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.
Enables
Help & Support
Center
to run on this
computer. This
Service can, in my experience be set to Manual without adversely
affecting Help & 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.
