Task Scheduler, Windows 10 and windows 11: hidden tasks?

[magellan]

I never noticed this but when you create a task in task scheduler (in both windows 10 and windows 11) you have the option of making the task "hidden":



My question is, who are such tasks hidden from? Everyone except administrators? Also I can't seem to disable Evil Arseholes app (oops, EA app). It ALWAYS starts when I start my computer and I can't seem to disable it from services.msc. Could the Evil Arseholes be using a hidden task scheduler task to start their Evil Arseholes app?

 

[EarthDog]

Also I can't seem to disable Evil Arseholes app (oops, EA app).

The EA background service? It's there but in a manual startup type. So when EA starts up, That's when it starts up and consumes resources. So it's not really running until you start the launcher. You're trying to delete a requirement for the application to work.

If you're talking about the app, all I did was check in the app that it was not set to launch on startup, and I also disabled it in the startup apps, so it doesn't show up in the taskbar... nada. It starts up when a game starts up, and I have to sign in.

 

[magellan]

The EA background service (EA app Background Service) is always running unless I manually stop it in services. I only occasionally play one EA game. In services it's set to manual but it still always starts itself. I figure it must be a task in task scheduler that is starting it because I'm not and in services it's set to manual.

 

[EarthDog]

Weird. Mine isn't started... I have the option to start it.

It will be active if EA is in your tray.

If there was a hidden task, why doesnt mine behave the same way?

 

[Kenrou]

Mine only starts when I launch the launcher but I have the habit of using 3rd party apps like ccleaner to remove everything I don't want from Windows boot, and launchers/browsers/updaters are some of them, might I suggest doing the same?

 

[EarthDog]

I just want to be clear on the basic steps I take and what I'm actually seeing as there may be a disconnect with the OP...

After installing EA, within it's application, I go into settings->application and toggle off "Open the EA app automatically on startup (first image). After this it boots and the service, while it exists, is STOPPED/not running (second image). The last image is the system after I load EA where the service is now active.










EDIT: Actually, after looking at it... seems like if you have it disabled on startup in the EA app, it doesn't show up on the startup apps in task manger. So, I only had it disabled in the startup apps within Windows. I'd make sure that toggle for opening EA starting on startup is checked off, and double check it's not loading minimized in your tray.

You may have some leftover gremlins in your system or something and CCleaner or something of the like could help...

 

[Kenrou]

The launcher has 2 separate services (as far as I've seen) and one of them stays in the background when you turn it off even when you have the option disabled inside the launcher, you can see it in task manager. Don't know what it's doing, barely uses any resources, but I manually kill it every time regardless

 

[EarthDog]

When it's running, there are two for me... otherwise, just the EABackgroundService is displayed (but not running unless I start EA - stays running after I close EA).

 

[magellan]

ED R U on Windows 11? I'm running Windows 10.

 

[EarthDog]

Yes, W11. But that shouldn't make a difference(?).

If you have it disabled (start up) in the app, it shouldn't spawn anything RUNNING. The EAbackground service is the only EA service on my machine until I start the EA launcher. At that point, the background service starts, and a second EA service.

We aren't running potato systems and run with an excess of resources. I dont understand why someone would spend the 5 seconds to disable it.

I guess my point is that I don't believe there's a hidden task to keep the backgroundservice running. It's possible 10 and 11 display it different. I don't know. But I don't have that issue. If there was a task like that, I'd imagine it's global and it isn't happening on my end.

 

[magellan]

The EA app Background Service is always running unless I manually stop it. It's running according to services.msc as well as in task manager and consuming resources.

I poked around in task manager and didn't see anything to EA, that's why I was wondering if it could be a hidden task (an idea I really don't like).

In task manager there's a startup tab and in that EA is indicated as being enabled so I disabled it. Hopefully that'll do it, because there's really no EA games I really care about anymore.

 

[EarthDog]

In task manager there's a startup tab and in that EA is indicated as being enabled so I disabled it. Hopefully that'll do it, because there's really no EA games I really care about anymore.

You're a tease... lol... just reboot and tell us, eh?

