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How can I find out what program keeps popping up in my taskbar then disappearing?

When your computer is first starting many programs are initiated.When these programs start, they may take minutes or just seconds or a fraction of a second to pop up and get started.If this is the pop up then your probably don’t have too much to be concerned about.However, you can still find a way to look at the pop up.Each case is different, but you should be able to find one technique that will fit your given situation.

The simplest technique would be to look in your start up folder and see what programs are starting up at this time.It may be very simple to figure out.You may be surprised how many programs are started at this point.

If you still don’t know what is popping up, you can use SysInternals Process Explorer.Process Explorer will highlight the processes as they start and stop on your computer.They will remain highlighted for a short period of time so you can see what they are too.However, you will have to add Process Explorer to your computer.Additionally, you will have to make sure it is loaded and started in the start up process before the program you are trying to identify is started.

You may even try a ‘low tech’ solution.Take a video camera and video the startup process to see what the message says when the popup comes on.Replay the video in slow motion and you may be able to get enough information to identify the program.This works for other items like error messages too.

Another technique is ‘process tracking’.If you run Windows XP, 2000 or NT, you can enable ‘process tracking’ to log every process that is running on your computer.You may find this method a little time intensive because there are a lot of processes running on the computer, so there will be a lot of information to sift through.However, you should be able to eventually find the process that is popping up an disappearing.

You should be more concerned if a program is popping up during the regular usage of your computer and not the startup process.Spyware may have infected your machine and random windows popping up is one of the symptoms.You can use all of the above techniques to identify the window to find the program that has infected your computer.

Spyware can get on your machines in a variety of manners.Often a link or program can be sent in an email.However, the most prevalent is surfing the net.You may have intended to hit a link to go to a site, but you ended up downloading some spyware.Your computer has programs to protect itself so often it will ask if you intend to download certain items.Make sure you are very careful when you choose to download anything.Too often people don’t discriminate against programs and end up with infected machines.Soon they have programs popping up all over the place.

If your machine is infected, you have several options to rid yourself of the spyware.However, the old adage ‘you get what you pay for’ is definitely true here.Many companies actually infect you with spyware and then try to charge you to have it taken off.Find a reputable company that sells virus protection and keep your programs up to date.

In summary, you can find the origin of pop up windows through a variety of methods.Each method may not work for all pop ups, but you should find at least one method that will work for a given window.And most importantly, be careful where you surf and what you allow to be loaded onto your computer.

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