Author Topic: Must-have apps in the System tray? (Read 159139 times)

Grorgy · « **Reply #150 on:** May 12, 2007, 08:08 PM »

Personally i set process explorer to take the place of task manager and only open it when i need it, same with most of the stuff on my computer, not using it? dont start it! Finished with it? exit it! Of course i sometimes like to watch the little graph for fun, hehehe i need a life hey lol

Curt · « **Reply #151 on:** May 12, 2007, 08:37 PM »

Of course i sometimes like to watch the little graph for fun,
-Grorgy (May 12, 2007, 08:08 PM)

I like to be able to see why the PC sometimes is very slow when I expect it not to be, and for that I find it most useful to have PEx staying in the tray / TNA so I can just point at it and be told what app is taking the most CPU at the moment. But otherwise I must agree with you: what is not useful, must die... at least until it is useful again :-)

--

You changed your avatar into (another) shark?

Grorgy · « **Reply #152 on:** May 12, 2007, 08:46 PM »

yep, I'm a fairly cheerful and benign shark though

. Only clamp my jaws around unfriendly nasty folk.

A friend gave me a fridge magnet with jawj on it, said she couldn't resist, and I thought i may as well get more use out if it than just decorating my fridge.

Grorgy · « **Reply #153 on:** May 12, 2007, 09:32 PM »

I spose i should say what i have in my system tray (may the wrath of pedants not fall on my head for calling it that)

The clock is Lclock, presently using yankee clipper, i keep trying different clip board enhancers to get the one i'm happy with.
Pop peeper, keeps an eye on all emails, local pop and all the web based ones.
I like to see flashing lights so i got the network connector icon there lol
Evernote sits quietly in the corner as well
Kaspersky internet suite
Media monkey, to keep all my music sorted, i like it, i find it really easy to use.
Sound card volume control, usually not there but i was tryin out different equalizer settings and so forth and its easy access to those.
These i usually have hidden
FOOBAR, sounds better than media monkey so i have it as the player from media monkey
Process tamer
and screen shot captor is there to take a piccy of all these
And then theres the toolbar to my desktop, my actual desktop is empty, so i needed some way to have access to those things and this seems the easiest way ive found so far, im open to suggestions tho.
Yep, thats it, those are the regular inhabitants everything else comes and goes as required.

cthorpe · « **Reply #154 on:** May 12, 2007, 10:24 PM »

"Process Explorer uses too much CPU" !!!

Well; now I have said it. Are you going to mock me? Stone me (if you could)?

When absolutely nothin is going on inside the PC, Process Explorer (PEx) will use some 4-5% CPU. This is by itself maybe a little too much, but not the real problem. But if you have PEx placed to start with Windows, as I used to have it, you can watch the most of the PC starting procedure and see how much CPU each program will use. And you can see how they all battle each other to have the little power most machines have available. And see how some programs still uses a lot of CPU after they seemed to have done opening, because they must configure or whatever. If you watch this procedure and then notice the CPU usage of PEx watching over them all, then you may understand my point: Normal machines with many programs cannot afford to have a program like Process Explorer being placed early in the starting procedure, because it uses some 25% CPU during the entire startup! There is no reason to give these 25% to PEx, because the program is really not needed during start, only after the procedure have finished - and you can hardly spare so much CPU at this crucial moment.
-Curt (May 12, 2007, 06:48 PM)

Process Explorer only eats CPU when the CPU history graph column is onscreen, and only then is it noticible when the System Idle process graph is scrolling. Put that column all the way to the left and resize columns so it is off screen, and you will see PE take less than 1% of CPU.

C

Curt · « **Reply #155 on:** May 13, 2007, 03:57 AM »

Process Explorer only eats CPU when the CPU history graph column is onscreen, and only then is it noticible when the System Idle process graph is scrolling. Put that column all the way to the left and resize columns so it is off screen, and you will see PE take less than 1% of CPU.

C
-cthorpe (May 12, 2007, 10:24 PM)

I knew it was too bad to be true. Of course Process Explorer will not use too much CPU - if you set it right. :-) But what you are telling me implies that PEx only uses this much CPU when it is displaying the window, not when it is merely an icon in the tray. I have removed all the fancy displaying of this and that, and will now again set PEx to start with Windows, because it really is an must have app in the system tray.
And I will relax, knowing that Process Explorer of course not uses too much CPU. :-) New link: https://technet.micr...ysinternals/bb896653

Thanks, Carl.

[Edit: Process Explorer's CPU usage is now 1½% when the window is open]

Process Explorer
-f0dder (April 26, 2007, 05:48 PM)
-Curt (May 12, 2007, 06:48 PM)

Grorgy · « **Reply #156 on:** May 13, 2007, 05:41 PM »

Thanks for that tip on nvidia stuff cthorpe, i dont use those advanced features either, unless im fiddling lol, and getting rid of it all has speeded up startup and general responsiveness quite a bit

cthorpe · « **Reply #157 on:** May 13, 2007, 07:12 PM »

Process Explorer only eats CPU when the CPU history graph column is onscreen, and only then is it noticible when the System Idle process graph is scrolling. Put that column all the way to the left and resize columns so it is off screen, and you will see PE take less than 1% of CPU.
C
-cthorpe (May 12, 2007, 10:24 PM)

I should have said put the history graph all the way to the right.

lanux128 · « **Reply #158 on:** May 13, 2007, 08:43 PM »

Curt, why not use a dedicated cpu usage monitoring system instead of running Process Explorer 24/7? just a suggestion..

