The easiest way is to get a program called EndItAll (just google it). It is freeware. However it won't let you shutdown essential processes. A good way of learning your system processes and it also tells you what they're doing. You might want to configure your bootup so that not so many processes start running without permission. Personally I use EasyClean (again freeware, google it) and you can edit the startup very easily using that as it tells you what things are what and then you don't have unnecessary processes firing up on booting
These are two excellent programs to help you get to know your system better

86? On XP? A trimmed down XP should have 20-30 processes.

I'd run spybot (update) No way should you have that many processes on a XP machine. Take a screenshot of task manager, processes. Maximize the window to show them all.

The image is unreadable.

You really shouldn't have more than 35 processes running. I have 28 running...but I am also running a ton of things and haven't turned off my computer for 12 hours...vista.

Here's mine:

http://www.simviation.com/yabbuploads/vkbackgroundapps.jpg

about a minute later:
http://www.simviation.com/yabbuploads/vkbackgroundappsnone.jpg



In my opinion, no matter what amount of background services you're running, try to clean your computer out. 80 or even 45 is WAAAAY to much. Even too much for a Dell with all the POS software that comes with it.

Try downloading Spybot search and destroy, ad-aware, and a good anti-virus system (AVG? Nod32 for a trial though...) and eliminate all viruses. You can also google processes then stop them from starting up..... ---->start---->run----->msconfig. Go into startup tab and disable the programs that you don't need. ---->start--->run--->services.msc---->disable any background services you don't need, set to manual so you have to manually start it up. Only do it if you're 100% sure on what it does, ending the wrong one... e.g. Windows audio, can disable your sound.

*Note, disabling the wrong services can potentially mess up your computer. Nick posted the services that should be OK to disable and also how to disable recource hogging performance logs - It's in one of the fsx forum stickies.



You can also disable things by using the registry;;

http://searchwincomputing.techtarget.com/tip/0,289483,sid68_gci1287134,00.html

I only flicked through it as that's the only link I have, but it's probably best to read it up more rather than following that guys advice straight off the bat.



I've heard unticking programs in msconfig only stops them from being started up - but they're still loaded into memory. I don't know if this is true or not, but some registry edits and a registry cleaner SHOULD clean that up - I don't know since I havn't installed lots of junk onto my computer.

I have one user account on this computer so clicking that made no change.

btw, the first screenshot was how it normally is, the second was after I ended everything, including all the background services resulting in a unusable PC.