... you have a lot of crap running there. :/  Well, first off, read the part about EasyCleaner and such apps that I just posted last week in this thread:

http://forums.furaffinity.net/threa...ving-badly-(?p=1979956&viewfull=1#post1979956

Now, what you need to do is get rid of the garbage applications that are chewing up resources.  I can see just by looking at the process thread you have tons of them, for example:

FreeAgentService.exe

A program installed along with a Seagate drive that offers file sync'ing backup and stuff.  If you don't use it, shut the service down and disable it and/or uninstall the application.

ViewMgr.exe
ViewPointService.exe

Part of the ViewPoint Media Management system.  The system should still be able to display it's 3D content in browsers without the need for extra stuff running in the RAM.  Disable/remove these from the Startup list and shutdown/disable the service.

jqs.exe

Java Quick Start service - totally useless.  Shutdown/disable it in services.

TeaTimer.exe

Part of the Spybot Search and Destroy family - while technically a good thing, it is a MAJOR resource hog.  Remove it from the Startup list.

ctfmon.exe

A Windows program that has to do with the advanced languages system.  To shut it off, you need to go to the Control panel then into "Regional and Language Options" then click on the Languages tab, then Details, then the Advanced tab, then put a check mark on turning off advanced services (this is in XP - should hopefully still be the same for other versions of Windows).

jusched.exe

Java Update scheduler.  Remove from the Startup list.

acrotray.exe

Adobe Acrobat pre-load system, which is not necessary.  Remove it from the startup list.

Now, since you have so little RAM, further tweaking of your system would be strongly advised.  A good all-in-One tweaker for optimizing settings is the IObit's Advanced Windows Care app:

http://www.majorgeeks.com/Advanced_SystemCare_Free_d5927.html

After installing, go into options and remove any of the "run at start up" crap.  You should only run applications when you need them.  Lastly, go to the Windows Performance tweaks sticky thread here: 

http://forums.furaffinity.net/threads/66174-Windows-Performance-Tweaks

It is PACKED with info on how to optimize your system including things like services that you can shut down to save memory.


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## Khur (Jul 2, 2010)

Thank you so much! That article/video was really helpful--I just went into msconfig and spruced everything up according to him (hopefully I did it right--guess we'll see when I restart) and downloaded those two programs you suggested and already my computer seems to be running MUCH better. Things open right when I click them, it's amazing. :O I can't wait to see how quickly it runs games and programs now.

Thanks a ton!


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## ToeClaws (Jul 2, 2010)

Glad to help.  Sadly, many programs shove things into your services or auto-startup in an effort to assert some form of their functionality into a constant state on the system.  With so many of them doing it, it takes a lot of resources up and slows things WAY down.  For example, on my main system where I'm about to head in and play some L4D, I have Steam open with 3 chat windows, a third-party firewall, the anti-virus running, extra stuff for the sound card and my Wacom Driver stuff, and the total number of processes is still only 27.  Basically, if you open your process window when nothing is running and you see more than 30 in there... you have room to improve.   Good luck on the continued tweaking ^_^ - feel free to ask if you need any other help.


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## Lobar (Jul 2, 2010)

If it's old, you ought to be able to upgrade its RAM for relatively cheap too.  Google for a guide on how to access the DIMM slot(s) on your model.


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## Khur (Jul 2, 2010)

Toeclaws--thanks! Actually, I do have one more quick question: is there any (relatively easy)way to get things to stop coming up automatically? I unchecked all but 5 things from my startup on msconfig but my computer still opens up with 34 tasks going on. Some of them even ones that disabled in Services. I mean, I don't mind pressing end process every time my laptop reboots, but it would be nice to not have to worry about it.




Lobar said:


> If it's old, you ought to be able to upgrade its RAM for relatively cheap too.  Google for a guide on how to access the DIMM slot(s) on your model.


 Yeah, I've looked into it and they are tantalizingly inexpensive compared to a few years ago, but frankly I can barely afford to eat at the moment. ^^; I had a friend who was willing to give me some extra RAM he had laying around but when we opened up my laptop we discovered that I can only have one card installed at a time and his was the same size as mine. Soooo...fail.

But yeah, it's definitely one of the first things I'll be getting as soon as I can afford it. But when it comes down to either getting more RAM or live on something other than popcorn and what people don't want from the back of their pantries, I think I'll choose groceries. Either that or I'll beg someone to get it for me for my birthday.. ^^;


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## Disasterfox (Jul 2, 2010)

Honestly, I was expecting to see porn at the end of the title. 



