too many processes running 50?

it seems i have too many processes running slowing down my computer. for instance i have 4 svchost.exe running. is it possible to cut back on these? at the present time my computer has a manual startup, through msconfig, stopping some programs from loading up on startup. but 50 are still running. is that normal? thank you in advance. rankf

Only four svchost.exe? You are lucky, many folks, including me, have 5 and some folks have 6? I've don't think I've ever seen less than 4 with a normal boot.

However, 50 programs running is a lot. I have a lot running but still only 44.

What are the names of the processes you don't recognize? Often, you can just enter their name in Google and learn if they are valid or not, and safe to terminate. Have you done a complete malware scan? That is usually the first thing I do when troubleshooting a PC so I know I have a clean platform to work from. Here's a link to my canned text on Cleaning Out Malware. Use it if you don't already have a complete security suite and disk cleaning utilities to rid your system of malware and clutter. You can also use it as a guide to build your own security suite, and to help you develop a "Practicing Safe Computing" self-discipline.

Note that using msconfig is really a band-aid fix. Blocking something from running is not the same as setting it to stop trying. Often browsing through Control Panel, Add and Remove Software will reveal some things you can uninstall.

svchost.exe iis microsoft .its ok to 4 even 6 ,its a generic name used by different programs , description here = http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Svchost
this is just my thought on program and processes ,they are different .to have 50 programs running on startup would be a lot and you would surly have a slow computer ,but 50 process is different ,as not all of them are doing anything ,most are probably set to auto, but can be set to auto ,manual or disabled by going to here ,type this into RUN ,services.msc , you could check out www.blackviper.com for what one can be safely set to either setting . check the left pane/Features and you will see links for xp and vista ans 2000 services .good luck

Hi rankf,

I have 33 processes running at startup, but at the moment 39 as I am working on the system.

Perhaps if you download and install the Process Library it is then so easy to identify processes by opening Task Manager (ctrl>alt>delete) and clicking the blue icon next to the process you are wanting to research. Drop a shortcut into your task bar to access quickly at any time.

kind regards,