Windows XP Services Tweak Guide Updated on December 20, 2001 by Thomas McGuire
Special
thanks to Azzo
Computers and Microsoft
themselves for supplying us with copies of Windows XP so we can continue
with the development of our OS
related guides. Login,
Backup & Restoring Before
doing anything else ensure you are logged in as a User with Administrative
privileges. If you aren’t the re-logon as such a User otherwise you
most likely won’t be able to change anything. Before
making any changes to your Services it would be a good idea to backup
the current environment. You can do this by using the Backup
utility in Start, All Programs, Accessories, System
Tools, Backup.
Another
alternative would be to simply backup you current Services & their
settings. Click on Start, Run type in regedit &
hit Enter. Expand to the following [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services].
Now select File then Export & save that registry branch
with a specified name. Simply Double clicking on this file will
prompt you as to whether or not you wish this information to be added to
the registry in wish case select Yes & your previously saved
settings will be restored. Services
Utility Now
that you’ve backed up your Service settings/Operating System we can
move onto adjusting the Services themselves. Click on Start, Control
Panel, Administrative Tools then Services.
Before
adjusting any of these you’ll need to consider 2 things – Startup
type & Dependencies. To cover these 2 just double
click on any of the listed Services & select the General
tab.
Startup
type 3
options are available for the Startup type of any particular
Service, selectable using the drop-down menu, each having it’s own
particular advantages or disadvantages.
Dependencies A
Dependency is a relationship of reliance between 2 or more resources
that makes it necessary for them to run in the same group on the same
node. In the case of Services this translate into some Services
cannot function correctly (If at all) without another (One of the
reasons why it’s never a good idea to just set a Service to Disabled,
but Manual instead). To determine any dependencies select a
Service & Double click on it, then choose the Dependencies
tab, e.g. Shown below is the Telephony service dependencies.
Be
sure to bear these in mind, particularly if you are considering disabling
a Service altogether, although not all Services will have dependencies,
e.g. Themes.
Services
listing & Recommendations
While
this listing is fairly extensive, it is worth noting that the Services
which you may have available will be determined by the
Applications, Drivers & Network components, etc. you have installed
(Or don’t). As such if you are “missing” a Service here don’t
worry about it. This guide will be updated in the future with further
Services as appropriate. Application
Layer Gateway Service.
Provides support for 3rd party protocol plug-ins for Internet
Connection Sharing & the Internet Connection Firewall. If you
have Internet Connection Sharing & the Windows XP built-in firewall enabled
set this to Automatic, otherwise leave this set to Manual. Application
Management.
Provides software installation services such as Assign, Publish,
& Remove. Set this to Manual to enable Application
installation/Uninstallation as normal, although the more wary system
administrators may want to Disable this lest Users add/remove
something they shouldn’t. Automatic
Updates.
Enables the download & installation of critical Windows updates.
For those who’d rather not take the time to visit Windowsupdate
this feature enables Windows XP to automatically check for &
download any updates available. Before deciding on a Startup setting for
this Right click on My Computer & select Properties.
Now select the Automatic Updates tab.
Should
you select either of the top 2 options then set this Service to Automatic
to ensure it works correctly, but if you instead selected Turn off
automatic updating then set this to Manual. Background
Intelligent Transfer Service.
Uses idle network bandwidth to transfer data. For the majority of
Users this feature should be of little use & as such I’d recommend
setting it to Manual. Those on highly active Networks may benefit
from having this set to Automatic, although it may be worth
testing out to see if it does. ClipBook.
Enables ClipBook Viewer to store information & share it with
remote computers. If the service is stopped, ClipBook Viewer will not be
able to share information with remote computers. Should you wish to enable
Users on other PCs to view data stored in the ClipBook Server then set
this to Manual or Automatic (Although this setting isn’t
necessary, Manual will suffice). Setting this to Disabled will disable
others from viewing this data which is a useful security feature &
recommended for standalone systems, similarly you can set this to Disabled
should you have Network DDE & Network DDM DSDM
inactive. COM+
Event System.
Supports SENS (System Event Notification Service),
which provides automatic distribution of events to subscribing COM
(Component Object Model) components. Set this
to Automatic. COM+
System Application.
