Recently an entry keeps appearing on my taskbar. It appears for less than a second before disappearing again. I once managed to click it but no window popped up. The icon is a blank rectangular box and there is no description. Its driving me nuts trying to work out what it is! How can I identify this process?
Programs do seem to come and go at times. Particularly when diagnosing performance or security issues, understanding what's coming and going can be important. And sometimes it can just explain a flashing item in the task bar.
Fortunately there is a fairly simple way to trace what's happening.
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Windows XP includes several auditing options which can provide a list of activities you can view in the event viewer.
Process tracking can slow your machine down, so you'll not want to have it on all the time, but it's a useful tool to turn on for a while to see what's happening.
To turn on process auditing:
- Click on Start, and then Run.
- Enter "gpedit.msc" and press OK. This starts the group policy editor.
- Expand Computer Configuration, Windows Settings (by clicking on the boxed plus sign to its left.
- Expand Security Settings, then Local Policies and then click on Audit Policy.
- Double click on Audit process tracking.
- Check the box labeled Success for Audit these attempts.
- OK your way back out.
Now, run whatever scenario you're concerned about. If it's a startup issue, go ahead and reboot.
Now fire up the Event Viewer (Start, Run and "eventvwr" will do it.) Click on the Security item, and the right hand pane will contain a list of events, most recent first. Double click on one and the details, including the name of the executable, will be displayed. Use the arrow buttons to move through the list.
Be sure to turn process tracking off when you're done, by unchecking the Success checkbox for Audit these attempts that you checked earlier.
Related:
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Ask Leo! - What is the Event Viewer, and should I care?
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Ask Leo! - Can I monitor who's using my machine?
Article C2359 - May 28, 2005
Hi, I am having the same problem with the white window appearing in the taskbar. is there a way to setup group policy in XP home edition?
Posted by: Simon Gott at December 3, 2005 10:03 AMI entered a program name in Run. It came up but flashed by so fast I couldn't read it. I clicked the Pause button but it didn't take. How can I view the text by making it stand still long enough to read what it says?
Thank you.
Posted by: G. Elliott at January 20, 2007 12:58 PMhi, leo,
i love your site.
i, too, am having the blank white box show up every time i boot.
unfortunately i didn't understand your diagnostic steps......[i am a computer dummy]
do you suppose that you could expand on the technique?
thanks,
doc
Posted by: strobdoc at January 20, 2007 6:18 PMI tried to do the first step, but gpedit.msc does not exist on my computer. Would it go by another name. I hve win xp home.
Posted by: Karen at January 30, 2007 9:56 AMI am having a similar problem as mentioned with the random program poping up in the taskbar and I can not determine what it is. Has anyone figured out what this program may be?
Posted by: Josh at March 13, 2007 6:45 PM-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE-----
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Have you tried using the technique outlined in the article you just
commented on?
Leo
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Posted by: Leo Notenboom at March 13, 2007 7:05 PMbBwJ3M6OsUngNIMudU5Yqhg=
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