Darwin · « **Reply #159 on:** May 13, 2007, 09:19 PM »

Thanks for clarifying that Carl - I was scratching my head trying to figure out how to accomplish it! This is great because PE was consuming 15-27% of my CPU before! Tamed quite nicely now. Cheers!

lanux128 · « **Reply #160 on:** May 13, 2007, 09:30 PM »

... when the System Idle process graph is scrolling. Put that column all the way to the left and resize columns so it is off screen, and you will see PE take less than 1% of CPU ...
-cthorpe (May 12, 2007, 10:24 PM)

sorry, cthorpe but i don't quite follow, a screenshot would be nice..

cthorpe · « **Reply #161 on:** May 13, 2007, 09:46 PM »

Here is process explorer with the CPU graph showing on screen after scrolling up and down then waiting a few seconds:

Must-have apps in the System tray?

And here it is with the CPU usage graph column moved off the screen to the right after scrolling up and down then waiting a few seconds:

Must-have apps in the System tray?

lanux128 · « **Reply #162 on:** May 13, 2007, 10:09 PM »

ok, i get it.. thanks cthorpe..

AndyM · « **Reply #163 on:** May 13, 2007, 10:14 PM »

Curt, why not use a dedicated cpu usage monitoring system instead of running Process Explorer 24/7? just a suggestion..
-lanux128 (May 13, 2007, 08:43 PM)

Ultra CPU Monitor
www.darmon.de

Graph (or numbers) just sits in the system tray and seems to take 0% of the cpu.

Curt · « **Reply #164 on:** May 14, 2007, 11:25 AM »

I thank you all for the suggestions

I think I have found an even better way.

First of all: my Process Explorer has "always" replaced TaskManager, so it is not going to be replaced by CPU Monitor, even though this seems to be very fine indeed.

Next: Inside Process Explorer I have disabled the graph-windows (I am surprised by the way cthorpe have chosen to do this; one may want to just right-click and click Select Columns), so Process Explorer is not using more than 1½% CPU with the window open, and of course a lot less when minimized to tray icon.

Finally: Inside Startup Delayer I right-clicked Process Explorer and clicked Classify As... System Process. So now Process Explorer is not displaying the CPU usage of Process Explorer! ;-) and so must be using even less CPU.

Must-have apps in the System tray?

Grorgy · « **Reply #165 on:** May 14, 2007, 12:01 PM »

ahh the old 'if i cant see it its not there theory'. lol works for me

cthorpe · « **Reply #166 on:** May 14, 2007, 12:01 PM »

Next: Inside Process Explorer I have disabled the graph-windows (I am surprised by the way cthorpe have chosen to do this; one may want to just right-click and click Select Columns), so Process Explorer is not using more than 1½% CPU with the window open, and of course a lot less when minimized to tray icon.
-Curt (May 14, 2007, 11:25 AM)

The reason I just move the column off the screen rather than turning it off is so I can scroll over to see it if I want to check the history of a process.

Curt · « **Reply #167 on:** May 14, 2007, 12:22 PM »

... to see it if I want to check the history of a process.
-cthorpe (May 14, 2007, 12:01 PM)

- makes good sense.

..'if i cant see it its not there ..
-Grorgy (May 14, 2007, 12:01 PM)

yeah; it sounded that way, I can see now.

I'm not sure about the effects of grading a program as a 'system process'. I was just thinking that when I am using Process Explorer as my Task Manager then it actually is a system process, and deserves being treated as such. The consequence can't be higher CPU usage!

lanux128 · « **Reply #168 on:** May 31, 2007, 08:12 AM »

from tinyapps.org - pre-Microsoft Sysinternals tools can be found here.. to quote the website, pre-p0wnage Sysinternals apps..

tomos · « **Reply #169 on:** June 01, 2007, 02:43 AM »

from tinyapps.org - pre-Microsoft Sysinternals tools can be found here.. to quote the website, pre-p0wnage Sysinternals apps..
-lanux128 (May 31, 2007, 08:12 AM)

btw, that link doesnt seem to be working Lanux

what was it for -
I mean is there an advantage to Pre-MS versions or are some no longer available?

lanux128 · « **Reply #170 on:** June 01, 2007, 04:46 AM »

hmm.. that's strange because i just checked and the page is still there.. you're not behind some corporate firewall, are you..

according to the website, there is no specific advantage other than the "same old detestible (sic) Microsoft-EULA".. as for me, i just keep the link handy in case Microsoft decides to discontinue any of the existing tools..

f0dder · « **Reply #171 on:** June 01, 2007, 06:51 AM »

Lots of the tools support a "accepteula" or whatever commandline argument, and apart from that my unattended windows setup CD adds "eula accepted" registry entries during install :]

tomos · « **Reply #172 on:** June 01, 2007, 07:59 AM »

hmm.. that's strange because i just checked and the page is still there.. you're not behind some corporate firewall, are you..
-lanux128 (June 01, 2007, 04:46 AM)

Thats strange..
last year I had a problem accessing one particular website that everyone else (here) was able to get to -
maybe this is my one for 2007

The router I have comes with a software firewall which I find very good but it could be at fault ..
not important at any rate!

lanux128 · « **Reply #173 on:** June 01, 2007, 08:11 AM »

then try this Google cache's link to see if it gets you the page..

tomos · « **Reply #174 on:** June 01, 2007, 08:38 AM »

then try this Google cache's link to see if it gets you the page..
-lanux128 (June 01, 2007, 08:11 AM)

nope*,
- downloads dont work either .. (in FF or IE)
thanks anyways Lanux ...

*EDIT: meaning I got the google indexed page but not any further

PS. I just tested last years dud link (http://alax.info/blog/ntfslinks) & it works now -
at the time,
as I say, it didnt work for me for weeks literally & did for everyone else -
I was starting to get a bit of a complex at the time ... $:-\$