Manages the configuration & tracking of COM+ (Component
Object Model) based components. Similar to the
previous service you should also leave this set to Automatic to
ensure proper running of the PC, or at least any COM+ components. Cryptographic
Services.
Provides three management services: Catalog Database Service, which
confirms the signatures of Windows files; Protected Root Service, which
adds & removes Trusted Root Certification Authority certificates
from this computer; & Key Service, which helps enroll this computer
for certificates. For best system security/integrity I’d recommend
setting this to Automatic at all times. Creative
Service for CDROM Access.
This service is added during installation of Creative’s Disc Detector
(Which is installed as part of Creative PlayCenter for Live! &
Audigy Soundcards). Set this to Automatic if you have Disc
Detector enabled, otherwise set this to Manual. DHCP
Client.
Manages network configuration by registering & updating IP
addresses & DNS names. If you on a network or have a permanent
internet connection, connected to a specified DHCP server set this to Automatic.
Those who are not connected to a Network (or specific DHCP server) set
this to Manual. Should you have problems connecting to websites
& such after setting DHCP Client to Manual then take
the following steps. 1.
Click
on Start, Control Panel then Network Connections. 2.
Select
your connection, Right click on it & select Properties.
Now select the Networking tab. 3.
Select
the Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) item followed by the Properties
button, then the Advanced button. Finally, select the DNS
tab.
4.
Untick
Append parent suffixes of the primary DNS suffix & Register
this connection’s addresses in DNS.
Distributed
Link Tracking Client.
Maintains links between NTFS files within a computer or across
computers in a network domain. Those on a Windows 2000/XP Network
using shared NTFS 5.0 formatted drives may find this service of some
benefit, with the Distributed Link Tracking Client being able to
update/fix links & shortcuts to files on such volumes. Set this to Automatic
in such instances. On non-NTFS 5.0 Networks, or stand-alone systems you
can set this to Manual. Distributed
Transaction Coordinator.
Coordinates transactions that span multiple resource managers, such
as databases, message queues, & file systems. Initially you
should try setting this to Manual although should you experience
problems with such transactional components (e.g. Message Queuing) set
this to Automatic instead. Stand-alone systems should be able to
set this to Manual without any issues at all. DNS
Client.
Resolves & caches Domain Name System (DNS) names for this
computer. If this service is stopped, this computer will not be able to
resolve DNS names & locate Active Directory domain controllers.
Should your Network &/or Internet connection require the ability to
resolve DNS addresses set this to Automatic. This can be verified
be checking the Properties for any connections in Network Connections.
If no DNS Server is specified then you can set this to Manual.
Although should you experience Connection problems as a result of this
set it to Automatic instead.
Error
Reporting Service.
Allows error reporting for services & applications running in
non-standard environments. This can be set to Manual without
issue, although should you wish to further customize Error Reporting
then Right click on My Computer & select Properties
then the Advanced tab, followed by the Error Reporting
button.
Adjust
the settings here as you feel necessary. Those of you with XP systems
not connected to the Internet would be best to Disable error
reporting altogether, although those paranoid Users out there may
wish to do this as well. Event
Log. Enables
event log messages issued by Windows-based programs & components to
be viewed in Event Viewer. Leave this set to Automatic, it
will be started regardless & don’t attempt to use Disabled
either or you may face problems. Fast
User Switching Compatibility.
Provides management for applications that require assistance in a
multiple user environment. Fast User Switching is a feature of
Windows XP which allows for much faster switching of Users on a PC
unconnected to a Domain. Should this ability be of use to you then set
this to Automatic, although if of little use (Which it will be if
you only have a single User account) you can disable this feature
by setting it to Manual, but before doing this be sure to disable
this in User Accounts also. Click
on Start, Control Panel then User Accounts. Select
the Change the way users log on or off option.
Untick
Use Fast User Switching
& hit Apply Options to disable its use. Now you can
also set the Service to Manual. Fax.
Enables you to send & receive faxes, utilizing fax resources
available on this computer or on the network. This Service is
usually installed in the event fax capable hardware is detected, e.g.
Fax modem. Should you intend to use Fax features available on your
system set this to Automatic, otherwise you may set this to Manual
instead (The Fax service can be uninstalled using Add or Remove
Programs). Help
and Support.
