WinTasks 4 Professional Review

As per our recent conversations on .DLL Hell (Dynamic Link Libraries), I've dedicated the following Feature Article review and Visitor Feedback sections to further enhance the discussion.

If you like reading about the true workings of a computer with respect to software and the operating system (I.E. Windows), you'll definitely enjoy this edition of the Gazette, written in Simple English. There's lots of great learning stuff in this article, so stay tuned!

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Have you ever experienced an application or game that ran sluggish -- and wished there was something that you could do to "make it go faster"? Have you ever wanted to have complete control over what programs run on your PC -- beyond TaskManager and the Windows Startup?

Well, now you can.

Process viewers are software packages which enhance and expand upon the Windows Task Manager*, and are responsible for listing and briefly describing each of the programs that are running on your Windows PC.

One of the most powerful process viewers was recently developed by Leading Interactive, and is called WinTasks 4 Professional.

Side note: The Windows Task Manager is the window which appears when you press CTRL + ALT + DEL on the keyboard from within Windows. Its primary functions are to list which tasks are operating and allow the user to switch to / end a task.

What is WinTasks Professional?

Like a Task Manager on steroids, WinTasks Pro empowers the PC user to take complete control over the priorities of all active programs -- including those which are responsible for deteriorating PC performance.

In short, WinTasks Pro can: improve program performance by adjusting task priority levels, quickly and easily manipulate erratic and crashed programs, help to identify actively running and suspect processes (such as Trojans, Viruses, and Spyware*), streamline Windows startup time, log system activity, and identify / define tasks associated with .DLLs (Dynamic Link Libraries)*.

That's a mouthful!

Side note: In general, Spyware is software which records information about you or your computer usage -- without your knowledge -- and then relays this information to a third party (quite often, for marketing purposes). DLL's are common files which are shared amongst other programs and the Windows OS. Almost all programs written for Windows use DLL's [Dynamic Link Libraries].

WinTasks 4: Features and Layout

WinTasks's interface is similar to Windows TaskManager (CTRL + ALT + DEL), but much more detailed and color-coded for ease-of-use. WinTasks interface uses familiar icon pictures on buttons for navigation. The main screen displays all of the tasks that are currently running on the PC, the priority of each process, the number of threads*, memory usage, and the date / time the process started.

Similar to the Microsoft MSConfig utility, WinTasks Pro offers an AutoStart Window which is used to remove unnecessary programs from the PC's startup in order to speed up and improve boot time.

The color to the left of each listed task signifies its importance relative to the Windows Operating System. For example, a red icon indicates that the task is a critical to system function, and should be left untouched. Whenever a process is highlighted, a new window opens with details about the purpose and function of the task.

Side note: Programs can "spawn" (I.E.: give birth to / start) a new sub-process, called a thread. Since a thread runs from the parent process (or program), its function is relative to its parent. A "parent process" (as it is referred to) can spawn [and create] multiple child processes to achieve more work done in less computing time (I.E.: per CPU clock cycle).

Now that's interesting stuff!

WinTasks 4: Running it on my own System

I was recently downloaded and installed a shareware program which encodes audio and video multimedia (movie) files. This program was *very* CPU intensive and it often takes a long time to process a single file. Using WinTasks 4, I was able to increase the encoder priority and finish the encoding job in much less time than it normally would have taken.

Gamers will find WinTasks especially useful because it can used to manipulate and tweak a system by limiting CPU-heavy programs (such as virus scanners), which can make the gaming experience much more fluid (I.E.: faster).

One thing which really impressed me about WinTasks was its presentation and descriptions of common tasks (including critical DLL information). This makes WinTasks Pro particularly helpful when attempting to eliminate tasks which induce resource leaks, Trojans, Viruses, Spyware, and even DLL Hell*.

Side note: A resource leak can cause a system to act erratic and may result in a system crash. In the same respect, a .DLL which "runs wild" may overstep its boundaries and may even cause a program to stop responding, run out of memory, or halt Windows entirely (I.E.: blue screen of death).

WinTasks: Compatibility

WinTasks Professional is made for Windows 98, ME, 2000, or XP (not NT).

Conclusion

The WinTasks manual does an excellent job explaining critical system operations (similar to what was already discussed in this review). Should you use WinTasks Pro on your system, I highly recommend that you read the manual in order to take advantage of all that WinTasks Pro has to offer.

In all, WinTasks Professional provides an easy-to-use interface which is simple enough for Novices, while its extraordinary feature-rich attributes are sure to please Power users. In a class by itself, WinTasks 4 Professional is a "must have Windows performance-enhancement utility" (CNET.com).

WinTasks: Download

WinTasks Professional can be downloaded from the Li Utilities web site:

http://www.infopackets.com/articles/wintasks4+professional.htm