Anyway, that's one of the things I mentioned earlier (post 2) to get where I'm at now, lol...... remove it from starting up with your PC in both the App and startup.

With this method, after a fresh boot...

No EA service in task manager, or services.msc. You'll only see it in task manger (processors) if it's running. There is an entry for the EAbackgroundservices in services (task manager and services.msc/same thing), but it is NOT running unless I start the EA launcher.

 

[Kenrou]

We aren't running potato systems and run with an excess of resources. I dont understand why someone would spend the 5 seconds to disable it.

3 seconds, and why on earth would I leave services running in the background eating up resources if they're not being used, the system stays fast exactly for not wasting resources, right? As you see, the option is turned off in the app itself, but look at the wording ⇾ it PAUSES, not turns off, so every time you start the app this will come back...


EA app running in the foreground (maximized)


EA app running in the background (minimized)


EA app turned off

 

[EarthDog]

As you see, the option is turned off in the app itself, but look at the wording ⇾ it PAUSES, not turns off, so every time you start the app this will come back...

First, those aren't the things I disable. That has to do with DOWNLOADS (which I don't touch to get where I'm at)... refer to my first image in post 6... START UP stuff. When all the startup stuff is disabled, only the EAbacgroundservice is visible in services.msc and is NOT started/using resources until EA launcher is used. THEN it spawns the second EA process. Once I close the EA launcher (goes to taskbar/minimized), it drops to around what you're seeing... 0% CPU use and 180MB total between the two that are still there (among the 65 others I don't touch in my system).

why on earth would I leave services running in the background eating up resources

This isn't 2008 where RAM scrubbers were a thing running on quad cores at best. We all have plenty of resources not to have to take the additional time (even if it's 3 seconds) to disable something like this. IMO, even 3 seconds is a waste of time for this too, K. You wouldn't be able to measure the performance difference between them nonetheless feel/see something, so why spend those 3 seconds getting rid of 0% CPU and 170MB of RAM or the 10MB from the background service? To please an OCD (which I totally get, lol, but let's be honest with ourselves about what it actually does for us)??? There are literally zero quantifiable benefits of doing so (unless you call freeing 180MB of RAM quantifiable, it doesn't translate to anything else though). But the way you describe it 'eating up resources' feels over dramatic when you look at what little resources it's actually using.

To each their own, of course, but this is wasted effort for performance sake. You'll never know it was running for the absolutely paltry amount of resources it uses. But if your head needs you to turn it off, I get it, lol.

 

[Kenrou]

Mine is manual (no auto-start for you) because I disabled it in ccleaner (disable, not delete)



They are definitely quantifiable, I have games scattered through all the launchers sadly (EA, Blizzard, Steam, Epic, Ubisoft), so if I start them all you can feel my system slowing down and screaming for help Remember that every app nowadays has GPU acceleration and is constantly doing something in the background (the app itself, not the service), even if it's just fetching the latest news or updating a game. I currently have one installed from the EA launcher, Mass Effect LE (which sadly support was pretty much abandoned straight after launch), I play it maybe 1x/week and there's absolutely no reason for it to pop services that remain active in the background. Hell, how many problems has Discord for example gave because of that same GPU acceleration in the past? Chrome? The blizzard launcher's alone used to caused me FPS loss in several games until I turned the damned thing off in the settings.

It's really not a case of OCD (I have enough of that in other parts of my life), more laziness, it's a simple case of me never knowing when the next update is going to break the launcher (admittedly it's become less regular over the years) and all of a sudden my games are jittery because of it. I rather turn them off when not being used, than having to go off on wild goose chases every time something goes wrong. One less thing to troubleshoot

 

[EarthDog]

Mine is manual (no auto-start for you) because I disabled it in ccleaner (disable, not delete)

It's manual by default. You didn't have to do that in CC. That service only starts/uses resrouces when the EA Launcher is activated (see my previous images). It's inactive otherwise.

LUckily, I don't have those issues and take none of the preventative steps. I let Steam and Epic sit in the tray because I play games from them the most. Zero issues with Discord (also active in the taskbar after using it) or hardware acceleration or hw acceleration in anything else...or if I play an EA game and leave its launcher up... no problems.

