Windows 8 : Managing Installed and Running Programs (part 1) - Managing Currently Running Programs, Managing, Repairing, and Uninstalling Programs, Designating Default Programs

Windows 8 provides several management tools for working with programs. These tools include:

• Task Manager Provides options for viewing and managing running programs, as well as options for viewing resource usage and performance

• Programs Provides tasks for viewing installed programs, adding and removing programs, viewing installed updates, and more

• Default Programs Helps you track and configure global default programs for the computer, personal default programs for individual users, AutoPlay settings for multimedia, and file associations for programs

• Windows Features Helps you view and manage the Windows components installed on a computer

• Assoc Helps you view and manage file type associations

• Ftype Helps you view and manage file type definitions

These tools and related configuration options are discussed in the sections that follow.

Managing Currently Running Programs

In Windows 8, you can view and work with a computer’s currently running programs and processes by using Task Manager. You can open Task Manager by pressing Ctrl+Alt+Delete and then selecting Task Manager. Alternatively, tap or click the lower-left corner of the screen and then tap or click Task Manager on the shortcut menu.

By default, Task Manager displays a summary list of running applications, as shown in Figure 1. When you tap or click an application in the list, you can manage it. To exit an application (which might be necessary when it is not responding), tap or click the application in the Task list, and then tap or click End Task. To display other management options, press and hold or right-click the application in the Task list.

Figure 1. Use summary view to quickly manage running applications.

When working with the summary view, you can tap or click More Details to open the full Task Manager. You’ll then see detailed information about running applications and processes, as shown in Figure 2. The Processes tab lists applications and processes running on the computer. Generally, items listed under the Apps heading are applications that you’ve started, processes being run in the background by Windows are listed under Background Processes, and all other processes running on the computer are listed under Windows Processes.

Figure 2. Use the full view of Task Manager to get an expanded view of running applications and processes.

Each application or process is listed by name, status, CPU usage, memory usage, disk usage, and network usage. A blank status means the application or process is in a normal state. As with the summary view, you can exit an application or stop a running process by tapping or clicking the application or process in the Task list, and then tapping or clicking End Task.

Double-tap or double-click the application or process to see related windows or processes. Display more management options by pressing and holding or right-clicking the application or process in the Task list. The options include Open File Location, which opens the folder containing the executable file for the application or process in File Explorer; Create Dump File, which creates a memory dump file for the selected process; Go To Details, which opens the Details tab with the process selected; and Properties, which opens the Properties dialog box for the executable file.

Managing, Repairing, and Uninstalling Programs

Windows 8 considers any program you’ve installed on a computer or made available for a network installation to be an installed program. In Windows XP and earlier, you use the Add Or Remove Programs utility to install and manage programs. In Windows 8, you use the setup program that comes with the program to install programs, and you use the Programs And Features page in Control Panel to manage programs.

You can use the Programs And Features page to view, add, remove, or repair installed programs by following these steps:

1. In Control Panel, tap or click Programs. Tap or click Programs And Features. You should see a list of installed programs.

2. In the Name list, press and hold or right-click the program you want to work with. The options available depend on the program you are working with and include:

   • Uninstall to uninstall the program

   • Uninstall/Change to uninstall or modify the program

   • Change to modify the program’s configuration

   • Repair to repair the program’s installation (if available)

When you are uninstalling programs, keep the following in mind:

• Windows warns you if you try to uninstall a program while other users are logged on. Generally, you should be sure that other users are logged off before uninstalling programs. Otherwise, you might cause other users to lose data or experience other problems.

• Windows will allow you to remove only those programs that were installed with a Windows-compatible setup program. Although most applications have a setup program that uses InstallShield, Wise Install, or Windows Installer, older programs might have a separate uninstall utility. Some older programs work by copying their data files to a program folder. In this case, you uninstall the program by deleting the related folder.

• Many uninstall programs leave behind data either inadvertently or by design. As a result, you often find folders for these applications within the Program Files folder. You could delete these folders, but they might contain important data files or custom user settings that could be used again if you reinstall the program.

• Sometimes, the uninstall process fails. Often, you can resolve any problem simply by rerunning the uninstaller for the program. Occasionally, you might need to clean up after the uninstall process. This might require removing program files and deleting remnants of the program in the Windows registry. A program called Fix It Portable can help you clean up the registry. To learn more about this program and get the downloadable executable, visit http://support.microsoft.com/mats/Program_Install_and_Uninstall/. At the Microsoft website, instead of choosing Run Now, click the Advanced options and then click the Download option to save the executable file. After downloading, run the executable file and follow the prompts to install.

Designating Default Programs

Default programs determine which programs are used with which types of files and how Windows handles files on CDs, DVDs, and portable devices. You configure default programs based on the types of files those programs support, either globally for all users of a computer or only for the current user. Individual user defaults override global defaults. For example, you could select Windows Media Player as the global default for all types of files it supports, and then all users of the computer would use Windows Media Player to play the sound, audio, and video files it supports. If a specific user wanted to use Apple iTunes instead as the default player for sound and audio files, you could configure iTunes to be that user’s default player for the types of media files it supports.

You can configure global default programs for all the users of a computer by following these steps:

1. In Control Panel, tap or click Programs. Tap or click Default Programs, and then tap or click Set Program Access And Computer Defaults. You’ll see the dialog box shown in Figure 3.

   

   Figure 3. Choose a global default configuration.

2. Choose a configuration from one of the following options:

   • Microsoft Windows Sets the currently installed Windows programs as the default programs for browsing the web, sending email, playing media files, and so on

   • Non-Microsoft Sets the currently installed programs as the default programs for browsing the web, sending email, playing media files, and so on

   • Custom Enables you to choose programs as the defaults for browsing the web, sending email, playing media files, and so on

3. Tap or click OK to save the settings.

To override global defaults, you can set default programs for individual users. You can configure default programs for the current user by following these steps:

1. In Control Panel, tap or click Programs. Tap or click Default Programs, and then tap or click Set Your Default Programs.

2. Select a program you want to work with in the Programs list.

3. If you want the program to be the default for all the file types and protocols it supports, tap or click Set This Program As Default.

4. If you want the program to be the default for specific file types and protocols, tap or click Choose Defaults For This Program. Select the file extensions for which the program should be the default, and then tap or click Save.