So many processes running - laptop runs hot

Hi,

I have a laptop running XP-Home SP2, all updates installed. It's connected
to a WLAN provided by two Linksys WRT54G routers running in WDS.

When I switch the laptop on and log in (in my name) the fan runs and hot air
blows out the back. Windows Task Manager > Processes shows loads of
processes running (I've shut down all the unnecessary ones by checking on
the web which ones are safe to be shut down). I have 6 svchost.exe
occurrences running; some are NETWORK SERVICE, some SYSTEM and some LOCAL
SERVICE. Why six?

When I SWITCH USER and log in as my wife, Task Manager shows only a fraction
of the number of processes running, and the machine then runs cool.

What's hoing on?

[When I reinstall(ed) XP, I do all the sofware loading on my login...]

In article <GBCJf.18081$(E-Mail Removed)>
<"__spc__" <s p a m t i m e @ n t l w o r l d . c o m>> wrote:
> Hi,
>
> I have a laptop running XP-Home SP2, all updates installed. It's connected
> to a WLAN provided by two Linksys WRT54G routers running in WDS.
>
> When I switch the laptop on and log in (in my name) the fan runs and hot air
> blows out the back. Windows Task Manager > Processes shows loads of
> processes running (I've shut down all the unnecessary ones by checking on
> the web which ones are safe to be shut down).

Some of the processes will be just sitting there and doing nothing, so
won't affect the performance of the PC. Which processes are using
significant amounts of CPU? Is something using a lot of memory? Some
scumware can hide from Process Manager either by making itself invisible
or by pretending to be something else - do you keep your anti-virus and
anti-spyware software up to date and run regular scans? Is your
firewall properly configured?

> I have 6 svchost.exe
> occurrences running; some are NETWORK SERVICE, some SYSTEM and some LOCAL
> SERVICE. Why six?

Each one is running a different task.