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XP Services

Editor's Note: This information was originally created and belongs to Black Viper (Dead link, obviously). We have reproduced it, in large part until the original website returns, if ever. There were a lot of pages, so if you dig far enough reading it here, you will eventually hit dead links from older pages we do not have. The original scripts are also available for download.

  1. Do not use msconfig to disable services. Type in the Run box "services.msc" instead!
  2. Before disabling ANY service, check out the information listed about each service by clicking on the name.
  3. Only disable a few services at a time to avoid changing "50" settings and trying to figure out "what broke it."
  4. Still unsure? Put your setting to "manual" or the listing under "Safe." Manual allows Windows XP to start the service when it needs to (or when ever it feels like it,) but not at boot up. NOTE: Depending on your configuration, not all services will start when required while in Manual mode. If you find you need a service, place it in Auto.
  5. After adjusting your service settings, reboot your computer.
  6. If you do not have some of these services listed, don't panic! If your computer manufacture "pre-installed" your XP, they choose not to have certain services installed for you.

Notes

        Disabling all of the "unneeded services" frees up 12-70MB of RAM, depending on system.
  • Display Name ~ Is how it is displayed in the Services Control Panel
  • Service Name ~ Is what the service is called, usually the "short" name
  • Process Name ~ Name of the Process running in the background (displayed in Task Manager by hitting Ctrl+Alt+Del)
  • Dependencies ~ What other services this service needs to run
  • Need it? ~ From what I have concluded by trial and error and also the services that I have found pointless.
  • MINE ~ My configuration & recommended to start.  Cross between Gaming (Power User) & Safe configuration.
  • DEFAULT Pro ~ What Microsoft thinks should be running on Windows XP Professional.
  • "SAFE" Configuration ~ This is the configuration that 95% of the people will be able to use with little side effects. It will also minimizes the amount of "errors" that is reported in the Event Viewer. This does NOT guarantee it will work for you, but if you are scared, this configuration should be a good starting point.
  • Internet Gateway Configuration ~ Setup to allow multiple computers on a network to share one internet connection access point using Microsoft's "Internet Connection Sharing and Personal Firewall" software. If you do not have this type of setup, compare the differences between "SAFE" and "GAMING" to find a middle ground that works for your system.
  • Gaming Configuration ~ The power user setup. DO NOT JUMP RIGHT TO THIS CONFIGURATION. This setup is a system that connects through a network to the internet, provides file and print sharing resources and gaming enjoyment. Some things MAY not function with this setup. No passwords are saved. It is not intended for a computer with analog modems or some DSL/cable connections. Try "Internet Gateway" Configuration first.

Windows XP Professional Services Configurations

Display Name
Service Name
Process Name
Dependencies
Need it?
(Vital, Yes, Maybe, No, Not Installed, Never)
MINE
DEFAULT
Pro
"SAFE"
Internet Gateway
Gaming
Alerter Alerter services.exe Workstation No. Disabled Manual Disabled Disabled Disabled
Application Layer Gateway Service ALG alg.exe None Maybe. Disabled Manual Manual Auto Disabled
Application Management AppMgmt svchost.exe None Yes. Manual Manual Manual Manual Manual
Auto Updates wuauserv svchost.exe None Maybe. Disabled Auto Auto Auto Disabled
Background Intelligent Transfer Service BITS svchost.exe Remote Procedure Call (RPC), Workstation No. Disabled Manual Disabled Disabled Disabled
ClipBook ClipSrv clipsrv.exe Network DDE No. Disabled Manual Disabled Disabled Disabled
COM+ Event System EventSystem svchost.exe Remote Procedure Call (RPC) No. Disabled Manual Manual Disabled Disabled
COM+ System Application COMSysApp dllhost.exe Remote Procedure Call (RPC) No. Disabled Manual Manual Disabled Disabled
Computer Browser Browser svchost.exe Server, Workstation Maybe. Disabled Auto Manual Auto Disabled
Cryptographic Services CryptSvc svchost.exe Remote Procedure Call (RPC) Maybe. Manual Auto Auto Auto Disabled