Human
Interface Device Access.
Enables generic input access to Human Interface Devices (HID), which
activates & maintains the use of predefined hot buttons on
keyboards, remote controls, & other multimedia devices. With
some HIDs you may be required to set this to Automatic for them
to function correctly (To use certain buttons/keys or other mappings
anyway). Those without such devices installed, & perhaps which have
their own installation software can set this to Manual without
issue. IMAPI
CD-Burning COM Service.
Manages CD recording using Image Mastering Applications Programming
Interface (IMAPI). Should you have a CD-RW installed in your system
set this to Automatic to enable CD burning, although if
you use a CD Burning application other than the built-in XP one (Or have
no CD-RW installed) you may be able to set this to Manual without
effecting burning capability.
Indexing
Service.
Indexes contents & properties of files on local & remote
computers; provides rapid access to files through flexible querying
language. Indexing enables the creating of a catalog to help
make searches for certain document types easier, e.g. .doc files.
Should you wish to enable this querying set this to Automatic.
You can configure this in Computer Management – Click on Start,
Control Panel, Administrative Tools, then Computer
Management. Expand Services & Applications, Indexing
Service then System.
In
the 3 sub-menus you can further adjust options, e.g. in the Directories
folder you can set which directories are to be catalogued. Should you
wish not to use the Indexing service you can Delete or disable
the cataloguing of the listed Directories & set the Service to Manual,
which I’d highly recommend. Internet
Connection Firewall (ICF) / Internet Connection Sharing (ICS).
Provides network address translation, addressing, name resolution
&/or intrusion prevention services for a home or small office
network. Should you use either Windows XP’s built-in Connection
Sharing &/or Firewall feature then set this to Automatic. If
you use neither feature then you can set this to Manual instead. IPSEC
Services.
Manages IP security policy & starts the ISAKMP/Oakley (IKE) &
the IP security driver. If you are connected to an IPSec enabled
Internet/Network connection set this to Automatic, otherwise you
may set this to Manual instead. Most ISPs don’t support this
& shouldn’t be of too much concern to most of you. Logical
Disk Manager.
Detects & monitors new hard disk drives & sends disk volume
information to Logical Disk Manager Administrative Service for
configuration. Leave this set to Automatic, certainly do not
set it to Disabled if you have a Dynamic disk installed. Logical
Disk Manager Administrative Service.
Configures hard disk drives & volumes. You can set this
Service to Manual without issue, it will only be run when
required by disk management requests. MS
Software Shadow Copy Provider.
Manages software-based volume shadow copies taken by the Volume
Shadow Copy service. Should you intend to use the Windows XP Backup
utility set this to Manual to enable software shadow copy
backups to be created. Similarly however if you don’t require this you
can also leave it set to Manual. NetMeeting
Remote Desktop Sharing.
Enables an authorized user to access this computer remotely by using
NetMeeting over a corporate intranet. For security reasons it would
be best to set this to Disabled, particularly if other less wary
Users will have access to the PC & are likely to use NetMeeting. If
setting this to Manual you should be careful with whom you allow
remotely access your Desktop during NetMeeting sessions. Network
Connections.
Manages objects in the Network & Dial-Up Connections folder, in
which you can view both local area network & remote connections.
Should the PC have any Internet or Network connection setup set
this to Automatic. Those on truly stand-alone systems (Not even
Internet connectable) may be
able to set this to Manual as it shouldn’t be required, or
automatically startup. Network
DDE. Provides
network transport & security for Dynamic Data Exchange (DDE) for
programs running on the same computer or on different computers. Set
this to Automatic if you require the use of DDE (Dynamic
Data Exchange) network 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 it (One such thing which does is the
Clipbook). Otherwise, set this to Manual. Network
DDE DSDM.
Manages Dynamic Data Exchange (DDE) network shares. If this service
is stopped, DDE network shares will be unavailable. Set this to Automatic
if you have previously set the Network DDE Service to Automatic.
Otherwise you may set this to Manual instead. Network
Location Awareness (NLA).
Collects & stores network configuration & location
information, & notifies applications when this information changes.
On systems connected to a Network, or if you have previously set to Automatic
the Internet Connection Firewall (ICF) / Internet Connection Sharing
(ICS) Service then also set this to Automatic. Stand-alone
systems may set this to Manual without issue. NVIDIA
Driver Helper Service.
