Running multiple applications simultaneously in Windows for long periods leads to a gradual decrease in system performance over time. Often the only option is a Restart. Even if you close the application in the Task Manager, the tasks/threads associated with the application are not released completely, depleting the system’s memory resources making the system unstable and sluggish. The following tip is designed to offer fast relief:
- Right-click on your desktop and select New > Shortcut
- In the text box enter the command:
%windir%\system32\rundll32.exe advapi32.dll,ProcessIdleTasks - Click Next. In the next screen, name the shortcut: for example, Clear Memory
- Click on Finish
Whenever you feel that the system is sluggish you can double click on this shortcut and it will take care of the idle tasks by removing them. This can be used before you resort to restarting/rebooting the system.
DISCLAIMER This tip requires changes to processes/components that may lead to undesirable system behavior. While I personally test all tips before publishing them, I dont takes responsibility for the potential side effects of tips.
Note to this tip: Because this tip involves shutting down application processes, there is the possibility that some applications could be shut down improperly, leading to unexpected application behavior. That said, the following tip has been running happily on my machine for many months without any problems so far.
Cheers,
Vaibhav
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