Task Manager DeLuxe 1.5.0.0

Task Manager DeLuxe is a straightforward Task Manager alternative which provides more details about the processes running on your PC.

The program doesn't divide these up into Applications, Processes and "Processes from all users", for instance - just launch Task Manager DeLuxe and it'll include everything in a single Processes tab. It's able to display those processes in a list or tree form. And filters mean you can view, say, all the system processes, or all non-responding processes in a click or two, making it easy to find what you need.

Expand the Process Details tab and you're able to view useful information about any process at a glance (working set, number of threads, number of windows and so on). This can't compete with tools like Process Explorer or Process Hacker - there's no option to, say, view each thread in turn to see what it's doing - but the program still offers enough information to be useful.

The Services tab then details your installed services. There's a fraction more information here than you'd get with regular Task Manager - you get to see the service startup type and executable file name, for instance - and you're also able to filter the list by typing in your own keyword (type "print" to display only the Print Spool, say).

And elsewhere, a Sessions tab shows you network users connected to your PC, an Autoruns tab lists programs configured to launch when Windows starts, and a Performance tab graphs CPU and memory usage history, while also providing useful information that you won't find in the regular Task Manager (MAC and IP addresses, for instance).

Task Manager DeLuxe isn't particularly powerful, then. If you need total control over every thread then you still need something like Process Hacker. If you're looking for something simpler, though, less technical and intimidating, but still an improvement on what Windows has to offer, then Task Manager DeLuxe could be the ideal choice.

And this new edition can now even replace the default Task Manager. Just click System > Replace Task Manager to make it happen.

Task Manager DeLuxe is a handy intermediate-level tool, notably more powerful than Windows own task manager, but not as complex or intimidating as something like Process Hacker.