Applications
The Applications tab in Task Manager shows a list of programs currently running. A set of rules [specify ] determines whether a process appears on this tab or not. Most applications that have a taskbar entry will appear on this
tab, but this is not always the
case. [ citation needed ]
Right-clicking any of the applications in the list
allows (among other things) switching to that
application, ending the application, and showing
the process on the Processes tab that is associated with the application.
Choosing to End Task from the Applications tab causes a request to be sent to the application
for it to terminate. This is different from what happens when End Process is chosen from the
Processes tab.
PROCESSES
The Processes tab shows a list of all running processes on the system. This list includes
Windows Services and processes from other accounts. Prior to Windows XP , process names
longer than 15 characters in length are truncated. [2] Beginning with Windows XP, the Delete key can also be used to terminate
processes on the Processes tab.
Right-clicking a process in the list allows changing the priority the process has, setting processor affinity (setting which CPU(s) the
process can execute on), and allows the process to be ended. Choosing to End Process causes Windows to immediately kill the
process. Choosing to "End Process Tree" causes Windows to immediately kill the process, as well as all processes directly or
indirectly started by that process. Unlike choosing End Task from the Applications tab, when choosing to End Process the program is
not given warning nor a chance to clean up before ending. However, when a process that is running under a security context different from the one of the process which issued the call to TerminateProcess, the use of the KILL command line utility is required. [3] By default the processes tab shows the user
account the process is running under, the amount of CPU, and the amount of memory the process is currently consuming. There are
many more columns that can be shown by choosing Select columns... from the View menu.
PERFORMANCE
The performance tab shows overall statistics about the system's performance, most notably
the overall amount of CPU usage and how much memory is being used. A chart of recent usage for both of these values is shown.
Details about specific areas of memory are also shown. There is an option to break the CPU usage
graph into two sections: kernel mode time and user mode time. Many device drivers, and core
parts of the operating system run in kernel mode, whereas user applications run in user mode. This option can be turned on by
choosing Show kernel times from the View menu. When this option is turned on the CPU usage graph will show a green and a red area.
The red area is the amount of time spent in kernel mode, and the green area shows the amount of time spent in user mode.
NETWORKING
The Networking tab, introduced in Windows XP, shows statistics relating to each of the network
adapters present in the computer. By default the adapter name, percentage of network utilization, link speed and state of the network
adapter are shown, along with a chart of recent activity. More options can be shown by choosing Select columns... from the View menu.
USERS
The Users tab, also introduced in Windows XP, shows all users that currently have a session on the computer. On server computers, there may be several users connected to the computer using Terminal Services. As of Windows XP, there may also be multiple users logged onto the computer at one time using the Fast User Switching feature. Users can be
disconnected or logged off from this ta