Display Name
Service Name
Process Name
Dependencies
Need it?
(Vital, Yes, Maybe, No, Not Installed, Never)
MINE
DEFAULT
Pro
"SAFE"
Internet Gateway
Gaming
DHCP Client Dhcp svchost.exe AFD Networking Support Environment, NetBios over TCP/IP, TCP/IP Protocol Driver Maybe. Auto Auto Auto Disabled Auto
Distributed Link Tracking Client TrkWks svchost.exe Remote Procedure Call (RPC) No. Disabled Auto Manual Disabled Disabled
Distributed Transaction Coordinator MSDTC msdtc.exe Remote Procedure Call (RPC), Security Accounts Manager No. Disabled Manual Manual Disabled Disabled
DNS Client Dnscache svchost.exe TCP/IP Protocol Driver No. Disabled Auto Auto Disabled Disabled
Error Reporting Service ERSvc svchost.exe Remote Procedure Call (RPC) Never. Disabled Auto Disabled Disabled Disabled
Event Log Eventlog services.exe None Yes. Auto Auto Auto Auto Auto
Fast User Switching Compatibility FastUserSwitching Compatibility svchost.exe Terminal Services No. Manual Manual Manual Disabled Disabled
Fax Service FAX fxssvc.exe Plug and Play, Print Spooler, Remote Procedure Call (RPC), Telephony Not Installed. Not Installed Not Installed Not Installed Not Installed Not Installed
FTP Publishing Service   inetinfo.exe IIS Admin Not Installed. Not Available Not Installed Not Installed Not Installed Not Installed

Display Name
Service Name
Process Name
Dependencies
Need it?
(Vital, Yes, Maybe, No, Not Installed, Never)
MINE
DEFAULT
Pro
"SAFE"
Internet Gateway
Gaming
Help and Support helpsvc svchost,exe Remote Procedure Call (RPC) No. Disabled Auto Disabled Disabled Disabled
Human Interface Device Access HidServ svchost,exe Remote Procedure Call (RPC) No. Auto Disabled Disabled Disabled Disabled
IIS Admin IISADMIN inetinfo.exe Remote Procedure Call (RPC), Security Accounts Manager Not Installed. Not Available Not Installed Not Installed Not Installed Not Installed
IMAPI CD-Burning COM Service ImapiService imapi.exe None Maybe. Disabled Manual Auto Disabled Disabled
Indexing Service cisvc cisvc.exe Remote Procedure Call (RPC) Never. Disabled Manual Disabled Disabled Disabled
Internet Connection Firewall/Internet Connection Sharing SharedAccess svchost.exe Application Layer Gateway Service, Network Connections, Network Location Awareness, Remote Access Connection Manager Maybe. Disabled Auto Auto Auto Disabled
IPSEC Services PolicyAgent lsass,exe IPSEC driver, Remote Procedure Call (RPC), TCP/IP Protocol Driver No. Disabled Auto Disabled Disabled Disabled
Logical Disk Manager dmserver svchost.exe Plug and Play, Remote Procedure Call (RPC) Maybe. Disabled Auto Manual Disabled Disabled
Logical Disk Manager Administrative Service dmadmin dmadmin.exe Logical Disk Manager, Plug and Play, Remote Procedure Call (RPC) Maybe. Disabled Manual Manual Disabled Disabled
Message Queuing   mqsvc.exe Distributed Transaction Coordinator, Message Queuing access control, NT LM Security Support Provider, Reliable Multicast Protocol driver, Remote Procedure Call (RPC), Server Not Installed. Not Available Not Installed Not Installed Not Installed Not Installed

Display Name
Service Name
Process Name
Dependencies
Need it?
(Vital, Yes, Maybe, No, Not Installed, Never)
MINE
DEFAULT
Pro
"SAFE"
Internet Gateway
Gaming
Message Queuing Triggers   mqtgsvc.exe Message Queuing Not Installed. Not Available Not Installed Not Installed Not Installed Not Installed
Messenger Messenger services.exe NetBIOS Interface, Plug and Play, Remote Procedure Call (RPC), Workstation No. Disabled Auto Disabled Disabled Disabled
MS Software Shadow Copy Provider SwPrv dllhost.exe Remote Procedure Call (RPC) No. Disabled Manual Manual Disabled Disabled
Net Login Netlogon lsass.exe Workstation No. Disabled Auto Disabled Disabled Disabled
NetMeeting Remote Desktop Sharing mnmsrvc mnmsrvc.exe None Never. Manual Manual Disabled Disabled Disabled
Network Connections Netman svchost.exe Remote Procedure Call (RPC) Vital.  Manual Manual Auto Auto Manual
Network DDE NetDDE netdde.exe Network DDE DSDM No. Disabled Manual Disabled Disabled Disabled
Network DDE DSDM NetDDE dsdm netdde.exe AFD Networking Support Enviroment, TCP/IP Protocol Driver No. Disabled Manual Disabled Disabled Disabled
Network Location Awareness (NLA) Nla svchost.exe None Maybe. Disabled Manual Manual Auto Disabled
NT LM Security Support Provider NtLmSsp lsass.exe None No. Disabled Manual Disabled Disabled Disabled

