[Syncro]

I don’t think programs on your desktop use resources.

Programs running in the background in your system tray do.

I don’t know where they show up at firefox, but in IE they are in the lower right corner.

[HonestConservative]

The lower right hand courner next to the time?

[RasterMaster]

CTRL-ALT-DEL....that tells you what’s running. Look for the biggest memory pigs. Close them down.