The answer to the question “How many Task Manager Process should I have?”  has been pondered for centuries   Based on my personal and professional experience I would say if you open your task manager and you have 60+ processes it’s time to start looking at how to reduce that number.  I usually try to keep my processes below 60 and that in my opinion is still high.  A good operating system should probably have around 45. 

  In case some of you as asking how do I see what processes are started when my computer boots or I log in, that’s easy?!  There is a tool called msconfig.exe(XP) you can launch that will show you all the startup processes and BONUS, you can uncheck the ones you do not want to start.  Of course this requires a little knowledge on what they are, but I suggest if you running this tool you should have that knowledge already.
  You can also find this utility, depending on the computer you have, in the Start>Help and Support area.  The reason I say, depending on your computer, some of the manufacturers like to customize this area with their own options and sometimes they accidentally hide the System Configuration Utility in the process, not on purpose mind you.  That’s why its easier sometimes to just go Start>Run and enter msconfig and click Ok.  

  You’ll notice reading the PC Info site, most of our information is towards XP and up.  That’s because, no offense, but if your running something older, you seriously need to look at upgrading or buying a new PC!

Cheers

DougBob