My article on this for Vista machines is here:, and for XP (and older) machines, here.
The place to start is taking a look at what programs and Services are set to load when Windows starts, and to “block” the ones you don’t really need to have running all the time (removing a program’s shortcut from your Startup folder does not remove the program).
and this (usually) means that quite a few applications have sneaked into your Startup folder and, that you have all of Vista’s bells-and-whistles turned on. What they do indicate however, is that you have an awful lot of processes running. ‘Running low on virtual memory’ warnings are not a catastrophe, and needn’t cause undue alarm. (For more on virtual memory, and how it works, click here.) When you see this icon in the Notification Area (the part of your Taskbar by the clock) it is Vista’s way of telling you that your virtual memory is getting low. It looks sort of like a “Yield” sign on the highway.
Q: How can I make the yellow exclamation mark (in my Taskbar) go away?Ī: Actually, it is not a yellow exclamation mark (those appear in Device Manager) but a yellow triangle containing an exclamation point. I have received variations of the following question several times from readers lately:
