Windows' Task Manager lets you easily shut down hidden or troubled apps, check which programs are hogging memory, and analyze CPU usage. You may be a Task Manager aficionado, but you may not know the fastest way to reach the utility.
In Windows 2000 and XP, you can launch Task Manager by pressing [Ctrl]-[Alt]-[Delete] to display the Windows Security dialog box, then clicking the Task Manager button. Another, faster way to get Task Manager - without the three-finger salute to Redmond, is to simply right click an empty spot on the taskbar, and choose Task Manager.
And here's a trick to make Task Manager even handier: when Task Manager is running, it displays a tiny animated CPU-usage icon in the system tray (located in the lower right corner of the screen). You can hold the cursor over the icon for a moment to see CPU-usage percentage displayed in a tool tip.
Like this feature? Why not make Task Manager run all the time, by placing a shortcut to it in your Startup folder? Right-click the Start button and choose Open. Double-click Programs, then double-click Startup. Choose Start|Search|For Files or Folder, type "taskmgr.exe" in the top box, enter your start-up drive in the �Look in' box (for most people it will be "c:\"), and click Search Now. When you see the Task Manager program file listed in the Search Results window, right-drag it to your open start-up folder. When you release the mouse button, choose Create Shortcut(s) Here. Now right-click the new shortcut and choose Properties. Select the shortcut tab and choose Minimized from the Run drop-down list. Click OK. To keep Task Manager out of your way when you don't need it, double-click the shortcut to launch it, and in the menu bar at the top of the Task Manager window, choose Options|Hide When Minimized.
Task Manager will now start invisibly, but you'll be able to open its window anytime by double-clicking the CPU-usage icon in the system tray.