What does background mode mean in an Android phone? How to limit background data for a metered Wi-Fi network on Android
What could be more exciting than getting to know a new smartphone you just bought? Alas, over time it loses its luster and gradually begins to work more and more slowly. You have to charge your smartphone more often, applications open more and more slowly. If this is your case, there are a few tips you can use to inhale into the device new life and improve the situation. Among other things, you need to control which programs are running in the background.
Managing background processes
The best option to regain control over processes is to use the monitoring tools included with Android itself. What the process view screen looks like, how to access it, and what it is called depends on the specific version of Android and the shell from the manufacturer. Sometimes, before you start looking, you need to enable developer settings.- In versions before Android Marshmallow for this you need to open Settings > About phone and click on the build number seven times. You will receive a notification that developer settings have been unlocked.
- On many devices you need to look for the option "Processes" or "Process statistics" by the address Settings > For Developers > Processes. Here you will get a list of currently running processes and find out how much memory each of them is using.
- Naturally, you need to stop the processes that consume the most memory. This should not be done thoughtlessly; you need to understand what you are stopping. Stopping some applications may cause the operating system to crash.
Some smartphones, like , do not allow you to access developer settings by clicking on the build number and have special methods. In this case, it is best to search the Internet for an option to unlock developer settings on your smartphone model. You need to dial in the dialer ##6961## and look at the address Settings > Special abilities> For developers > Process statistics.
If you have a clean version or more modern, look for options at Settings > Memory >, there is an opportunity to stop processes manually.
Which applications to stop
So, if you don't want programs or your smartphone in general to crash, you need to be careful. An application called " Google Services"and any other in the word Google in the title should not be stopped manually.
IN in this example there was no need for Kik applications, Facebook Pages Manager and a number of other services. In some cases, services are automatically restarted. If you click on the "Advanced" button, you can see the amount of memory used by cached processes. Here the stopping rules are the same as for applications.
For those applications that do not want to leave (if you kill Kik through the processes tab, it will start again), you need to open Settings > Applications > Application Manager and force stop or delete the application.
- To stop an application manually through the process list, open Settings > For Developers > Processes and click on the button "Stop".
- To force stop or remove an application manually through the application list, Open Settings > Applications > Application Manager and select the desired program. Don't delete apps that appear when you select the option "Show system applications."
- To force stop an application in a pure version of Android Marshmallow or higher, open Settings > Memory > Memory used by applications.
What uses up battery power
If you looked around carefully when you followed the steps above, you could see information regarding energy consumption in each application. However, going into each application and seeing how much energy it consumes is not the best method work.Open instead Settings > Battery and see what options are available here on your smartphone. On different models they are different, but at least there should be a list of all installed applications, which have consumed energy since the last recharge. You can then decide which applications you will stop.
The rules for stopping and deleting applications apply here too, you need to be careful. Some smartphones separate applications in the section "Battery" into system and non-system, others into hardware and software applications.
Theoretically, each new Android version adds more useful features work with the battery, resulting in the number of required manual settings is shrinking. In Android Marshmallow, the most useful new option is Doze, which puts the smartphone into hibernation mode when it is not moving. There is a Doze 2.0 function, which also works when the smartphone moves, if you do not turn on its screen.
Samsung and other manufacturers offer their own options for battery and RAM functions, so there is no advice for all occasions. Some believe that Doze mode is harmful to duration battery life, but you can check it yourself.
Applications for completing tasks and optimizing RAM
Android and devices are constantly improving, so many people believe that optimization apps do more harm than good to your battery life. They are trying to solve the problem of running apps in the background that waste resources. Since such applications run constantly, optimizers become one of them, increasing the load on the battery and RAM.Task completion applications constantly force applications to stop in the background, resulting in permanent launch and closing processes, energy consumption increases. You may waste less energy by allowing apps to run in the background.
Some believe that if you root your device, you will gain more control over it. Many programs require root to close processes. If you decide to go this route, try the Greenify app; This automatic program for hibernation, which also works on devices without root.
True, without root it will not be possible to automatically put applications into hibernation and some other functions, but it will be possible to add a widget to home screen to hibernate manually with one click. There is also useful options to expand the capabilities of the Doze function, which also does not require root.
Hello, friends! In this short lesson I want to talk about background mode and why is it needed at all. Most programs that a user runs on a computer run in active mode. This means that they are displayed on the panel Windows tasks and in the task manager on the Applications tab. If you look at the “Processes” tab, you will find much more large quantity entries than in the application tab that are currently running. You can read more about the task manager and how to use it in my article “”.
If you open any program, then in the task manager in the “Processes” tab you can see this running program. For example, if you open Opera browser then you will see running process"Opera.exe". If you open the task manager, go to the “Processes” tab and check the “Display processes of all users” checkbox. With this action you will display processes running on the computer under other users, as well as system processes, which are necessary for normal operation.
