How to Read the Performance Tab in Task Manager
- 1). Press "Ctrl," "Alt" and "Delete" simultaneously on your keyboard to bring up "Windows Task Manager." Click the "Performance" tab.
- 2). Look at the "Totals" section. This provides information on how many handles -- active links between files and objects on your computer -- are active, as well as the number of active threads and processes on your machine.
- 3). Examine the four graphs that make up the top half of "Windows Task Manager." The two bar graphs on the left give a basic indication of how much system resources your computer is using. The top graph displays general CPU usage, while the bottom graph explains how much of your system's "Page File" is in use.
- 4). Watch the graphs to the right. These are the "History" graphs, and they display how much activity there has been in your CPU (on the top) and "Page File" (on the bottom.) If your computer has more than one processor, there will be an equivalent number of CPU Usage History graphs.
- 5). Return to the readings beneath the graphs. The "Physical Memory" reading details how much RAM you have installed in your computer, how much is currently available and how much is used for the "System Cache."
- 6). Examine the "Kernel Memory" and "Commit Charge" sections. These detail how much memory is being used by kernels on your computer and how much virtual memory is in use at the time, respectively.