.... maybe try to let things run naturally and not jump through so many hoops for a stable system? I don't know man... seems like a lot of people do some song and dances for obsolete or no reason these days.

Anyhoo, my point here is that it doesn't appear to be any hidden task like the OP is saying to start that service. the EAbackgroundapp is there, NOT started, until the launcher runs, THEN it starts and uses resources. No launcher and their meager resource use have hindered a PC of mine in AGES.


EDIT: Do you NEED CC cleaner to stop the launchers from starting up with your PC? Don't all of these have options to NOT launch on startup?

 

[Kenrou]

.... maybe try to let things run naturally and not jump through so many hoops for a stable system? I don't know man... seems like a lot of people do some song and dances for obsolete or no reason these days.

The reason I started taking these preventive steps it's exactly because I had issues in the 1st place, and they stopped because of them... Just because nothing ever happens to you doesn't mean it doesn't happen to everyone else, as was stated many times in this forum, some combinations of hardware/software work perfectly fine, others less so actually, VLC is a perfectly good example of this, damned program has never worked 100% right for me throughout the years...

When I 1st installed the EA launcher both were on automatic, I checked? Could be that disabling autostart for the launcher disabled both, and I simply didn't notice?

 

[EarthDog]

When I 1st installed the EA launcher both were on automatic, I checked? Could be that disabling autostart for the launcher disabled both?

All I know is I don't change anything from stock except to prevent the app from starting with Windows. As I've said a number of times in this thread already, the EAbackgroundservice started as Manual (I didn't change EA to not start with windows for a couple of months after THIS installation, so it should be default) and not started/using resources until the EA Launcher starts.

. Just because nothing ever happens to you doesn't mean it doesn't happen to everyone else, as was stated many times in this forum,

Yeah, I understand that... Maybe it's because I don't play with **** constantly and it works well at default? Maybe I'm lucky? Maybe it's neither.

Just seems like a lot of effort (even 3 seconds for each program) to do these days, considering the resources available to your system. If I was in your shoes, I'd start with a format of the OS drive, a fresh OS, and disable the game launchers on startup and see if that helps. If it doesn't, at least you don't have to go in and disable shyte later(?).

EDIT: This also morphed from a 'resource discussion' to 'because I'm having trouble with my system' which are completely different things. Could have saved us a couple of posts if I heard that sooner, lol. Straw man shyte...

 

[Kenrou]

Just seems like a lot of effort (even 3 seconds for each program) to do these days, considering the resources available to your system. If I was in your shoes, I'd start with a format of the OS drive, a fresh OS, and disable the game launchers on startup and see if that helps. If it doesn't, at least you don't have to go in and disable shyte later(?).

So, you don't waste 3 seconds to turn off a setting in task manager, but you'll waste 10m-1h with a fresh format/install and turning off the launchers auto-start is the 1st thing I do when I install them, same as all the other crap you see in the screenshots above

I have been toying with the idea of trying out Win11 (been a long while since my last fresh install), but Aliens Dark Descent came out, and I got kind of side tracked, there's another example of good ideas meet shoddy programming...

 

[EarthDog]

So, you don't waste 3 seconds to turn off a setting in task manager, but you'll waste 10m-1h with a fresh format/install and turning off the launchers auto-start is the 1st thing I do when I install them, same as all the other crap you see in the screenshots above

I have been toying with the idea of trying out Win11 (been a long while since my last fresh install), but Aliens Dark Descent came out, and I got kind of side tracked, there's another example of good ideas meet shoddy programming...

I have a day 0 image of my OS that takes ~10 mins to get up and running if the system borks. No time for troubleshooting, just blow down a known good image and rejoice I don't spend my time troubleshooting or disabling **** to prevent other **** from shitting. That's a lot of ****.

I have been toying with the idea of trying out Win11 (been a long while since my last fresh install),

Maybe it will resolve the issues you're having (maybe it won't)... but if you're on an old install and doing things like this to make sure it's in tip top shape, tells me the install is tired AF in the first place.

That said, I typically start fresh ~annually and rebuild the image between. Too much enterprise backup and data management in my prior life. LOL