This service is added during installation of NVIDIA
Detonator Drivers, although can be set to Manual without issue. Performance
Logs and Alerts.
Collects performance data from local or remote computers based on
preconfigured schedule parameters, then writes the data to a log or
triggers an alert. Should you have configured XP to monitor &
record certain activities on your PC via the Performance utility
in Administrative Tools, e.g. Page file usage as described here
in our Windows
XP Memory Tweak guide, then set this to Automatic. If set to Manual
no Performance logs/alerts will be recorded, which is the ideal setting
should you not have configured any to be recorded. Plug
and Play.
Enables a computer to recognize & adapt to hardware changes with
little or no user input. Leave this set to Automatic. Portable
Media Serial Number.
Retrieves the serial number of any portable music player connected to
your computer. This Service should be set to Manual on most
systems without issue, even if you do connected external Media players
to the system to transfer song to/from it. Although should your device
not function correctly with this set to Manual try setting this
to Automatic instead.
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 do however have a Printer installed, or intend to install
a printer then set this to Automatic. Protected
Storage.
Provides protected storage for sensitive data, such as private keys,
to prevent access by unauthorized services, processes, or users.
This should be set to Automatic on all systems. Not only is the
Crypto subsystem a good thing to have enabled but it also avoids
some problems that can be caused by having the Protected Storage set to Manual
or Disabled, e.g. Internet Explorer & possibly Task Manager
may have reduced functionality as a result, such as Auto-Complete not
working normally or inability to add Scheduled tasks. QoS
RSVP. Provides
network signalling & local traffic control setup functionality for
QoS-aware programs & control applets. QoS RSVP (Quality
of Service Resource ReServation Protocol)
is used to reserve network/internet connection bandwidth when QoS aware
processes are active, providing them with more bandwidth as necessary.
Should you use such applications then leave this set to Automatic,
otherwise set this to Disabled. The amount of bandwidth reserved defaults
to 20%, although this can easily be modified (High recommended). Thanks
for the reminder Vincent Poy. Click
on Start, Run,
type in gpedit.msc & hit Enter. Expand Computer
Configuration, Administrative
Templates, Network
then select QoS Packet Scheduler. In the
right
hand pane Double click on the Limit
reservable bandwidth
setting.
Select
the Enabled option (Do not select Disabled or Not
configured) & adjust the Bandwidth limit value as you see
fit, giving increased bandwidth if the QoS aware applications
would benefit from it or vice versa. If you are unsure about whether or
not you have QoS aware Applications, or merely want to ensure maximum
connection bandwidth available at all time set this to 0 &
select the Ok button. Remote
Access Auto Connection Manager.
Creates a connection to a remote network whenever a program
references a remote DNS or NetBIOS name or address. If your system
has Dial-up Internet access set this to Automatic, on those with
a Network connection (With or without Internet connectivity) you may set
this to Manual. Remote
Access Connection Manager.
Creates a network connection. Should you have setup any
Internet or Network connection set this Service to Automatic (It
will be run anyway, even if set to Manual). Those with
stand-alone systems with no Internet or Network connections installed
can set this to Manual. Remote
Desktop Help Session Manager.
Manages & controls Remote Assistance. Before changing this
Service Right click on My Computer & select Properties,
then the Remote tab.
In
this tab you can modify how Remote Assistance & Desktop work (Or
don’t as the case may be). As regards the Remote Assistance
feature you’d best off Unticking (disabling) Allow
Remote Assistance invitations to be sent from this computer, or if
you choose to Tick (enable) this, then be careful with who
you request assistance from (This should be less of a concern on a
business Network where you’ll probably have some full-time Tech
support guy available to send requests to), particularly if it to
someone online (I know I wouldn’t like someone else being able to do
something more to the PC than I would have wanted them to). The
Remote Desktop represents something less of a security risk &
should you use this feature then Tick it & use the Select
Remote Users button to determine who can access the PC (But any User
with Administrative privileges will be able to connect regardless of
selections here). Click the Apply then Ok button after
making any changes you deem necessary. Should
you have Ticked either of the Remote Desktop/Assistance options, enabling
them then set this Service to Automatic. If you have disabled
both of these you can set this to Manual. Remote
Procedure Call (RPC).
