Q: Often when I’m installing software I get a message that, in effect, says to shut down all programs that are running in the background. My questions are: 1. How do I tell what programs are ...

If your computer starts running sluggishly, stopping programs from running in the background may free up the resources to get your computer running at normal speed.

Is your computer too slow? Sometimes it seems like they cannot work fast enough — but that doesn’t mean you need to get a new one.

Some programs and apps automatically running in the background of Windows 10 and 11 machines don't actually need to be on if you don't actively use them.

Explorer.exe runs in the background of Windows 7 at all times; stopping this program from running and then restarting it simulates the effects of a reboot without actually rebooting your computer.

During this time, several apps and programs are running in the background. You may not know this, but when programs are running, they eat up a lot of power; therefore, it makes sense to close them.

Some Windows programs are more convenient to have running in the background and out of the way. We'll show you how to avoid needing to manually minimize a program every time you run it.

Running Microsoft's configuration utility msinfo32.exe from the Start menu and Run will show you what is happening on your computer. Go to the Software Environment and choose Startup Programs.

Bobby Ekwere asked “Is there any free software that allows me to see and disable unwanted programs running in the background?” Probably, but I know something better than free software for this ...

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The 14 most common reasons why your computer is so slow – and the simple measures anyone can take to make your desktop or laptop run faster.