Step it up a notch – Use the Resource Monitor in Windows 7

Typical computer power users, including us gaming geeks, CAD engineers/designers, and the like, need to know what is happening when our computer decides to punish us unexpectedly with a process hanging, or running out of RAM.

To troubleshoot these issues, we instinctively open task manager, find the process, and end it. The task manager is a good tool, and it gives a bit of upfront information. However, new to Windows 7 is the windows Resource Monitor, and it is a tool that any power user cannot live without.

To open the Resource monitor, either open your task manager (you did know you can use ctrl+shift+esc to open it right?) then click the “Performance Tab”. There will be a resource monitor button you can click. Or, open the start menu, and type “resmon.exe”.

Look at all this geeky goodness!

Windows Resource Monitor is a powerful tool for understanding how your system resources are used by processes and services. In addition to monitoring resource usage in real time, Resource Monitor can help you analyze unresponsive processes, identify which applications are using files, and control processes and services. (credit – Win 7 help)

From the Windows Resource Monitor, you can track memory usage, disk activity, network usage and CPU usage and activity.  It’s simply a tool that you cannot live without, if you perform large data migrations, CAD simulation, flow analysis or other computer intensive tasks.

You can change views, looking at in-depth specifics of each category (CPU, Memory, Disk, Network) and you can also control when to stop or start monitoring the system.  You can load and save configuration files, and also start, stop, resume processes and services from directly within the tool.

The next time your computer acts up, or you just want to see what is making your computer tick, give it a try.  You will not be disappointed.

As always, if you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me – dan.gamsby@javelin-tech.com

Happy Monitoring – you’re all grown up now!