{"id":60247,"date":"2015-10-11T15:00:16","date_gmt":"2015-10-11T13:00:16","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/onsoftware.en.softonic.com\/?p=60247"},"modified":"2025-07-02T00:08:55","modified_gmt":"2025-07-02T07:08:55","slug":"20-windows-processes-you-can-kill","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/20-windows-processes-you-can-kill\/","title":{"rendered":"20 Windows processes you can kill to make your PC run quicker"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>In <a title=\"Softonic\" href=\"http:\/\/en.softonic.com\/\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Windows<\/a>, all processes are listed in the Task Manager. Among\u00a0the processes that use the most resources, some are useful, while others run unnecessarily in the background.\u00a0So, which processes can you easily eliminate to increase the speed of your PC? We&#8217;ll show you 20 processes that your PC doesn&#8217;t need.<\/p>\n<p>We&#8217;ve divided the processes into 5 categories: quick starters, software updates, processes from hardware manufacturers, software processes and Windows processes. For each of these, you&#8217;ll find\u00a0a short explanation.<\/p>\n<p>First, you&#8217;ll need to access Task Manager. Do this by going to <strong>Control Panel&gt; All Control Panel Items&gt; Performance Information and Tools&gt; Advanced Tools&gt; Open Task Manager<\/strong>. Alternatively, press <strong>CTRL + ALT + DEL and click on Task Manager.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-60315\" title=\"Task Manager\" src=\"https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/sft\/articles\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2014\/02\/TaskManager-568x549.jpg\" alt=\"Task Manager\" width=\"568\" height=\"549\" srcset=\"https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2014\/02\/TaskManager-568x549.jpg 568w, https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2014\/02\/TaskManager-256x247.jpg 256w, https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2014\/02\/TaskManager.jpg 944w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 568px) 100vw, 568px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Then, click on the tab that says Processes.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>Quickstarter<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Quickstarters preload parts of a program in case the user wants to open the program later. If you don&#8217;t open and close these programs often, however, the process can be eliminated.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>reader_sl.exe<\/strong> is a part of <a title=\"Download Adobe Reader for Windows\" href=\"http:\/\/adobe-reader.en.softonic.com\/\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Adobe Reader<\/a> and stands for <strong>Adobe Acrobat Speed Launcher<\/strong>. It speeds up the launch of the reader, but isn&#8217;t actually necessary.<\/li>\n<li><strong>jqs.exe<\/strong> accelerates the launch of almost all software that works with Java. The <strong>Java Quick Starter<\/strong> isn&#8217;t really necessary.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Osa.exe<\/strong> enables some <a title=\"Download Microsoft Office for Windows\" href=\"http:\/\/microsoft-office-2010.en.softonic.com\/\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Microsoft Office<\/a> programs in Windows XP to launch more quickly and anchors certain Office functions to the start menu. The <strong>Office Source Engine<\/strong> may be of interest to regular Office users, but probably not to others.<\/li>\n<li><strong>soffice.exe<\/strong> fulfills the same purpose as Osa.exe, but\u00a0for the Office packages <a title=\"Download StarOffice Suite for Windows\" href=\"http:\/\/staroffice-suite.en.softonic.com\/\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">StarOffice<\/a> and <a title=\"Download OpenOffice for Windows\" href=\"http:\/\/openoffice.en.softonic.com\/\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">OpenOffice<\/a>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><strong>Software-Updates<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Update managers periodically check whether a new version of the program is available. To save memory, you can change the update options in the program and regularly look for updates when you open it. In the meantime, you can simply end these processes.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>AdobeARM.exe<\/strong> belongs to <a title=\"Download Adobe Acrobat for Windows\" href=\"http:\/\/adobe-acrobat-professional.en.softonic.com\/\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Adobe Acrobat<\/a> and Adobe Reader. The process runs in the background and checks for updates to Adobe products.<\/li>\n<li><strong>AAM Update Notifier.exe<\/strong> comes with <a title=\"Download Adobe Creative Suite CS6\" href=\"http:\/\/adobe-creative-suite-cs6.en.softonic.com\/\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Adobe Creative Suite<\/a> products. The process manages updates for multiple Adobe programs.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Jusched.exe <\/strong>actually stands for <strong>Java Update Scheduler<\/strong>. Once a month, the process checks whether there is a new update for Java, which is quite infrequent for a process that&#8217;s always running.<\/li>\n<li><strong>DivXUpdate.exe <\/strong>runs in the background and checks for updates to <a title=\"DivX Plus for Windows\" href=\"http:\/\/divx.en.softonic.com\/\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">DivX Plus<\/a>. You can simply terminate the updater; it launches automatically when you open any DivX program.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><strong>Processes from hardware manufacturers<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Hardware manufacturers generally supply the appropriate software and drivers for their devices. Many nice additional features are automatically added on the computer, but in most cases they&#8217;re not used very often.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>NeroCheck.exe<\/strong> searches for drivers that could trigger conflicts with Nero Express, <a title=\"Download Nero 2014 for Windows\" href=\"http:\/\/nero.en.softonic.com\/\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Nero<\/a>, and NeroVision Express. You can also start this service manually if necessary.<\/li>\n<li><strong>HKCMD.exe<\/strong> accompanies Intel hardware. The process allows the user to allocate any function to the keys, but also often leads to a sluggish system.<\/li>\n<li><strong>atiptaxx.exe\/ati2evxx.exe<\/strong> comes with ATI video card drivers. The processes provide faster access to the graphics card settings on the taskbar or individual keys.