Priority class question

[Autumner]

Happy New Year to you all!

I usually open my email client first, then I move on to web browsing after clicking a link in an email. Which means the email client is the one that essentially launches the browser.

I've now noticed that the browser's priority is fixed on "Below normal", which seemed strange. I closed it and re-opened it and it goes to normal.

Note that my email client is launched automatically during startup, via a startup control program. The client's priority is also Below normal so I guess the browser inherits it from the email client? Does this make sense?

Oh, and it looks like the Startup control program also runs in "Below normal" mode...

If close my email client and re-open it, it also goes to normal. I'm not sure if PL is involved here, I haven't changed myself any priority setting, only using ProBalance.

[Jeremy Collake]

It sounds like you've correctly identified the source of the Below Normal priority class - your browser is inheriting it from the email client, which is in turn inheriting it from the Task Scheduler (I assume it is the 'startup control program').

All tasks launched by the Task Scheduler default to Below Normal.

So this is not abnormal or caused by Process Lasso, but you can of course over-ride these priority classes with Process Lasso.

[edkiefer]

You didn't mention the browser you use, but FYI latest Firefox has a dynamic priority pre firefox process.
So for me right now I have half normal and half idle priority on them.

[Autumner]

Thank you both. I did a test on another PC and yes, the priority is indeed inherited. I will check with Autorun Organizer. I wonder why it launches programs like this. I assume running the browser -or any program- as "Below normal" for no specific reason is not desirable.

(Using Pale Moon which does away with most of Firefox's dubious new tricks...)

[edkiefer]

Ok, I still have PM here but I find new local account of FF far better, faster. Anyway, what you reported is normal, its a child of the parent priority.
Same thing can happen with games lauched from a launcher or browser.

[Autumner]

Yes, and Jeremy was right about the Task Scheduler. Autorun Organizer essentially uses that to launch programs (with user-set delay and other extra features). If I set these back to Normal priority with PL, will ProBalance work on them? I'm assuming (hopefully correctly) that PB skips all non-Normal priority processes.

[Jeremy Collake]

Yep, ProBalance will be able to act on them once their priority class is changed to normal. It doesn't permanently ignore a process it previously saw at non-normal.

[Autumner]

Ok, thanks! Please bear with me for one final clear up: if I "force" Normal priority on a process (by right-click/Priority class/Always/Normal) wouldn't then ProBalance become unable to change it if necessary? Seems like a catch-22 situation.

[Jeremy Collake]

It would get acted on by ProBalance, then that action undone (assuming only action was to reduce the priority class). You shouldn't need to use Forced Mode in your situation though.

Definitely it is possible to create conflicting rules in Process Lasso.

[Autumner]

Could you please indicate if there's another way to non-forcibly change a process priority back to normal? I only know of that way (Priority class/Always). Thinking about it, Process Watchdog should do the trick and I'll probably use that.

I also looked a bit at the ProBalance settings and I guess unchecking "Do not act on processes of non-normal priority" would also work, but that's probably overkill and undesirable.