Task Manager alternative

Apr 19, 2009 17:41 GMT  ·  By

Extended Task Manager

This process manager is the closest thing to the default Windows Task Manager you'll get. But although the shape and structure are the same, there are plenty of dissimilarities in terms of options and settings to differentiate them. Just as its name suggests, it is an extended version of the process manager included in your copy of the operating system.

First and foremost, Extended Task Manager brings additional tabs and plenty of extra options for you to tinker with.

If you spend enough time with it, it will get under your skin so deep that you will decide to use the Windows Task Manager replacement feature. Besides the fact that it will offer all the windows available in the default application in the operating system it will also provide functions for showing the files needed by a specific process (locked files) or googling information on a process.

A very handy options with regard to processes is the “freeze” function, which, once enabled, causes the process to enter a suspended mode. It will not terminate, just sit there in the exact manner as a non-responsive window but without the huge CPU usage.

For Vista users nostalgic about the Shut Down menu in XP's Task Manager, this tool from Extensoft puts the menu right back in, with the same options as the original. Extended Task Manager makes available not two graphs as the process manager in Windows, but three, two for CPU and RAM history and one for disk I/O usage. And if you think that it will not offer access to the Resource Monitor under Vista, think again because the Performance tab provides a shortcut to the applet.

Granular control over the information listed in the different tabs of the applications is achieved by switching to configuration view. All the tabs support a minimum configuration for at least picking the visible columns. Regardless of your computer skills it will take a while to go through all the tabs and their settings.

Port monitoring is not something you generally find in such an instrument, but Extended Task Manager makes no rebate when it comes to informing the user of as many details as possible and makes available this tab that permits viewing the applications currently connected to the Internet, the local and remote IP and communicating ports, current state and the protocol used.

Extended Task Manager fully deserves its name and both advanced and average computer users will find it a pleasant tool to inform them on the current state of the system and running processes. Besides its elevated functionality, ease of use is also an advantage. Plus, it integrates perfectly in Windows and can replace the default Task Manager.

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