All processes that do not require user interaction usually run in the background. The program running in the background requires self-execution tasks assigned to it, without the participation (or almost without the participation) of the user.
Programs running this way consume computer resources in the same way as applications that appear on the taskbar. Therefore launch large quantity programs that hide their icon in the tray or do not remind you of themselves at all can greatly affect the performance of your computer.
Can run in the background regular programs, for which the appropriate settings are set. In this case, the application icon is usually displayed in the notification area (system tray or in English system tray - part of the taskbar between the clock and active tasks). Antivirus can be considered the most typical representative of this group. If you close the main antivirus window by clicking on the “cross”, the window will disappear, but your antivirus will continue to protect your computer by moving to the tray. 
Some programs can be configured so that when you click on the “Close” button, they stop working completely, and when you click on the “Minimize” button, they disappear from the taskbar, but show their icon in the tray, thus moving into the background. This setting is usually called “Minimize to tray”.
Also running in the background are programs that are part of the operating system. In particular this system services, as well as other applications. Some of them are necessary for the system to function and cannot be stopped. Others are needed only for some specific functions that are not actually used by the user. Stopping such components can be very useful for saving computer resources, but it requires knowledge, the description of which is beyond the scope of this article.
There are also viruses running in the background, spyware and other malicious objects. Which is understandable, because the attacker wants the user not to know about their activity and tries to hide it from the user’s eyes.
To terminate processes, you need to know a little about the system programs that are commonly used to do the job.
When my PC is slow, I press ++ to close unnecessary programs. However, among them there are some that I cannot identify. What kind of programs are these?
Eric Andersen, pc. Illinois
Most of the things running in the background on your PC are: various programs. Close not used in currently- the idea is often sound, since it increases the speed of the system and prevents problems with programs. Determining which applications are significant and which are not requires some detective work.
Pressing the keyboard shortcut + + in Windows 98 and Me opens the End Programs dialog box, where you can select an application and click the End Task button. In Windows 2000 and XP, the same combination displays a much more complex Task Manager window (in Windows 2000, after clicking ++, you should also click on the “Task Manager” button). Don't worry, though: you'll only need two of the Task Manager tabs - Applications and Processes (Figure 1).
It's pretty easy to determine what makes sense to close the Applications tab, since most titles like Quicken or Microsoft Word, are easily identified. But finding out which processes can be safely stopped is a more tricky matter. Click on the Processes tab to see a long list of open executable files. When you select one of them and click on the “End Process” button, you receive a warning that in this way you can damage your system. This probably won't happen, but it's still worth saving everything on disk. open documents before experimenting.
If you are unable to identify a specific process listed in the Shutdown window or Task Manager, look for the name of the corresponding file on your hard drive. This should give some hint as to which program launched this process. Write down the name mentioned in the Quit Programs or Task Manager window on a piece of paper and click on the “Cancel” button to exit the dialog box. Then select the options “Start? Find? Files and folders”, and in Windows XP - “Start? Search? Files and folders”. In Windows XP, enter the name of the file you are looking for in the "Part of the file name or the entire file name" field and select the "Search in" (or "Search in") option in the drop-down menu. Local disks"(in Windows 98 - "Local hard disks"). Click on the “Find” button and find the file in the list displayed on the right flap. If listed actions will not help identify the mysterious process (or application), then enter the file name in the window Google search or out another window search engine. There you will definitely find some useful information about this file.
Here are some programs that can be confusing when accessed: dialog box shutting down programs in Windows 98/Me.
- Explorer and Systray. Keep these basics Windows components constantly open.
- Rnaap. This program is loaded when you use a dial-up connection and remains in memory until you exit Windows. Close it - the system will load it again if necessary.
- Ctfmon.exe. Microsoft Company states that closing this utility, included with Office XP, can make Office work unstable. This program stops loading when you uninstall from Office feature Alternative User Input.
Here are some common process names listed on the Processes tab of Task Manager in Windows 2000 and XP.
- Explorer.exe, LASS.EXE, services.exe, system and WINLOGON.EXE. These essential parts of Windows must remain running.
- Iexplore.exe. Closing this executable causes it to stop working Internet browser Explorer.
- Taskmgr.exe. Executable file the Task Manager itself (in English - Task Manager).
- Svchost.exe. It often happens that there is more than one copy of a given host process for .dll files running on the system. Although closing one of them probably won't cause any serious damage, it will sometimes cause the application to crash.
- Msmsgs.exe. If you don't use Microsoft Messenger (not to be confused with Windows Messenger), then feel free to disable this program.