Khur said:


> , but frankly I can barely afford to eat at the moment. ^^;


 
I--- would pay _slightly_ more attention to that detail.. But hey I'm glad you got help with your system


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## ToeClaws (Jul 3, 2010)

Khur said:


> Toeclaws--thanks! Actually, I do have one more quick question: is there any (relatively easy)way to get things to stop coming up automatically? I unchecked all but 5 things from my startup on msconfig but my computer still opens up with 34 tasks going on. Some of them even ones that disabled in Services. I mean, I don't mind pressing end process every time my laptop reboots, but it would be nice to not have to worry about it.



Yes, there's definitely way to stop them.  First, though I have to explain the two main types of start-up things that Windows has.  One is an application start-up where the program is called from the registry.  The registry in Windows is a gigantic hive of information where the operating system stores everything from file associations, to program configurations and of course, things that are auto-run.  You don't have to go into it directly to edit it though (thankfully), you can use software to do that.  In the tweaking guides, one of the pieces of software that I mention is EasyCleaner - this is a fantastic little program for basic maintenance and cleaning of the registry in Windows.  When you install it and run it, one of the options that it presents you is a "Startup" button which lets you see ALL of the auto-start programs that are located in various points in the registry.  You can then highlight and delete all but the ones you want.  The nice perk about this is that EasyCleaner also saves an Undo of these actions, just in case you need to put it back.  It also has a registry cleaner button which is really useful for finding and removing orphaned or erroneous entries from the registry.  See, over time, Windows never, ever cleans the registry hive, so it gets full of crud.  There are several programs out there nowadays to clean it with one of the better ones being the Wise Registry Cleaner (I think that's also mentioned/linked in the tweaking article) but EasyCleaner is a good basic one to have as a minimum.

The second major place windows starts things is in it's Services.  Services would be what other OS's usually refer to as deamons, and are executed at a bit lower level than applications.  Windows ships with a LOT of services running that don't need to be, even in a fresh install, but as you use it and install applications, even more of these things get added and set to start automatically.   Some services are also added by drivers for your various hardware.  Most of the time, they can be disabled, but sometimes they should be left on depending on what sort of functionality you need on the device.  To access them, click on Start, then run and type "services.msc" and enter.  Here you can see the complete list of them, see which ones are running, and modify them to disable their starting automatically as well as shut them down.  I wrote a guide a while back on which ones can be shutdown:

*Distributed Link Tracking Client*
Maintains links with NTFS files within your computer or across a domain; basically acting as a cached shortcut system. Memory consumption is 3.5 MB to 4 MB in an idle state
_*Problems*_
Though it can increase the speed of remote links, it is not necessary for the OS to function, and only consumes resources.
_*Tweak*_
Disable service unless desired

*Error Reporting Service*
Sends information directly to Microsoft when application errors occur. 
_*Problems*_
Consumes resources and opens security hole by passing information to Microsoft without user intervention.  May allow other access.
_*Tweak*_
Disable

*Fast User Switching Compatibility*
Allows XP to switch between domain or local users in a way much like Unix's su (switch user) command.
_*Problems*_
Only useful for terminal services or remote desktop (which shouldn't be used for security reasons)
_*Tweak*_
Disable

*Help and Support*
Connects to Microsoft's online help and support system
_*Problems*_
Besides occupying resources, the service creates another access point for Microsoft to the computer.  
_*Tweak*_
Disable the service - enable manually if you actually ever use it.

*Logical Disk Manager*
Needed for functionality of managed disk services via the MMC
_*Problems*_
Service is set to automatic, but is only ever accessed when the MMC enters the Disk manager
_*Tweak*_
Set to Manual (XP will run automatically it if you access Disk Management)

*Messenger* (may not be on list depending on XP version)
Used to display pop-up messages from the network (old service built in for backwards compatibility with original windows systems)
_*Problems*_
Recently, people have found ways to send SPAM to this out messaging protocol.  It serves no useful purpose anymore.
_*Tweak*_
Disable the service. (disabled by default from SP2 and up)

*Portable Media Serial Number*
Retrieves serial numbers from portable music players connected to your computer.  The intent is to aid in the protection of copyrighted materials.
_*Problems*_
Only some devices make use of this feature (and rarely to your benefit).
_*Tweak*_
Disable (though if it prevents a player from working, turn it back on)

*Remote Registry*
Allows remote registry manipulation by Active Directory Domain controller and administrators on a corporate network.
_*Problems*_
Can be a security hole on a lone or exposed system.
_*Tweak*_
Disable for home use.  Servers, however require it more often because of the AD controllers.  Leave it on Automatic for servers unless on a public segment.