<\/li>\n<li><strong>RAVCpl64.exe<\/strong> stands for <strong>Realtek HD Audio Manager<\/strong>. The process detects which audio devices are connected to your computer, including headphones or a microphone. Conveniently, the devices are also recognized without the process and will run anyway.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Nwiz.exe<\/strong> usually accompanies a NVIDIA graphics card. Anyone who uses <strong>NVIDIA nView<\/strong> functions needs the process. but it\u2019s otherwise unnecessary.<\/li>\n<li><strong>CCC.exe<\/strong> stands for ATI Catalyst Control Center. For gamers and users with higher demands for the graphic settings on their PC, this is certainly interesting; for everyone else, it\u2019s not necessary.<\/li>\n<li><strong>SynTPEnh.exe<\/strong> is used on many laptops and has drivers for touchpads, but Windows can provide these too. In addition, <strong>Synaptics TouchPad Enhancements<\/strong> is a known solution for stability problems.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Software\u00a0Processes<\/h3>\n<p>In addition to updates, many programs offer useful and less useful services in the background. Anyone can decide for themselves whether they really need a button for each application in the start menu.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>winampa.exe<\/strong> places <a title=\"Download Winamp for Windows\" href=\"http:\/\/winamp.en.softonic.com\/\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Winamp<\/a> to the right at the bottom of the taskbar and makes sure that no other programs with media content are linked.<\/li>\n<li><strong>iTunesHelper.exe\/iPodService.exe<\/strong> works in the background for <a title=\"Download iTunes for Windows\" href=\"http:\/\/itunes.en.softonic.com\/\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">iTunes<\/a> and <a title=\"Download QuickTime for Windows\" href=\"http:\/\/quicktime.en.softonic.com\/\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">QuickTime<\/a>. If the process runs without these programs, it can be stopped safely \u2013 iTunes starts it automatically if needed.<\/li>\n<li><strong>OSPPSVC.exe <\/strong>comes with <a title=\"Download Microsoft Office 2010\" href=\"http:\/\/microsoft-office-2010.en.softonic.com\/\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Microsoft Office 2010<\/a>. The <strong>Office Software Protection Platform <\/strong>verifies that Office still has\u00a0a valid licence.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><strong>Windows\u00a0Processes<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Windows also comes with a number of interesting, yet resource-intensive processes. Decide for yourself what to make of them.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Sidebar.exe<\/strong> makes the practical widgets on Windows 7 and Vista possible, but also eats up a lot of memory. Anyone who doesn&#8217;t use the widgets can stop Sidebar.exe.<\/li>\n<li><strong>wmpnetwk.exe<\/strong> searches the network for media files in order to populate them into <a title=\"Download Windows Media Player\" href=\"http:\/\/windows-media-player-11.en.softonic.com\/\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Windows Media Player<\/a>. If you don&#8217;t use the media player, or don&#8217;t want to search for new files, you can stop the service.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Here, you can\u00a0find more processes and explanations<\/h3>\n<p>If you have more questions about processes and their functions, you can also consult various databases. Please note,\u00a0most databases are compiled by users, so you should always consult multiple sources.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/process.iamnotageek.com\/file_info.php\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">I am not a geek<\/a> &#8211; about processes and their dangers<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.neuber.com\/taskmanager\/process\/index.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Neubert<\/a> &#8211; with less content, and no\u00a0search function<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/searchtasks.answersthatwork.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Searchtasks<\/a> &#8211; with search function and recommendations on processes<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>[<a title=\"20 Prozesse, die Sie abschie\u00dfen k\u00f6nnen\" href=\"http:\/\/artikel.softonic.de\/20-prozesse-die-sie-abschiesen-konnen-05-12-13\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Original article<\/a> by <a title=\"Klaus M\u00fcller\" href=\"http:\/\/artikel.softonic.de\/editor\/klaus-mueller\" rel=\"author\">Klaus M\u00fcller<\/a> on <a title=\"Softonic German\" href=\"http:\/\/artikel.softonic.de\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Softonic.de<\/a>]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In Windows, all processes are listed in the Task Manager. Among\u00a0the processes that use the most resources, some are useful, while others run unnecessarily in the background.\u00a0So, which processes can you easily eliminate to increase the speed of your PC? We&#8217;ll show you 20 processes that your PC doesn&#8217;t need. We&#8217;ve divided the processes into &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/20-windows-processes-you-can-kill\/\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> &#8220;20 Windows processes you can kill to make your PC run quicker&#8221;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2040,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","wpcf-pageviews":7},"categories":[2441],"tags":[1072,1036,1080,1052],"usertag":[],"vertical":[],"content-category":[],"class_list":["post-60247","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-how-to","tag-microsoft","tag-productivity","tag-windows","tag-windows-10"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/60247","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2040"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=60247"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/60247\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":329476,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/60247\/revisions\/329476"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=60247"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=60247"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=60247"},{"taxonomy":"usertag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/usertag?post=60247"},{"taxonomy":"vertical","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/vertical?post=60247"},{"taxonomy":"content-category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/content-category?post=60247"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}