Services list & Recommendations

Fax Service. Helps you send & receive faxes. This Service is added if you have installed a Fax capable Modem in machine. If you have no intention of using the Modems Fax capabilities however, you should set this to Manual. If you intend to use the Modems Fax capabilities a lot then set this to Automatic.

FTP Publishing Service. Provides FTP connectivity & administration through the Internet Information Services snap-in. If you have IIS 5.0 installed, & is configured to provide an FTP on your machine set this to Automatic, otherwise leave it set to Manual.

IIS Admin Service. Allows administration of Web & FTP services through the Internet Information Services snap-in. If you have IIS 5.0 installed & configured to provide an FTP/Website on your machine set this to Manual to allow you to configure it whenever needed.

Indexing Service. Indexes contents & properties of files on local & remote computers; provides rapid access to files through flexible querying language. This Service is added if you the Indexing Service installed (It is installed by default). The Indexing service is similar to FindFast in Microsoft Office, although is generally regarded as more useful. Most of you should be fine leaving this set to Manual. Although if you wish to maintain regular index updates set this to Automatic.

Internet Connection Sharing. Provides network address translation, addressing, & name resolution services for all computers on your home network through a dial-up connection. If you are sharing an Internet connection on your network then set this to Automatic. If no Internet connection is being shared you can set this to Manual instead.

IPSEC Policy Agent. Manages IP security policy & starts the ISAKMP/Oakley (IKE) & the IP security driver. If you aren't connected to a Windows 2000 Domain you may set this to Manual. If you are connected to a Windows 2000 Domain set this to Automatic.

Logical Disk Manager. Logical Disk Manager Watchdog Service. Set this to Automatic.

Logical Disk Manager Administrative Service. Administrative service for disk management requests. This Service may be set to Manual.

Messenger. Sends & receives messages transmitted by administrators or by the Alerter service. If you are connected to a Windows 2000 Domain/Network set this to Automatic. If you aren't connected to a network you may set this to Manual.

Net Logon. Supports pass-through authentication of account logon events for computers in a domain. If you are connected to a Windows 2000 Domain then set this to Automatic. If you aren't connected to a Windows 2000 Domain you may set it to Manual.

NetMeeting Remote Desktop Sharing. Allows authorized people to remotely access your Windows desktop using NetMeeting. For security reasons I'd recommend you set this to Disable unless you really need to give others remote access to your Desktop via NetMeeting, in which case set this Service to Manual.

Network Connections. Manages objects in the Network & Dial-Up Connections folder, in which you can view both local area network & remote connections. Leave this set to Automatic unless your system is not connected to a Network/Internet, in which case you may set this to Manual.

Network DDE. Provides network transport & security for Dynamic Data Exchange. Set this to Automatic if you use DDE connections (More than likely you won't need this unless using certain legacy applications). DDE is a type of IPC (InterProcess Communication). If you need this you generally should know that. Otherwise, set this to Manual. Supports network transport of DDE (Dynamic Data Exchange) connections.

Network DDE DSDM. Manages shared dynamic data exchange & is used by Network DDE. Set this to Automatic if you have set the Network DDE Service to Automatic. Otherwise, set it to Manual.

NT LM Security Support Provider. Provides security to Remote Procedure Call programs that use transports other than named pipes. For improved security with RPC Applications you should set this to Automatic. If you don't use many of these you may save some Memory by setting this to Manual.

Performance Logs & Alerts. Configures performance logs & alerts. If you have your system configured to track events/system performance, etc. upon system startup set this to Automatic. If your system isn't configured like this leave it set to Manual.

Plug & Play. Manages device installation & configuration & notifies programs of device changes. Set this to Automatic. It will make hardware installation far easier.

Print Spooler. Loads files to memory for later printing. If you don't have a Printer installed (Network, or local) you can set this to Manual. If you have a printer installed, or intend to install a printer then set this to Automatic. You can read more in this MS Knowledge Base article.

Protected Storage. Provides protected storage for sensitive data, such as private keys, to prevent access by unauthorized services, processes, or users. If your system contains such sensitive data then you should set this to Automatic (to keep it protected at all time). When set to Manual you may find this causes problems with certain programs, e.g. Outlook Express, if so then set it back to Automatic.