Are there any sources of information about what all the background tasks are doing on a PC? I presume any spyware must be running as a background task.... Phil Minnis
Yes. In Windows XP, the Task Manager (invoked by Ctrl-Alt-Del) shows which applications and processes are running in the background. You can also use my favourite, the free Process Explorer. But identifying rogue processes can be a bit tricky, so there are a few things to do before you get to that stage.
First, run some anti-virus and adware checking software such as Avast, AVG, Spybot Search & Destroy and, online, Housecall. (All these are free for personal use.)
Second, run one or more programs that tell you which programs are started or run when you boot Windows. I use Startup Inspector for Windows and HiJackThis. These should enable you to track down any nasties that might have slipped past the malware checkers.
And finally, to get to your question, go to the WinTasks Process Library. This starts, very usefully, with a list of the top security risks. However, be careful, as some malware uses names that are extremely similar or even idenitical to legitimate parts of Windows.
I have previously recommended the Black Viper site for lists of services. This isn't available at the moment (see below) but MajorGeeks has a mirror of the Black Viper information.
* The site said: "I will be shutting down the web site again on September 21, 2005 while I get ready to move to Northern California. The domain will be up again as soon as possible."
