When a computer starts to freeze or operate slowly and doesn’t respond, ending the task(s) from the task manager usually ends the program and the problem. Why does this work better than simply canceling the task with ALT+F4/pressing the cancel button in the window?
In: Technology
It doesn’t. Killing a program this way is like stopping a car by firing a rocket at it instead of turning the traffic lights red.
You stop the car both ways, but one way is guaranteed to be ok to drive after, and the other might not depending on if your rocket hit the car or just the road in front.
Computer engineer here!
When you exit a program, it tries to do some clean up before it shuts down completely. If the program is already having problems, it may not even recognize that you asked it to shut down and never gets to that step. As a result, it either doesn’t quit or it takes a long time.
One of the things your operating system does is pause and resume different programs really quickly so that you can run multiple things at one time (like listen to music and surf the internet). When you kill a task through the task manager, you are telling the operating system to remove that task from its todo list and give back the RAM.
The real ELI5 explanation: Pressing the close button is like asking you to leave the room. Using the task manager to end an application is the same as your parents dragging you out of the room.
Pressing the X is like telling someone to leave. Ending the task is like physically removing them.
When you press the X, you’re telling the program to shut down. When you end task, you’re telling your computer to stop running the program.
Closing a program the normal way is basically telling it “ok, finish up all the stuff you’re doing and get out of here”.
Killing the task (or better yet, process) says “I don’t care what you’re doing, get out now.”
X’ing out of a program means you are requesting that the program end itself. If the program isn’t working, it may not be able to do anything at all, including closing itself.
Using the Task Manager means you’re asking the computer to close the program. Your computer is still working, even if the program isn’t, so the computer can carry out the close command where the program can’t.
Alt+F4 is like asking a guest to leave.
Task Kill is picking them up and throwing them out the window.
Basically the OS sends a message saying “Stop what you are doing gracefully” (Alt+F4) and if it doesn’t it shoots it and attempts to clean up the body (Task Kill).
[I think the man himself answers this most effectively](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f8VBOiPV-_M)
When your wife texts you it’s time to leave the bar you close your tab, get your credit card back, put on your jacket, take a leak on your way out. When your wife texts the bouncer she knows he picks you up and throws you out of your ass. Option two is faster, but not always better.
Closing a program normally is like getting a valued guest to leave amicably when they’ve overstayed their welcome but it’s too awkward to bluntly tell them to leave.
Closing it via task manager is like telling them to fuck off and die and shooting them in the head.
Latest Answers