Keeping with the recent theme of Windows Task Manager, an idea I got from an article I read a while back (sorry, I can’t find the article), suggested setting Windows Task Manager as an item in your start up folder as a way to easily keep tabs on system resources. I started doing this about a month ago and it seems to be working really well for me (note: I’ve since replaced Task Manager with Process Explorer).

I have a shortcut to Process Explorer in my Startup folder (Start > Programs > Startup) so that every time I log into Windows, it automatically starts. Setting the shortcut preferences to start minimized and using the option in Process Explorer to hide when minimized causes the program to launch and automatically minimize itself to the system tray. This way I can view the live usage graph without having to do anything and allows me to see if any “spikes” in system usage occur.

For anyone who like to keep an eye on their system’s resources, this is definitely a handy trick.