Computers Common Windows Tasks

How To Speed Up Your Computer Tasks

Published at 03/16/2012 01:04:30

Introduction

Many programs that people use on a computer are already installed, but owners can install many more third-party programs to supplement where the original computer is lacking. After a while, a computer can become bogged down the installation of too many programs, especially if those programs are active and constantly running on your system.

If you use Windows, then you probably open programs and applications by clicking on an icon. This icon is commonly found in the "All Programs" list on the Start menu, but during installation you might also have the options to place icons on the desktop and taskbar. These icons actually link to what is called an "executable" file that is a part of the installed program, stored on the hard drive. If you have ever looked at a program's file properties you might see ".EXE" as the file name extension.

Windows organizes and provides users access to active programs via the Task Manager utility. It is from this utility that you can speed up tasks in the operating system.

Step 1

Open the Task Manager Utility on your Windows PC to access running tasks. The easiest method is to right-click on the taskbar and then select "Task Manager" or "Open Task Manager" from the menu.

Use the following keyboard shortcuts to open Task Manager:

  • CTRL + ALT + DELETE,
  • or CTRL + SHIFT + ESCAPE.

 

Step 2

Click on the "Applications" tab. This shows the tasks that running for programs and applications. However, you should be aware that there are "services" that running in the background of the Windows operating, and these are considered tasks, too. We will focus on tasks for the programs that you interact with directly.

Step 3

Right-click on the program task that you want to speed up. Select "Go To Process" and Task Manager will switch to the "Processes" tab. For example, if you want to speed up the Windows Media Player utility, right-click on that task in the list of running programs. If you are watching a DVD on your computer using WMP, speeding up the task or tasks can help the movie play better.

Step 4

Right-click on the highlighted process. Choose "Select Priority" from the menu. This option gives you the opportunity to change the priority of tasks.

Step 5

Select "High" from the menu. This places the program you selected higher than other tasks in the operating system.

Tips

Close unused programs on the computer to speed up tasks on other computers.

Sources and Citations

  1. " End a process." Microsoft Windows. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Mar. 2012. <http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows7/End-a-process>.
  2. " Exit a program that isn't responding." Microsoft Windows. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Mar. 2012. <http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows7/Exit-a-program-that-isnt-responding>.
  3. " Get computer speed and performance information." Microsoft Windows. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Mar. 2012. <http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows7/Get-computer-speed-and-performance-information>.
  4. " Open Task Manager." Microsoft Windows. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Mar. 2012. <http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows7/Open-Task-Manager>.
  5. " Schedule a task." Microsoft Windows. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Mar. 2012. <http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows7/schedule-a-task>.
  6. " See details about your computer's performance using Task Manager." Microsoft Windows. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Mar. 2012. <http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows7/see-details-about-your-computers-performance-using-task-manager>.
  7. " Understanding process information in Task Manager." Microsoft Windows. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Mar. 2012. <http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows7/Understanding-process-information-in-Task-Manager>.
  8. " Using Task Manager: frequently asked questions." Microsoft Windows. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Mar. 2012. <http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows7/Using-Task-Manager-frequently-asked-questions>.
  9. " Using memory in your storage device to speed up your computer." Microsoft Windows. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Mar. 2012. <http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows7/Using-memory-in-your-storage-device-to-speed-up-your-computer>.
  10. " View CPU utilization and other performance information." Microsoft Windows. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Mar. 2012. <http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows7/View-CPU-utilization-and-other-performance-information>.
  11. " View services running on your computer by using Task Manager." Microsoft Windows. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Mar. 2012. <http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows7/View-services-running-on-your-computer-by-using-Task-Manager>.
  12. " What do the Task Manager memory columns mean?." Microsoft Windows. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Mar. 2012. <http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows7/What-do-the-Task-Manager-memory-columns-mean>.

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