Overview: Windows Preemptive Multitasking and Task Management

Introduction

• Windows is a preemptive multitasking operating system.
• It can run multiple applications and background services.
• The system proactively assigns resources to tasks such as CPU time, memory allocation, disk access, network access, and GPU access.

Resource Management

• Each task in a multitasking environment has its own virtual memory.
• The Windows kernel manages the mapping of virtual to physical memory.
• Tasks are allotted CPU time by the scheduler, which switches tasks as necessary.
• Resources are also distributed for disk, network, and other hardware needs.

Using Windows Task Manager

• Accessing Task Manager:

  • Right-click the taskbar and select "Task Manager".
  • Alternatively, use the Start menu.

• Performance Monitoring:

  • Provides an overview, including CPU, memory, disk usage, and network activities.
  • Graph displays can be changed to show logical processors for detailed CPU core usage.

• Processes Tab:

  • Lists all running applications and background processes.
  • Can sort processes by resource usage (CPU, memory, disk, network).

• Task Management:

  • Identify high resource usage tasks affecting system performance.
  • Option to end non-essential tasks that are consuming too many resources.

Monitoring Examples

• Task Manager can help diagnose why the system might be slow, such as identifying a process using excessive CPU or memory.
• Examples include using Microsoft Edge to run a YouTube video and downloading files to observe changes in resource usage.

Additional Features

• Startup: Manage which applications start with Windows.
• Users: Shows resource usage per user.
• Details: Advanced view of processes, including architecture and process IDs.

Summary

Task Manager is a powerful tool to monitor and manage system resources effectively, allowing users to maintain system performance by understanding and controlling what each process is doing.