- Spoolsv.exe. This is a program that maintains a print queue, so Windows will most likely not allow it to be closed so that the printer receives sufficient portions of data.
Sudden reboots
My husband's PC periodically reboots spontaneously. We cannot determine the reason. With what it can be connected?
Donna Hills, pc. Ohio
There are a lot of reasons for a sudden reboot. If they only happen when you are working with something specific application, then, apparently, it is to blame. Check to see if it is on the manufacturer's website of this product his updated version, or look for a more stable program.
Also try to find the “dirty guy” by disabling all applications that automatically launch when booting Windows. To do this, press +R, enter msconfig command and press. Click on the "Auto Start" tab, turn off all functions, click on OK and reboot the system. If the steps taken help solve the problem, then try again to connect the programs listed on the “Startup” tab one by one until the same problem appears again. When this happens, you will discover its source.
Scan your PC for viruses (this should be done regularly), and also update your hardware drivers.
If all this did not help to avoid sudden reboots, then they are most likely caused by system overheating. Open the PC case and clean the insides of dust using a can of compressed air(you can buy it at any computer store for about $10).
TO spontaneous reboots The power supply system may also be relevant. Try using a different power cable (which is cheap and easy) or replacing the surge protector (which is not as cheap, but just as easy). Also, make sure that your PC does not work in the same circuit with washing machine or other high-power household appliances that consume a lot of energy at irregular intervals.
Should I turn off my PC?
Should I turn off my PC if I don't intend to use it again during the day, or can I leave it on overnight?
David Cossio, pc. Ohio
Some experts argue that it is harmful for the computer to remain turned on while idle. Adherents of the opposite point of view believe that it is harmful for him to switch off. I am not convinced by the arguments of either one or the other.
One fact, however, is absolutely clear: turning off your PC saves both energy and money. But again, this is also ensured by turning on sleep mode, which is faster. When you put your computer in this state, Windows copies all the contents random access memory on HDD, and then turns off the equipment. When you turn on your PC, Windows restores the system to the state it was in before entering sleep mode. From a hardware standpoint, the computer was shut down, whereas for Windows you weren't going anywhere. Instructions on how to put your computer to sleep can be found at find.pcworld.com/34700 .
However, there are serious reasons for turning off the computer rather than leaving it in sleep mode, especially in Windows environment 98 or Me. With these versions of Windows running, the more time passes between reboots, the less stable the software environment becomes. If you only use hibernation, Windows never actually shuts down or restarts, and therefore becomes more prone to crashes. But with Windows 2000 and XP this problem does not arise.
Turn off your computer with one click
What is command line to exit Windows and what are its advantages over the standard operation?
Marilee Lawrence, pc. California
Shutting down Windows using a DOS-style command prompt provides all the options for shutting down your computer. For example, you can create a “Shut Down Windows” shortcut or organize batch file, which will perform some routine service functions before shutting down the system - defragment the hard drive, create backup copy data, etc.
See Scott Dunn's article on how to organize shortcuts. (see “PC World”, No. 7/01). However, you may need to change a particular command line because Scott's instructions are slightly outdated.
If you want to do something more fancy, say create a shortcut to help you defragment your hard drive and shut down the system, then create a simple batch file. To do this, select sequentially “Start? Programs (or All programs)? Standard? Notepad.” What commands you need to enter into a given batch file depends on the type of Windows versions, but note that the first line should run defragmentation and the second should shut down Windows, for example using the following commands:
- Windows 98 and Me: rundll.exe user.exe,exitwindows (no space after comma).
- Windows XP Home: shutdown -s.
- Windows 2000 and XP Pro: Neither OS has reliable team completion of the work, and therefore it is recommended to use the free Kill Win program from BK-Soft (Fig. 2). A copy of it can be written to the following address: find.pcworld.com/34703. If you install Kill Win in the default directory C:Killwin, then Windows operation The command line will end with c:killwinkillwin.exe /s.
Thus, if your computer is running, for example, in Windows XP Home Edition, then the batch file to complete the job should look like this:
Defrag c: shutdown -s
Save it in a folder convenient for you under the name, say, defragshutdown.bat. When you're ready to finish your work, simply use it as a shortcut.
Lincoln Spector. Which Background Programs Can I Close? PC World, July 2003, p. 154.
NTFS from floppy
Whenever the OS does not start from your hard drive, you reach for the boot floppy disk. But it starts the old operating system DOS system, which does not recognize hard drives with file system NTFS used by Windows 2000 and XP. Will help solve this problem free program NTFS Reader for DOS by NTFS.com. To view files and folders on an NTFS format hard drive, place NTFS Reader on boot diskette. This program is also suitable for copying these files to a FAT or network drive. You can download a copy of NTFS Reader for DOS at
Most users of smartphones and tablets running on the Android operating system have, one way or another, heard about such a feature of these devices as the background mode of programs. It can have a significant impact on the functioning of the device, as well as its performance, so it makes sense to learn more about such features.