*Secondary Logon*
Enables starting processes under alternate user credentials. 
_*Problems*_
Exploitable security risk and likely not necessary for the operation of any system.
_*Tweak*_
Disable unless needed

*Shell Hardware Detection*
Used to activate and create a user friendlier interface with attachable/loadable devices (CD players, memory cards, etc.)
_*Problems*_
Does not change functionality of these devices, simply provides a more automatic means of using them for very inexperienced users.  It is a waste of memory for power users who already know where to go to access USB drives, cameras and so on.
_*Tweak*_
Disable (leave on only for inexperienced users)

*SSDP Discovery Service*
Used in conjunction with Universal Plug and Play Device Host, it detects and configures UPnP devices on your network
_*Problems*_
Severe security risk as it can be fooled and access to your system can be gained.  Also generates large network jabber and can result in misconfigurations.  On older network hardware, this service can even cause large scale network failures.
_*Tweak*_
Disable

*System Restore Service*
Creates and maintains a continuous snapshot of the system as you install, use, and upgrade XP, in order to provide an emergency restore.
_*Problems*_
Single largest resource and memory hog in XP.  The restore feature is only able to correct minor software/shell changes and cannot help in the event of a hardware problem or registry hive failure.  It can greatly reduce the performance of a machine and consume large amounts of hard drive space.
_*Tweak*_
Disable (leave on if user is exceptionally disaster-prone)

*Task Scheduler*
Loads assigned tasks into a chronological execution list to be used as programmed.
_*Problems*_
Can be used to execute malicious software when the user is not around.  This is the number one way high-level worms, Trojans and viruses can be run in your system because anything run by the Task Scheduler receives "System" status, which is even higher than Administrator.  
_*Tweak*_
Disable unless actually used/needed

*Themes*
Used to "skin" the windows shell with various themes and styles.
_*Problems*_
Though very aesthetically pleasing, this service has nothing to do with the functionality of XP.  It consumes between 4 to 12 megs of RAM and up to 50% more CPU load to "draw" the complex interfaces. 
_*Tweak*_
Disable (unless you REALLY want the pretty interface)

*Upload Manager*
Just like BITS, this service manages file transfers between clients and servers on the network.  This may only appear on older XP installations (pre SP2)
_*Problems*_
Is not needed for Windows operation, and only provides another way for Microsoft to potentially access the system.
_*Tweak*_
Disable

*Webclient*
Future service intended for advanced interface to .NET services
_*Problem*_
Not needed for Windows operation, may provide a security hole that allows Microsoft in, or information to be sent out.
_*Tweak*_
Disable

*Wireless Zero Configuration*
Provides automatic configuration for wireless network devices.
_*Problems*_
Can be manipulated for access, causes jabber on wireless devices, if any are installed.  Also serves no point unless you HAVE a wireless device on your system.
_*Tweak (if you have wireless)*_
Leave on auto for simplicity's sake
_*Tweak (no wireless)*_
Disable

There - for other stuff like say the "Java Quick Start Service" (which can be disabled) those are added by applications, hence why we'll need to see a screen capture or two so that we can see what ever services can be potentially shut down.  There will always be services left running on your machine - there _has_ to be some for it to function correctly, but at least you can tune them down to only what you really need, and it helps free up lots of memory and resources in doing so. 



Khur said:


> Yeah, I've looked into it and they are tantalizingly inexpensive compared to a few years ago, but frankly I can barely afford to eat at the moment. ^^; I had a friend who was willing to give me some extra RAM he had laying around but when we opened up my laptop we discovered that I can only have one card installed at a time and his was the same size as mine. Soooo...fail.



It is quite likely that the laptop has only once externally accessible RAM bay, and one that is internal.  The internal one is usually under the keyboard.  You would also need to look up what the laptop's maximum rated RAM is.  For example, on my old rig, there are two slots, and I could easily put in 2G of DDR333 RAM, but, the laptop is only designed to work with a maximum of 1.25g - if you put in more, it cannot use it correctly and there are errors.  The restrictions can be different for every system, so it's worth checking before you go out to get more.


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## Khur (Jul 3, 2010)

ToeClaws said:


> In the tweaking guides, one of the pieces of software that I mention is EasyCleaner - this is a fantastic little program for basic maintenance and cleaning of the registry in Windows.


