This document is intended to assist in closing all open or running programs as part of a troubleshooting process. After you perform the procedures in this document, a minimal set of programs is running on your computer.

Many programs can be open without you knowing about it—they may start automatically when you start Windows. Sometimes these programs run "in the background" with no indication that they are running. Some of these programs are essential Windows programs and should not be closed. Only close programs as directed to by this document or a support agent, or you risk making your system unstable.

STEP 1		Print this page
		We suggest that you print this page before you start. Expand each section by clicking the "+" before you actually print. PRINT Because you must return to this page after you restart the computer, add this page to Favorites.

STEP 2		Close the programs that are open
		1 Close any program that you see on the screen by clicking the X in the upper-right corner of the window.   2 Right-click a minimized program, and then click Close or Exit.

STEP 3		Close the programs that run in the background
		Even though you may not see any programs running, some programs may still be running in the background. To close these programs, follow the instructions for your operating system. I use Windows XP/2000   1 Press Ctrl+Alt+Delete. 2 In the Windows Security dialog box, click Task Manager. 3 Click the Applications tab.  4 Select the program that you want to close, and then click End Task.   5 Click the Processes tab. 6  Select the name of the process, and then click End Process.  Do not end any of these default Windows processes:   Windows 2000 Windows XP csrss.exe csrss.exe explorer.exe explorer.exe lsass.exe lsass.exe msiexec.exe services.exe mstask.exe smss.exe regsvc.exe spoolsv.exe services.ece svchost.exe smss.exe system spoolsv.exe system idle process svchost.exe winlogon.exe system system idle process winlogon.exe 7  Exit the Windows Task Manager. I use Windows Me/98 1 Press Ctrl+Alt+Delete.  Be careful not to press Ctrl+Alt+Delete more than once, or the computer will restart. There may be a slight delay between the time you press Ctrl+Alt+Delete and the time that the Close Program dialog box appears.   2 In the Close Program dialog box, select the program that you want to close, and then click End Task.  Do not select Explorer or Systray. Note Sometimes the program does not close on your first attempt, or a second window appears, stating that a program is not responding. If this happens, click End Task again. If you click End Task on a particular program and the computer either stops responding or restarts, remember which program it was. After restarting, begin again, but do not click End Task on that program in subsequent attempts. 3 To close additional programs, repeat steps 1 and 2 until you have closed all the programs except Explorer and Systray.

STEP 4		Turn off the screen saver
		1 Right-click anywhere on an empty area of the Windows desktop. 2 Click Properties.  3 Click the Screen Saver tab.  4 In the Screen Saver list, click None, as shown in this illustration:   5 Click OK.

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