Starting the Task-Manager from a Script? Why the Taskmanager may look broken.

[Theo Gottwald]

Mostly unnoted from Public there was a recent change in Windows about starting Programms, and especially the Task-Manager, using any sort of "execution command".
In PowerBasic this would be somes ort of "SHELL" or "Create Process"
in the SPR its just a "EXE." or "EXX.", "EXA."  Command etc.

So some time ago you could just start the Windows Taskmanager like this:

Code Select Expand

 
' Path to the Taskmanager-Executable in the Windows-Folder
$$PEA=?ws\Taskmgr.exe
' Test if the Taskmanager ist running, if so do not start it.
STW.HwctgX|1|taskmanagerwindow|task-manager|overb
  EXE.$$PEA
:overb


Now this was possibly a security problem, because the Task-Manager runs with System Privileges,
and it has the Option to start other programs. So they have removed this option in an Update.
Now this not more works.

Yes, you can still start the Task-Manager. It will show running Tasks.
But it will not show these nice CPU-Curves. It will not show Harddisk and RAM-Curves.
It will look "broken".

Because it will just be started "as Admin". An that's not enough. So it will just stay there more or less useless.
If you have seen a Task-Manager who "seems not to work properly" then this is likely your problem.
How can you start it anyway?

You can press {STRG},{SHIFT},{ESC} to start the Task-Manager.
Then it will have the needed System-Rights to work as you may have been used to it how it should work.

How I got to this?
So in my start Script (when my Computer starts up) i mostly immediately
create "4 Private Desktops" and place on each a "Desktops-Manager (left side) and Task-Manager (Right side).
Until a few month this worked fine. Then I realized "My Taskmanager is broken".
Now i started to find out whats wrong and because i never changed my Startup-Script,
I came to the conclusion: "There is a change in Windows."
So the only way to start a working Task Manager seems to be this one, you click {STRG},{SHIFT},{ESC} to start the Task-Manager.

In SPR you would write this:

Code Select Expand


STW.HwctgX|1|taskmanagerwindow|task-manager|overb
STW.ct|Progman|Program Manager
SCW.nct|1|SHELLDLL_DefView|{&NOTEXT:}
MLI.w|7898,29
KYD.{STRG},{SHIFT},{ESC}
PAU.0.100
KYU.{STRG},{SHIFT},{ESC}
PAU.1
  PAU.1
' Jump here is theTaskmanager is running
:overb
  STW.Hwct|60|taskmanagerwindow|task-manager
' Position the Taskmanager at the second Monitor, right Border
SWP.rb,tb|694,1108|M