Advanced Users
Tools and Features
WinTasks
5.0 Professional is the ultimate power utility software that
arms users with a comprehensive set of tools to put them in
full control of their computer.
Advanced Users
Tools and Features
Having gone throughthe more
basic features of WinTasks, let us now turn to the more advanced
features that will help you control your PC completely tuning
up its performance and safeguarding your system against any
security threats.
- Presets or user defined
configurations of which processes to run.
- Information on individual Dynamic
Link Libraries or Modules associated with all the processes
running on your computer.
- Uncover all visible or invisble Windows
associated with applications and processes running on your
computer.
- See which process are loaded into operation
by Windows at Start-up.
- Event Logs.
- Write Scripts to automate
and create functions.
- Search for processes.
Presets
Presets are shortcuts to user-defined
process configurations. WinTasks 5.0 Professional allows you
to decide which processes to run. These configurations are then
saved to Presets. The main benefit of such a feature is that
you may want to run a certain application and optimise your
computer to run that application. Therefore, after identifying
certain processes associated with the application, you may decide
to allocate higher priority to them - this tells Windows to
assign more CPU time and memory to these applications in preference
to others. You may also stop certain processes that are not
required for the stable operation of the relevant application.
For example, if you want to maximise resources
to your media player, you may not need such processes that run
in the background pertaining to say Acrobat or Microsoft Updates.
To access the Presets toolbar, click on the
"View" item in the menu bar and then select Toolbars->Presets,
as shown below.
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The Presets toolbar appears as follows:
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At this stage, select which processes you want
to stop, block, and/or increase or decrease resource allocation
priority. Once this is done, click on the "Name Preset"
Button ( ).
A pop-up window appears allowing you to enter the "Preset
Name". In the example below, the name of the preferred
configuration is Configuration 1.
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Whenever you want to run the particular application,
start WinTasks (unless it is running in the background) and
click on the relevant preset.
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It is recommended that
before creating configurations, you should save a preset
with all the processes loaded at start-up. This allows
you to revert to earlier configurations for any reason.
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Dynamic
Link Libraries or Modules
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DLL files are dynamic
libraries linked from and to applications that use them
during program execution for specific operations instead
of being compiled into the main program. These sub-components
are stored in separate files and may be identified through
their three-letter extension reflecting the acronym. For
more information on DLLs, read the article Dynamic
Link Libraries: What are they? What of them?
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In the work area, highlight any process and
then click the DLLs icon ( )
on the tool bar to call up the DLL window. This window will
show the DLLs pertaining to the highlighted process. The DLLs
window may be called up by click "View" on the menu
bar and selecting
Windows->DLLs.
As can been seen from the screenshot above,
you can see the process name, a list of associated DLLs and
descriptions for each and every DLL. This window provides you
with full details you need to identify any suspect process/es
that may have penetrated your security architecture. You will
note the path of each executable allowing you the possibility
of immediately removing the threatening executable.
Windows
Applications running on Windows (and Windows itself)
consist of several processes some of which have associated open
windows. These open windows may be visible (for example, your
browser window) or invisible. WinTasks 5.0 Professional also
allows you to uncover all the invisible windows that a process
may be running.
This is critical in security breaches, for example.
Malware usually works in the background and is completely invisible.
In the best of times, malware appears as a process that is visible.
However, usually, such malware as Trojans are hidden as DLLs
(Read, DLLs
and Security) working behind an apparantly legitimate process.
These operations may be seen within the associated windows.
WinTasks 5.0 Professional allows you to force any process to
show all invisible windows so as to enable you to see what is
happening in the background. This feature helps advanced users
to stop and pre-empt any security attacks.
In the work area, highlight any process and
then click on the Windows Icon ( )
on the tool bar.
In this example, note that Microsoft
Outlook has several windows associated. All these are legitimate
processes that allow you to use the product in its full functionality.
However, malware, as the name suggests, is not usually as benevolent.
Windows may be forced open by pressing
the "Show" icon and then closed by the "Hide"
icon. If you see suspect operations, close the window by clicking
the "Close" icon and return to WinTasks to stop or
block the process immediately.
Autostart
Programs
Upon installation, many applications
ask you whether you would like to start the product automatically
when you switch on your computer. However, other applications
and Windows itself do not ask permission. This is generally
because certain processes are required for the smooth and stable
operation of your PC. Examples include, svchost.exe, lsass.exe,
cidaemon.exe (for an explanation of these processes read, Lsass.exe,
cidaemon,exe: Invisible Threats or Legitimate Processes?),
a host of device drivers and other programs.
WinTasks allows you to view these
applications and also allows you to enable/disable these processes
at startup. However, you cannot disable the processes that are
required for the smooth running of your operating system.
To access the Autostart Programs
window, click on the Autostart Icon ( )
or from the menu bar, select View->Windows->Autostart.
In the usual fashion, highlight
a process to "Enable" or "Disable". Click
on "Remove" ( )to
remove the process completely from your Windows Registry. To
add a process, click on "Add" ( )
to add an executable to your start up list. The add button causes
a standard pop-window that allows you to browse your computer
for and select the desired executable to run at start-up.
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Event
Logs
WinTasks automatically logs information about
all the dlls (modules), windows (operations) processes and programs
that have been started, stopped, added and removed.
Click on the Logs icon ( )
or, on the menu bar, click View->Windows->Logging.
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WinTasks filters processes, operations windows
and DLLs (modules) and classifies them according to their added
and/or removed status. In this way you can easily control what
has occured on your system over the period of time that WinTasks
was running. We usually recommend to keep WinTasks running in
the background. This helps prevent security intrusions and enhances
performance.
Scripts
In WinTasks 5 Professional there
is an in-built script language that helps you create completely
new functions and assists in automating how your system handles
processes and resources.
It is possible, for instance, to
allow WinTasks to automatically increase the priority level
of the defragmentation program, stop all processes using more
than 70% of the memory or stop the web browser when visiting
a certain site.
The script language is made up of a number of
key words, commands and predefined variables that are shown
in the WinTasks Manual.
To access the scripting window, click on the
Script Button ( )
or, on the menu bar, View->Windows->Scripting.
To create a new script, click on New ()
and select the new script (usually ”untitled 1”) in
the list (1). It is now possible to edit this selected script
in the code editor (2). To activate the script press the
enable button. (It is not necessary to save the script as
this is done automatically.)
Read carefully through the script before you
activate it and never activate a script without conditions,
as this will mean that the oprations will then apply to all
processes.
The following script will start the calculator
(calc.exe) if the notepad is activated (notepad.exe) and stops
the calculator if the notepad is not active.
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If process_files
contains "notepad.exe"
and not process_files
contains
"calc.exe" then
Start "calc.exe"
Else
If process_files
= "calc.exe" and
not process_files
contains
"notepad.exe" then
Stop
Endif
Endif
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Another example is contained in the screenshot
above and allows you to decrease the priority of the media player,
(or other processes with “media” included in the title),
if it uses more than 50% of the CPU or more than 10% of the
internal memory. The script also alerts the user by showing
a message box.
Search
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WinTasks allows you to search for
any process that may be running on your computer. The search
toolbar is accessed through the menu bar - click on View->Toolbars->Search.
In the search area, type in the
process name and click on the Search Button ( ).
The matches will appear in the work area. To clear the work
area and see all the processes running, remove the search term
from the search area and press the search button again.
Click the search options button
( )
to call up the various search options available.
Please send your comments on this tutorial to
our email address.
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