- Quick specs
- Price: Free
- Operating system: Windows 95, Windows Me, Windows NT, Windows XP, Windows 2000, Windows 98
- Date added: May 21, 2007
- Total Downloads: 435,130
- Downloads last week: 4,603
- See full specifications
A newer version of Process Explorer is available.
(Download doesn't provide access to previous versions of this program.)
- CNET editors' rating: stars
- Average user rating: stars out of 354 votes
See all user reviews
CNET editors' review
Reviewed by: CNET Staff
If you've ever tried tracking down a process in Windows Task Manager, you know it's like looking for a needle in a haystack. Process Explorer makes the job a lot easier. This freeware utility displays running processes in an intuitive tree format that includes not only process names, but also program icons and other data, such as description, image, and processor time.
It also can identify the process for a given application window or look up a process name in Google--a handy way to spot spyware. Additional features offer detailed information on performance, DLLs, threads, handles, TCP/IP connections, security settings, and environments. Despite its lack of visual polish, Process Explorer is one of the best Task Manager replacements we've seen.
Publisher's description
From Sysinternals :Process Explorer is an advanced process management utility that picks up where Task Manager leaves off. It will show you detailed information about a process including its icon, command-line, full image path, memory statistics, user account, security attributes, and more. When you zoom in on a particular process you can list the DLLs it has loaded or the operating system resource handles it has open. A search capability enables you to track down a process that has a resource opened, such as a file, directory or Registry key, or to view the list of processes that have a DLL loaded.
The Process Explorer display consists of two sub-windows. The top always shows a list of the currently active processes, including the names of their owning accounts, whereas the information displayed in the bottom window, which you can close, depends on the mode that Process Explorer is in: if it is in handle mode you will see the handles that the process selected in the top window has opened; if Process Explorer is in DLL mode you will see the DLLs and memory-mapped files that the process has loaded.
Process Explorer does not require administrative privileges to run and works on Windows 9x/Me, Windows NT 4.0, Windows 2000, Windows XP, Server 2003 and on the x64 version of 64-bit Windows XP and Windows Server 2003.
Version 10.2 adds virtualized columns, process properties, and a signed driver for 64-bit Vista.
What's new in this version:
Version 10.2 adds virtualized columns, process properties, and a signed driver for 64-bit Vista.
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User reviews of Process Explorer 10.21
- Average user rating: 4.0 stars out of 354 votes
- My rating: 0 stars Write review
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Showing 5 of 90 user reviewsSee all 90 user reviews
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41 out of 45 people found this review helpful
Version: Process Explorer 10.21
Pros: When my computer bogs down I open task manager to find out what is hogging resources. Usually when I find it, it's an acronym that means nothing to me. This program tells me what it is (without having to google the acronym). How does it make the computer run faster? You have to manually lower the process priority, or just kill it. Then you will know for sure how essential that process was. It works for me.
Cons: Too much information. Very Geeky -- but there is a help file.
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40 out of 43 people found this review helpful
Version: Process Explorer 10.21
Pros: Watch your processes in real-time to pinpoint where problems are, stuff that should not be there and stuff that should but not behaving properly.
Gives you the target so you can find out how to fix it, even if not directly through this application.
Fast, small, well organised and extremely informative.
I'm really grateful to these guys for this freeware app.
Cons: Need to be a bit brave to kill/delete some processes but if you're frustrated and desperate it's a risk worth taking.
If you're a technophobe, then get someone to help you because it requires some understanding of Windows OS mechanics.
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3 out of 11 people found this review helpful
Version: Process Explorer 10.21
"It works great with "Vista" to."
Pros: This is a nice application but it takes some common sense and time to research processes on line when your not positive. It gives me exact CPU, Memory and Paging usage. I was able to disable several unneeded processes on my "Vista" system. It doesn't install like software. you simply extract the exe to the desktop and go. This is an excellent, free application. If you use it with common sense, you will love it.
Cons: None that I can see but I do as I said in pros. I always do a "Google Search" when I'm not sure. I'm sure it will confuse some users.
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12 out of 13 people found this review helpful
Version: Process Explorer 10.21
Pros: I do not know how I ever got along without this program. The task manager that comes with Microsoft is so lacking and really useless because I never could make heads or tells of it. This program is so detailed you know every thing that is running on your computer. It lists the programs and the icons. There are so many option to use like...killing a program, stopping it and restarting it again. Some users might find the program a little over whelming...you must know your computer; at the very least know what programs are installed. Then you can identify what programs are resource hogs.
Cons: The down side...No supported help info which is why I think this is free. If it was a paid program Microsoft would support it. On the other hand if you are familiar with your computer as I stated above you really don't need a help file. But it would be nice to have. The other problem which I have read from some users is they can,t find the file??? That is because the software does not install itself onto your computer. This is what you can do extract the file, drag the file to your desktop, click on it to open the program, press run and there it is. Close the file when you are done with it and just leave the icon on your desktop then you can run it whenever you want to.
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2 out of 2 people found this review helpful
Version: Process Explorer 10.21
"does everything it should, a handy utility"
Pros: The detailed info about the processes in action on my computer are very handy. It does the job of task manager and more.
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