John Hesch

Have you ever hit Ctrl-Alt-Delete and looked at the list of processes that are running on your PC? Processes run in the background keeping your operating system and other programs running. But some processes get left behind when a program has been uninstalled, or continue running even after the program has been shut down, and some processes are spyware or Trojans causing harm to your computer or private information.

I found ProcessLibrary.com today which is free online resource for anyone who immediately wants to know the exact nature and purpose of every single process.

Written in plain English, Processlibrary.com gives you immediate access to an extensive online database of comprehensive process description to help you understand what is truly running on your computer invisibly, in the background. The explanations are accompanied by exhaustive advice on whether you should terminate processes or leave them untouched.

ProcessLibrary even has a free program that plugins into your task manager called the Quick Access InfoBar. This program creates a small icon next to each running process in your task bar. Click on the icon and the corresponding web page opens with the details of the running process. Any questions you may have about a process that looks unfamiliar can be investigated easily and quickly.

I tried using the plugin on a couple processes running on my system but ProcessLibrary didn’t have the process in their database. Of course I run a lot of obscure programs that most people probably never heard of. It’s a great idea, especially if your system isn’t running properly and you suspect a virus or spyware to be the culprit.