 
Yeah, I got Easy Cleaner and ran it yesterday--worked like a charm, I think. I also downloaded Advanced Systems Care and Avast to replace AVG Free. 

As for the services stuff, I mostly followed this article: http://www.jasonn.com/turning_off_unnecessary_services_on_windows_xp but I got nervous about disabling some of it because I don't want to mess anything up. Is it better to move something to manual or is that just as bad as automatic? I was moving a lot of stuff to manual just because I wasn't sure.

I'm gonna go through your list now too--thank you so much for being so helpful, seriously. You're awesome.


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## ToeClaws (Jul 3, 2010)

Daww, thanks - glad to help.  

First, to answer your question - I would suggest turning the services to Disabled, not manual (for the ones I listed anyway).  The services that I list will not break system if disabled, plus, even if you noticed that turning one off caused a problem, you can just go back in and turn it on again.  The "Manual" setting's main drawback is that the service often gets started anyway because somewhere, somehow, some program will call it up even though it may not need it.  The only time Manual is a good idea is when you have a service that you know will start via that mode ONLY when it's needed, like the Logical Volume Manager service.

As for that guy's site and his suggestions, I would caution you against everything he recommends because some of those will cause problems on the PC.  What he's suggesting is more of an extreme tweaking guide because some services are inter-dependant on others in ways that are not documented.  Windows is an operating system whose code has been upgraded and carried around for over 20+ years now, and there are some weird dependencies that even the folks at MS probably don't fully comprehend.  For example, he suggests disabling the Telephony service.  Well, you can, but it can cause problems with DNS and networking.  It shouldn't... it's not really related to those, but for some reason it does.  And it does so sort of intermittently, which makes it all the more odd.

The service tweaks that I suggested are all pretty straight-forward and safe ones.  If you wanted to do some additional ones, you might also consider the following:

DNS Client: This service is basically a name-cache on your local machine.  As a network admin, I don't like local name-caches because they frequently do more damage than good because when names/IPs change, they may not update for some time.  On a personal machine at home, that's less of an issue.  About the only time that comes into play at home is when you're using a Host File blocking add-on to filter ads and known-bad sites on the Net.  If you use one, then I would suggest disabling it.

What's host file blocking, you might ask?  Well, if you've not heard of it, have a look here:

http://www.mvps.org/winhelp2002/hosts.htm

I would give one bit of caution with this - sometimes they can block media streams that you might want to see.  For example, the Nostalgia Critic on www.thatguywiththeglasses.com - one of the blocks in the long list will prevent videos on that site from working.  You then have to manually edit the hosts file list and remove the line causing the blocks for that site by watching the status bar in the Browser to see what site it's trying to go to.  Personally, I love host file blocking and do it on all my systems, but I also am quite comfortable with editing it and tuning it, so this is one of those things that comes down to personal taste and comfort levels.  Using Ad-aware on  your browser might be another way you can block which is easier to tune.

*Computer Browser:* You can disable this if you don't use any Windows workgroups or share out drives over your home network.

*Indexing Service:* Not installed by default - is part of the Windows Search 4.0 install.  If you have it, then good gods, disable it - it's a MAJOR resource hog.

*TCP/IP NetBIOS Helper:* If you don't use Windows workgroups or Windows-name-based disk shares at home, you can disable this since it won't be doing anything.

*Terminal Services:* This is the service that allows a Remote Desktop Connection to your system via the RDP protocol.  Unless you have people remotely operating your computer (which I highly doubt) you can disable this 'cause otherwise it's just a security hole.

Again, for other ones, you'd have to show me/us a list of the services you have 'cause the rest would be added by the software that you installed.


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## Bundi (Jul 4, 2010)

...Oh wow. This is kinda off topic, but I have 63 processes and my Firefox takes over 400,000K. Is this normal?


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## ToeClaws (Jul 4, 2010)

Bundi said:


> ...Oh wow. This is kinda off topic, but I have 63 processes and my Firefox takes over 400,000K. Is this normal?


 
 No.


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## Bundi (Jul 4, 2010)

Send me a PM then and tell me what to do? I mean, I have two virus scanners and they tell me I have nothing, if a virus is doing this. But all my processes are normal system ones.
Do I maybe have more processes because I have more memory and RAM and/or my computer is older? I'm running Windows XP.