Provides the endpoint mapper & other miscellaneous RPC services.
This should be set to Automatic, a lot of Services are dependant
on this Service & in no way should it ever not be running. Remote
Registry.
Enables remote users to modify registry settings on this computer.
Setting this to Automatic allows certain other non-locally logged
on Users (i.e. Those other than the person at the PC, e.g.
Administrator) to be able to modify entries in specified Registry paths.
As such those not connected to a business Network of some sort would be
best advised to set this to Disabled. To configure which Registry
paths can be accessible click on Start,
Run,
type in gpedit.msc & hit Enter.
Expand Computer Configuration, Windows Settings, Security
Settings, Local Policies & select the Security Options
folder. In the right hand pane scroll down to the Network
access: Remotely accessible registry paths option & Double
click on it. After specifying the paths accessible click Ok
for the changes to take effect. Removable
Storage.
Manages removable media, drives, & libraries. If you have
such external devices, e.g. Tape drives (not CD\DVD\ & Floppy
Drives), then this set to Automatic. Otherwise you may set it on Manual. Routing
and Remote Access.
Offers routing services to businesses in local area & wide area
network environments. For best system security you should set this
to Disabled. If you require the system to be used in various
Network configurations for Routing purposes or to be remotely
accessible, or use Internet Connection Sharing on the system then it
would be best to set this to Automatic.
Secondary
Logon. Enables
starting processes under alternate credentials. This is the Windows
XP equivalent of the RunAs Service. This allows Applications to
be started with the privileges of another User by Right clicking
on the appropriate shortcut & selecting Run as…, then
entering in the desired Username & password. This can be fairly
useful in a lot of cases, e.g. it gives any XP system to ability to use
WindowsUpdate regardless of who is logged on.
However
this also poses a great security risk for many systems (Those on
Networks & those with shared access), where you may only want to
allow Users access/privileges to what their Use profile allows them,
e.g. While in college one of my friends figured out the Administrative
password required & was able to use that to enable certain
things which he wouldn’t otherwise have been allowed use (Tsk tsk).
Set this to Manual should you wish to enable this feature,
while selecting Disabled will disable this feature (Which
I’d personally highly recommend) & result in a window like this
appearing should a User attempt to use the Run As… option.
Security
Accounts Manager.
Stores security information for local user accounts. If you have
modified any Security setting using the Local Security Policy utility
(Or gpedit.msc) then set this to Automatic, otherwise you should
be able to safely set this to Manual. Shell
Hardware Detection.
This is best left set to Manual, although should you have
problems with connecting certain external devices, e.g. Docking a laptop
then set this to Automatic instead. Smart
Card. Manages
access to smart cards read by this computer. If you require the
use/support of Smart cards on your PC then set this to Automatic.
In all other instances you can set this to Manual without issue. Smart
Card Helper.
Enables support for legacy non-plug & play smart-card readers
used by this computer. If this service is stopped, this computer will
not support legacy reader. Similar to the previous Service, although
in this case for non-Plug
& Play compatible Smart card readers. Set this to Automatic
to enable support & use of such legacy devices otherwise set
this to Manual. SSDP
Discovery Service.
Enables discovery of UPnP devices on your home network. Should
your PC/Network be connected (Or will be) to such UPnP enabled devices
set this to Automatic, otherwise you can set this to Manual
instead. You can read more about UPnP in this
Microsoft article. System
Event Notification.
Tracks system events such as Windows logon, network, & power
events. Notifies COM+ Event System subscribers of these events.
Although on most systems this can be set to Manual, it is best to
set this to Automatic (particularly with Laptops) so as to avoid
some functionality problems that may occur with it not active. System
Restore Service.
Performs system restore functions. Before selecting the Startup
type Right click on My Computer & select Properties,
then the System Restore tab.
Select
the Drive(s) you have available as appropriate & then the Settings
button to configure the system restore feature per Drive. If you don’t
wish to use System Restore at all then Tick Turn off System Restore
on all drives, this will both improve overall system performance
& save Hard Drive space (Though there are the obvious drawbacks that
go hand in hand with disabling it). Click Apply then the Ok
button to apply your changes. Should you have disabled System
Restore then you may set the Service to Manual, otherwise leave
this set to Automatic. Task
Scheduler.
