XP Question

[av84fun]

In former Win versions, to shut down unnesessary applications you would do the ctrl/alt/del thing and shut down everything but explorer and systray. But in XP that seems to have all changed.

In XP there is a window that provides "applications" and "processes" buttons. Before XP, I always had a bunch of wierd (to me) things running that I didn't purposely launch but was told everything except explorer and systray could be shut down. But in XP there are no "applications" running that I haven't specifically launched except "CTL Task" whatever that is but there are always 40+ "processes". Which, if any of those can be shut down to improve FS performance.
THANKS!

[acft]

Hi

Having used XP for some months now, I still use a small utility called "End It All" which had been on cover discs with some PC magazines.

Some people suggest that this won't work with XP, but I've used it since I installed the new system. Works fine.

Regards

Kevin Evans

[av84fun]

Kevin, thanks for the tip but can you or anyone else tell me about "Applications/Processes" in XP vs. the pre-XP routine of doing ctrl/alt/del and just getting a list of apps, nearly all of which could be safely shut down except for explorer and systray?
Thanks

[fottip]

>Kevin, thanks for the tip but can you or anyone else tell me about "Applications/Processes" in XP vs. the pre-XP routine
of doing ctrl/alt/del and just getting a list of apps, nearly all of which could be safely shut down except for explorer and systray?

I've noticed the same issues with XP vs the previous OSes, and I've used End it All to experiment by killing them prior to running FS2K2.

My conclusion is that, despite all the "processes" that XP shows to be running, ending them vs letting them continue to run in the background makes no discernible difference in FS2K2 performance.

System is an Intel 1.7 Ghz, GeForce 3 Ti500, 384MB RAM, etc ad nauseum.......

[bobsey28]

A "Process" can be a part of Windows. Take "System Idle Process" for instance. Most of the time - it'll take 99% CPU time. This is because it executes special CPU commands that make the CPU stay as cold as possible, and clock it down a little bit. When this stops executing, the CPU speeds up again to full speed (on a desktop), and so it continues.

An Application would be like IE or MediaPlayer.

You can have a safe empty APPLICATIONS list, but NOT processes list. Only touch Processes if you know what they are. You don't normally need this list, but sometimes you need to get at a bit of program that didn't shutdown with the rest of it. It'll appear there, even if the application itself is not listed.

[fottip]

>A "Process" can be a part of Windows. Take "System Idle Process" for instance. Most of the time - it'll take 99% CPU time.

Since you point that out, I did a specific check based on a different post here on the forum previously.

I made no change to any of the items listed as running, but with no other major apps loaded, like IE or Media Player, etc.

Then I loaded FS2K2, and took another look at the list. What it revealed was that all the other items listed were consuming virtually *no* cpu time - all zeros. FS2K2 had it locked up at between 93% and 99% usage - and that was with the airplane stationary and idling on a runway.

My conclusion is as I posted earlier here - there's nothing much to be gained with XP in playing with all the background junk that's listed as "running". They're not interacting with the cpu, so just leave 'em alone. They're fine as they are.

[Whiteman]

Well that kind of depends how much other stuf you're running.

Sometimes when editing the tips, I'll open FS2002 to check on something. At this point, is likely that I'll also be running:

My Firewall
My Virus killer
2-6 browsers
FrontPage 2000
Microsoft Word
Outlook Express
ICQ
MSN Messenger
Pop-up killer
DirectCD
Any number of other things depending on what's happening at the time.

It still works ok but I doubt my frame rates are any better as a result.

Obviously these are not conditions I normally fly with, and closing things down that you don't need whilst running FS2002 will only help your frame rates (as long as you don't close something critical of course).

John

http://www.flightsim.com/dcforum/User_files/3c083de45a5fb8a6.gif

http://flightsimvetclub.tripod.com/

[fottip]

>Well that kind of depends how much other stuf you're running.

Of course it does. I acknowledged that.

>Sometimes when editing the tips, I'll open FS2002 to check on something. At this point, is likely that I'll also be running:
My Firewall My Virus killer 2-6 browsers FrontPage 2000 Microsoft Word Outlook Express ICQ MSN Messenger Pop-up killer DirectCD Any number of other things depending on what's happening at the time.

Jeez....those are all *APPS*. Quoting from my earlier post, I said specifically:

"I made no change to any of the items listed as running, but with no other major apps loaded, like IE or Media Player, etc"

>Obviously ...closing things down that you don't need whilst running FS2002 will only help your frame rates

Well, obviously. I understood the question to be related to all the stuff that normally runs under a typical WinXP install with no user-initiated applications loaded. That's how I *answered* it, at any rate.

[vgbaron]

Go here - all shall be answered :)


http://www.blkviper.com/WinXP/winxp.htm


Vic