[The Star Hermit]

c. Windows XP

1. Hold down the Ctrl and Alt keys on your keyboard at the same time, and press the Delete key once to display Task Manager if you have Home Edition.
2. If you have Professional Edition click Task Manager

To End Applications

1. Click on the Applications tab to view the list of active programs.
2. Click on any program listed in this window and select the End Task button.
3. Repeat the previous instructions until all programs have been closed.

To End Processes

1. Click on the Processes tab to view the list of active processes.
2. Click in the User Name column header to organize the processes by login.
3. Click on any program listed next to your Windows login, other than EXPLORER.EXE and TASKMGR.EXE, then select the End Process button.
4. Repeat the previous instructions until all programs associated to your Windows Login are closed other than TASKMGR.EXE and EXPLORER.EXE

Note: Do not close any processes running under SYSTEM, LOCAL SERVICE, or NETWORK SERVICE.

That's it. Don't forget that any background applications or processes that you shut down will be unavailable to you, but they will return to normal the next time you reboot.