Enables a user to configure & schedule automated tasks on this
computer. I’d recommend setting this to Automatic,
regardless of whether or not you actually have any scheduled tasks. The
Task scheduler is used in the Prefetching process - Prefetching is
the process of bringing data & code pages into memory from disk
before it's demanded, which should help improve overall system &
application startup time. You can read further details about this in
this Microsoft
Windows XP Kernel Article (Scroll down to the Prefetch
section). Certainly do not set this to Disabled anyway.
TCP/IP
NetBIOS Helper.
Enables support for NetBIOS over TCP/IP (NetBT) service & NetBIOS
name resolution. For best Internet security it would be best not to
use NetBIOS & as a result you should set this to Manual or Disabled.
Should your Internet (Or more likely Network) connection require
NetBIOS/WINS support set this to Automatic. If not then set this
to Manual & take the following steps; 1.
Click
on Start, Control Panel then Network Connections. 2.
Select
your connection, Right click on it & select Properties.
Now select the Networking tab. 3.
Select
the Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) item followed by the Properties
button, then the Advanced button. Finally, select the WINS
tab.
Should
you experience problems connecting to your Network/Internet connection
after applying these settings, then try restoring the original settings
instead. Telephony.
Provides Telephony API (TAPI) support for programs that control
telephony devices & IP based voice connections on the local computer
&, through the LAN, on servers that are also running the service.
This Service should be set to Manual or Automatic
(If this Service has any dependencies then it will automatically
be initiated). Attempting to Stop this Service will have the following effect if any dependency exists;
Telnet.
Enables a remote user to log on to this computer & run programs,
& supports various TCP/IP Telnet clients, including UNIX-based &
Windows-based computers. Should you require other Users to be able
to remotely access the PC using the Command Prompt/Telnet set this to Automatic.
For improved security I’d recommend setting this to Disabled. Terminal
Services.
Allows multiple users to be connected interactively to a machine as
well as the display of desktops & applications to remote computers.
The underpinning of Remote Desktop (including RD for Administrators),
Fast User Switching, Remote Assistance, & Terminal Server.
Should you require the use of any of the features listed here set this
to Manual or Automatic, if these aren’t required it
would be best to set this to Disabled for security reasons. Themes.
Provides user experience theme management. Should you use any of
the Themes available in Windows XP then set this to Automatic
otherwise the Theme will not display/function correctly. For improved
system performance (& less visual pleasantries) you should set this
to Manual or Disabled, which is probably more worth noting
on XP systems which are intended to be used to work on. Uninterruptible
Power Supply.
Manages an uninterruptible power supply (UPS) connected to the
computer. If your system is connected to a UPS system then set this
to Automatic, otherwise you can set this to Manual
instead. Universal
Plug and Play Device Host.
Provides support to host Universal Plug & Play devices. If
you have set the SSDP Discovery Service to Automatic then
set this to Automatic also, similarly if you have set it to Manual
you may set this to Manual also. Upload
Manager.
Manages synchronous & asynchronous file transfers between clients
& servers on the network. Leave this set to Manual. Volume
Shadow Copy.
Manages & implements Volume Shadow Copies used for backup &
other purposes. Similar to the MS Software Shadow Copy Provider
Service you can set this to Manual should you be using the Backup utility to perform such a backup procedure & equally you can set it
to Manual
if you won’t be. WebClient.
Enables Windows-based programs to create, access, & modify
Internet-based files. For best functionality you should set this to Manual,
although for improved security it would be best to set this Disabled
– particularly on systems which are likely to have multiple less
experienced Users logged on & have Internet access (This shouldn’t
impede Internet access whatsoever). Windows
Audio. Manages
audio devices for Windows-based programs. If this service is stopped,
audio devices & effects will not function properly. If you have
a Soundcard installed set this to Automatic otherwise it will not
playback any audio. Setting this to Manual will, as a result be
of most use to system administrators in a work environment where you
don’t want Users of your systems to get distracted by listening to
MP3s/CDs, etc. while supposedly being productive. Windows
Image Acquisition (WIA).
Provides image acquisition services for scanners & cameras.
