Windows Task Manager separates its display of what’s running on your computer into two tabs. The Applications tab lists each running program by name; the Processes tab is a much longer list that shows every executable file that’s running, including child processes, services, and processes that run in the background.
In Windows XP, you can right-click on any item in the Applications list and choose Go To Process from the shortcut menu. But once you reach the Processes tab, you’re at a dead end. If a process is sucking the life out of your CPU, or if you find a mysterious process that you can’t identify that you think might be associated with malware, you’re on your own. You have to use search tools to find the file responsible for that process and then figure out what it is.