When you first open Task Manager, the Applications tab is visible by default. In some ways this tab is similar to the Close Program window that appears when you press Ctrl+Alt+Delete on a Windows 98 or ME system. This tab is used to view the foreground programs current open on your PC, along with status information. Normally a program should show a status of “Running”, although a misbehaving application may be listed as “Not Responding”. By clicking on an item in this list, you have the ability to either end the task or switch to the task using the End Task and Switch To buttons at the bottom of the screen respectively. More often than not, you’ll be using this tab strictly for the purpose of closing an unresponsive application.
If you look a little deeper, however, the tab does provide a few other interesting functions. If you right-click on a particular program, a shortcut menu appears, allowing you to perform a variety of functions. Most of the options on the menu are self-explanatory, but one in particular is very useful – Go To Process. When selected, this option switches to the Processes tab, and highlights the particular process associated with the application. For example, if you were to select this option for Internet Explorer, you would be brought to the associated process on the Processes tab, in this case IEXPLORE.EXE.
