Go to

www.answersthatwork.com

and click on "task list." It's the most complete and regularly updated listing of processes that are running, what they do, and what application they are from. (along with a recommendation as to whether they can safely be removed.)

Unlike Spybot, it will be able to tell you about things that obviously aren't spyware, but are totally unnecessary "bloatware" (such as the Quicktime process that insists on running itself all the time though it's not at all useful unless you're viewing a Quicktime file.)


I've found that to be one of the most useful resources for keeping my machines running smoothly.