Your computer is doing more than just sitting there waiting for you to type or move the mouse.

Wildly spinning inside the bowels of Windows are dozens of processes and services. These activities are constantly taking place, regardless of how you’re using the computer.

A process is essentially a program, software that carries out a task. All programs run one process, but it’s also possible for a program to initiate several processes. Windows itself runs several processes, all of them performing various activities that keep the computer happy. Well, hopefully they keep it happy.

A service is something that Windows does. For example, the Windows Time Service keeps track of the current time and also synchronizes the computer’s clock with an Internet clock. That service is run by a process, specifically the svchost.exe program. In fact, you can find multiple services run from the same process.

You can peruse the various processes and services by using the Task Manager as well as the Computer Management Console. These tools help you see what’s going on in the computer, but unless you’re having problems, my advice is “look don’t touch.”

The video below explores how processes and services play a role in Windows.