This can be set to Manual regardless of Imaging
Applications/Hardware installed to ensure their proper functionality
& only is initiated when required. One such Application that uses
this is Windows Movie Maker. Windows
Installer.
Installs, repairs & removes software according to instructions
contained in .MSI files. Leave this set to Manual. This will
allow you to Install/Uninstall/Repair programs listed in the Add/Remove
Programs applet in the Control Panel. You should set this to Disable
this if you don't wish others to have the ability to change any Software
installation, or to install Programs/Hardware which use the Windows
Installer. Windows
Management Instrumentation.
Provides a common interface & object model to access management
information about operating system, devices, applications &
services. WMI is a management infrastructure that supports
monitoring & controlling system resources through a common set of
interfaces & provides a logically organized, consistent model of
Windows operation, configuration, & status. To ensure your PC runs
as normal set this to Automatic only. Windows
Management Instrumentation Driver Extensions.
Provides systems management information to & from drivers. An
extension of the Windows Management Instrumentation service this
is not as critical to normal operation of the system & in most cases
you will be able to set this to Manual without adversely
affecting the PC.
Windows
Time. Maintains
date & time synchronization on all clients & servers in the
network. By default Windows XP will attempt synchronisation
with a Network/Internet server weekly in order to maintain a consistent
& accurate time on the PC. Should you wish to use this feature set
this to Automatic, although most of you may not require this time
checking in which case set this to Manual & disable
automatic synchronisation. Double click on the time on the
Taskbar & select the Internet Time tab.
Untick
Automatically synchronize with an Internet time server to disable
synchronisation & click Ok for the changes to take effect. Wireless
Zero Configuration.
Provides automatic configuration for the 802.11 adapters. Should
your system require support for 802.11 devices set this to Automatic,
otherwise you may leave it set to Manual instead. WMDM
PMSP Service.
WMDM (Windows Media Device Manager) PMSP
(Pre-Message Security Protocol) is a feature
of the Windows Media Format SDK, which supports the SDMI (Secure
Digital Music Initiative) for packaging copyrighted
music. Applications developed with WMDM will enable users to copy their
music compact disc (CD) collection, as well as protected music
downloaded from the Web, to SDMI-compliant portable music players &
SDMI-compliant portable storage devices (such as flash memory cards). If
you are intending to transfers music to SDMI-compliant portable devices
then set this to Automatic, otherwise you may safely leave this
set to Manual. Thanks to Patrick Gagnon, Seth Hanford &
Chanur Silvarian for their help with information about this Service. WMI Performance Adapter. Provides performance library information from WMI HiPerf providers. You can leave this set to Manual. Restoring
a Service
Should
you need to restore the Startup type for one Service, but can’t load
the Services utility, click on Start, Run, type in regedit
hit Enter & expand the [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services]
key. Expanding the Services folder will list all Services on the
system. Simply scroll down to the affected Service (Check the DisplayName
entry in the Right pane to verify the Service name).
Right
click
on the Start entry & select Modify. Select the Value
data field.
Changing the number
displayed here will change the Startup type of the Service.
After
making any change select Ok & reboot your PC for the change
to take effect.
Recovery OptionsFor
most of you the Recovery options available for a Service will be of
little use (& as such are covered at the end), although
system/network admins will probably find them to be of more use. Double
click on a Service & select the Recovery tab.
Here
you can specify the actions to be taken in the event a Service fails,
e.g. (Attempting to) Restart the Service or launching a program.
Configure this options at your own discretion – but like I said, for
most of you these will be of no use.
ConclusionBy
now you’ll have configured your system Services optimally to your
configuration, or Network. Overall you may well have reduced overall
Services Memory requirements, kept bootup time to a minimum &
plugged up a few potential security hazards. Should you have any
Problems please post them in our Software
/OS Forum. This guide should be updated in the future with further
Services & other information as appropriate. |
Windows
XP, just like 2000 & NT before it runs many background Services for
a wide variety of tasks, e.g. Plug & Play support, Print Spooler
& even Task Manager. Using these Services it is possible to
configure your machine for improved performance & even security by
modifying their respective Startup types, & in some cases disabling
them altogether. This guide will taking you through a multitude of
difference Services, although with backup & recovery procedures.