What is background mode?
Any applications running on a device with operating system Android, can work both in the background and in active mode. Active mode represents explicit application operation that requires user attention or action. When answering the question of what Android background mode is, we should mention the category of background applications.
Similar programs include: various programs, whose work is suspended and not closed, as well as antivirus applications and other processes. Working in this mode allows you to save them during downtime, and not lose them, as happens when the application is restarted. This mode has quite a lot of advantages. These include:
- Implementation of multitasking. Thanks to the ability to switch applications from active to hidden format, the user is able to work in several applications simultaneously.
- Saving data. If necessary, perform any action, the user can pause the application in order to restore it later without losing the entered data (progress in games, etc.).
- Usage background services, making the operation of a smartphone or tablet correct and convenient for the user. Moreover, most of these services work unnoticed by him, in secretive mode.
In view of this, the emergence of the possibility of using background programs became a truly important breakthrough in the development of devices running this OS.
Disadvantages of background mode
There is a certain list of disadvantages inherent in running applications in the background. Firstly, all of them, as a rule, waste a certain amount of gadget resources, which negatively affects performance. Secondly, a similar situation is observed with the battery charge, which takes many running applications similar to continuous conversation.
In this article I continue the theme of optimizing your computer; today we will stop some programs running in the background to speed up and operate your PC.
In the last lesson, we disabled programs from startup (if you haven’t read this lesson, I advise you to start there), thereby increasing performance, and now we will disable Windows services running in the background.
Any of these services can be either system or third-party, but they all eat up a small part of the system’s resources; if you consider that there are several dozen of them, the load increases noticeably.
Of course in most cases system programs those working in the background are needed for the normal operation of the computer, but there are some that are not needed at all and are unlikely to be needed by anyone.
When disabling yourself, you need to be extremely careful; when disabling any process, you need to know what it is responsible for so as not to harm the OS. Below I will give a small list of what can be excluded and what can be switched to manual mode.
What programs can I disable?
To do this you need to log in Service Management by pressing right click Click on the My Computer shortcut, which is located on your desktop, or select Computer from the Start menu. In the menu that appears, select Control
then click on Services and applications and the last point Services. Here you can see all the necessary and unnecessary programs working in the background, in total I have more than 150 of them!
First of all, I advise you to look through the entire list and find some familiar programs that you may have installed and simply disable them.
For example: torrent clients µTorrent or BitComet you can safely disable them, unless of course you distribute some files day and night. Program Skype(Skype) if you call once a month, then why will he waste resources every day?
Also with other programs, if there is no need for it to work every minute, feel free to stop it. Do not be confused in any way, disabling a program does not mean it will not work in the future! When you need it, just launch it from the shortcut as you usually do.
Background mode is a standby mode, that is, the program is always running, although it is not used.
And finally, the list I promised Windows services which can be disabled for sure or switched to manual mode.
Parental Control– turn off
KtmRm for distributed transaction coordinator– manually
Adaptive adjustment- disabling brightness is necessary only for PC owners. with built-in light sensor for automatic adjustment monitor brightness
WWAN auto setup– disable if you do not have CDMA or GSM modules
Windows Firewall– disable it if your antivirus has this service
Computer browser– translate manually when not used local network
Support IP Service– turn off
Secondary login– disable or manually
Dispatcher automatic connections remote access – disable or manually
Print Manager– turn it off if we don’t use the printer
Windows Defender– disable it, a completely unnecessary service
Distributed Transaction Coordinator– turn off
NetBIOS Support Module– disable, but on the condition that there is no local network (connection of 2 computers or more)
Setting up a Remote Desktop Server– turn off
Service Bluetooth support – turn it off, I don’t think this is relevant now.
Download service Windows images(WIA)– if you use a scanner, you don’t touch anything
Remote service Windows management – turn off
Remote Desktop Service– turn off
Smartcard– turn off
Tablet PC input service– turn off
Remote registry- everything is generally bad here; there is an opinion that this is a kind of open door for a virus that can change the system registry. Definitely disable
Fax– we turn it off, it’s completely a thing of the past.
To disable a service, double-click on it with the left mouse button, a window will open where we change the value Startup type from Automatic to Disabled then Stop//Apply//OK. This is how we deal with every service we dislike.
This is the list of services that I was able to find out about; I will be glad if anyone can add to it in the comments to this article.
On this this article finished, but the topic of optimization should be continued, subscribe to updates so as not to miss it and other subsequent articles.
Valery Semenov, moikomputer.ru