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## ToeClaws (Jul 4, 2010)

Bundi said:


> Send me a PM then and tell me what to do? I mean, I have two virus scanners and they tell me I have nothing, if a virus is doing this. But all my processes are normal system ones.
> Do I maybe have more processes because I have more memory and RAM and/or my computer is older? I'm running Windows XP.


 
Well, anything I'd tell you in a PM is similar to what has already been posted in this thread.  Read through this thread (and the threads that are mentioned in the links) and you'll have the information you need.  Also, take a screen capture of what's running like Khur did and that will help us in knowing what can be shutdown.  Windows XP, once properly tweaked, should never have more than 30 processes running when nothing is opened.  If it has more than that, then you have extra software and services that are very likely not necessary, and just chewing up system resources.


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## Bundi (Jul 4, 2010)

I'll take a screenshot and message it to you- Tell me what I can turn off and leave alone. I am often scared of messing with processes- afraid I'll screw something up. xD


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## Khur (Jul 5, 2010)

Another quick question! You've already helped me so much so hopefully this will be the last time I bother you...

So now when I start up my laptop I get this error:





Should I be worried? Or is this just some sort of windows "hey, you messed with the settings btw" kind of message? Here's the result of all of the tweaking I've done thus far, does this all look safe? If so I'll probably just ignore the message, I just wanted to be sure.

Service tweaks:




Start-up tweaks (these are the only things that run during my start-up, everything else is unchekced):


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## SnowFox (Jul 5, 2010)

The message is normal, just check the box and click OK.

For the startup items, you can probably disable everything on that list except avastUI, and the first 2 SynTPLpr and SynTPEnh if you use the touchpad on your laptop.

You *might* want to re-enable the task scheduler service though. I would have advised switching it off too because of the security risk, but I think it was Runefox that mentioned some time back it's used by windows in the background for defragmenting and stuff and you might end up with worse performance in the long run if you disable it.


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## ToeClaws (Jul 5, 2010)

SnowFox said:


> The message is normal, just check the box and click OK.



Agreed, no worries there.



SnowFox said:


> For the startup items, you can probably disable everything on that list except avastUI, and the first 2 SynTPLpr and SynTPEnh if you use the touchpad on your laptop.
> 
> You *might* want to re-enable the task scheduler service though. I would have advised switching it off too because of the security risk, but I think it was Runefox that mentioned some time back it's used by windows in the background for defragmenting and stuff and you might end up with worse performance in the long run if you disable it.


 
Also agreed, though the various things in the startup may provide some extra functionality for your touchpad and printer/scanner/whatever that may become unavailable if you deactivate them.  The best thing I can suggest there is try and see what happens.  If you find it kills something you found useful, then turn it back on, otherwise, leave them off.

As for the Task Scheduler thing, I disagree there - you should let your OS do as little as possible automatically.  Though having it run defraggers and stuff in the background on scheduled times might be handy, it is also intrusive and adds the security risk of the Task Scheduler being active and open to exploit.  Disk IO can really chew up performance even if executed under a lower process priority, so just get into the habit of running a defragger once a week to keep things tidy.  I got my near-senior parents into the habit of manual, regular maintenance so if they can do it, anyone can.  

Oh, and the service tweaks you did look good.  Which ones are left running?


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## Khur (Jul 5, 2010)

ToeClaws said:


> Oh, and the service tweaks you did look good.  Which ones are left running?


 Yay! I'm glad I did it right. For the record my running processes now idle at about 27 as opposed to the 44 of a few days ago, thanks to you. Notable improvement in how quickly my laptop opens things now, it's very exciting! 

Not too many on auto, but quite a lot on manual:


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## ToeClaws (Jul 5, 2010)

The SSDP Discovery Service should absolutely be disabled!  That thing's a  security nightmare, not to mention totally useless to the home user.   Wired Auto-config is also kinda useless - it's added on by something  third-party.  Application Layer Gateway service can be disabled if, and  only if, if you shut off the Windows Firewall and use a third-party  one.  

So other than that, it's looking pretty good.


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## Runefox (Jul 5, 2010)

> Wired Auto-config is also kinda useless - it's added on by something third-party


Actually, Wired Auto-config is present on my Win7 system, and I think it's also present on Vista systems, too. It is indeed rather useless, though.

SSDP Discovery Service isn't entirely necessary, but it can be useful in some cases. If using UPnP to automatically forward router ports on capable hardware (incredibly common nowadays), turning off SSDP Discovery Service will disable that ability. If you disable SSDP Discovery Service, also disable the UPnP Device Host service.


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