ABOVE_NORMAL PRIORITY_CLASS
Windows 2000: Indicates a process that has priority higher than NORMAL_PRIORITY_CLASS but lower than HIGH_PRIORITY_CLASS.
BELOW_NORMAL_PRIORITY_CLASS
Windows 2000: Indicates a process that has priority higher than IDLE_PRIORITY_CLASS but lower than NORMAL_PRIORITY_CLASS.
HIGH_PRIORITY_CLASS
Indicates a process that performs time-critical tasks. The threads of a high-priority class process preempt the threads of normal-priority or idle-priority class processes. An example is the Task List, which must respond quickly when called by the user, regardless of the load on the system. Use extreme care when using the high-priority class, because a CPU-bound application with a high-priority class can use nearly all available cycles.
IDLE_PRIORITY_CLASS
Indicates a process whose threads run only when the system is idle and are preempted by the threads of any process running in a higher priority class. An example is a screen saver. The idle priority class is inherited by child processes.
NORMAL_PRIORITY_CLASS
Indicates a normal process with no special scheduling needs.
REALTIME_PRIORITY_CLASS
Indicates a process that has the highest possible priority. The threads of a real-time priority class process preempt the threads of all other processes, including operating system processes performing important tasks. For example, a real-time process that executes for more than a very brief interval can cause disk caches not to flush or cause the mouse to be unresponsive.
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