Windows - Task Manager

 Objective

When troubleshooting a computer, it may freeze up and stop responding properly.  If this happens, in Windows you can use the Task Manager utility to End Task on a program or process.  You can also discover which processes are using the most memory and CPU cycles - which can sometimes indicate negative activity being performed by that item.

This article describes how to bring up the Task Manager utility, how to view which programs are running, how to tell which programs are using the most memory and CPU cycles,  and how to End Task on an Application or Process.  Using the Task Manager can free up a computer so normal troubleshooting can be performed.

 Audience

• Service Desk Staff

 Environment  

• Windows Task Manager

 Procedure

Starting Task Manager

1. Simultaneously press the CTRL+ALT+Delete keys at the same time.  
    
2. From the resulting list of options, select Task Manager.
   
   Note: At this point, you should see the Task Manager as shown below. If it doesn't look like the image below, you will need to click on More Details in the lower left corner.  It shows which Applications are running:
   
   
    
3. Select the Application (program) that you want to stop and click the End Task button.
    

Checking Memory and CPU Usage

If a computer is freezing, check for programs that are using a large amount of memory or CPU cycles.  To view this information, follow the steps below.

Memory usage

1. Open the Task Manager and click on the Processes tab.
    
2. Click on the Memory column header to sort by memory usage.
    
3. If a process is using a large amount of memory, select it and click the End Process button. 
   
   
    

CPU Cycles

1. Open the Task Manager and click on the Processes tab.
    
2. Click on the CPU column header to sort by memory usage.
    
3. If a process is using a large amount of CPU Cycles, select it and click the End Process button.