Display Name
Service Name
Process Name
Dependencies
Need it?
(Vital, Yes, Maybe, No, Not Installed, Never)
MINE
DEFAULT
Pro
"SAFE"
Internet Gateway
Gaming
Performance Logs and Alerts SysmonLog smlogsvc.exe None Never. Disabled Manual Disabled Disabled Disabled
Plug and Play PlugPlay services.exe None Vital. Auto Auto Auto Auto Auto
Portable Media Serial Number WmdmPmSp svchost.exe None Never. Manual Auto Disabled Disabled Disabled
Print Spooler Spooler spoolsv.exe Remote Procedure Call (RPC) Maybe. Auto Auto Auto Auto Auto
Protected Storage ProtectedStorage lsass.exe Remote Procedure Call (RPC) No. Auto Auto Auto Auto Disabled
QoS RSVP RSVP rsvp.exe AFD Networking Support Environment, Remote Procedure Call (RPC), TCP/IP Protocol Driver No Disabled Manual Disabled Disabled Disabled
Remote Access Auto Connection Manager RasAuto svchost.exe Remote Access Connection Manager, Telephony Maybe. Manual Manual Manual Auto Disabled
Remote Access Connection Manager RasMan svchost.exe Telephony Maybe. Manual Manual Manual Auto Disabled
Remote Desktop Help Session Manager RDSessMgr sessmgr.exe Remote Procedure Call (RPC) No. Disabled Manual Disabled Disabled Disabled
Remote Procedure Call (RPC) RpcSs svchost.exe None (but everything depends on IT!) Vital. Auto Auto Auto Auto Auto

Display Name
Service Name
Process Name
Dependencies
Need it?
(Vital, Yes, Maybe, No, Not Installed, Never)
MINE
DEFAULT
Pro
"SAFE"
Internet Gateway
Gaming
Remote Procedure Call (RPC) Locator RpcLocator locator.exe Workstation No. Manual Manual Manual Manual Manual
Remote Registry Service RemoteRegistry svchost.exe None Never. Disabled Auto Disabled Disabled Disabled
Removable Storage NtmsSvc svchost.exe Remote Procedure Call (RPC) No. Disabled Manual Manual Disabled Disabled
RIP Listener   svchost.exe Remote Procedure Call (RPC) Not Installed. Not Installed Not Installed Not Installed Not Installed Not Installed
Routing and Remote Access RemoteAccess svchost.exe NetBIOSGroup, Remote Procedure Call (RPC) No. Disabled Manual Disabled Disabled Disabled
Secondary Logon seclogon svchost.exe None No. Disabled Auto Disabled Disabled Disabled
Security Accounts Manager SamSs lsass.exe Remote Procedure Call (RPC) No. Disabled Auto Disabled Disabled Disabled
Server lanmanserver svchost.exe None Maybe. Auto Auto Auto Auto Disabled
Shell Hardware Detection ShellHWDetection svchost.exe Remote Procedure Call (RPC) Maybe. Disabled Auto Auto Disabled Disabled
Simple Mail Transport Protocol (SMTP) SMTPSVC inetinfo.exe Event Log, IIS Admin Not Installed. Not Available Not Installed Not Installed Not Installed Not Installed

Display Name
Service Name
Process Name
Dependencies
Need it?
(Vital, Yes, Maybe, No, Not Installed, Never)
MINE
DEFAULT
Pro
"SAFE"
Internet Gateway
Gaming
Simple TCP/IP Services   tcpsvcs.exe AFD Networking Support Environment Not Installed. Not Installed Not Installed Not Installed Not Installed Not Installed
Smart Card SCardSvr SCardSvr.exe Plug and Play Never. Disabled Manual Disabled Disabled Disabled
Smart Card Helper SCardDrv SCardSvr.exe None Never. Disabled Manual Disabled Disabled Disabled
SNMP Service   snmp.exe Event Log Not Installed. Not Installed Not Installed Not Installed Not Installed Not Installed
SNMP Trap Service   snmptrap.exe Event Log Not Installed. Not Installed Not Installed Not Installed Not Installed Not Installed
SSDP Discovery Service SSDPSRV svchost.exe None No. Manual Manual Disabled Disabled Disabled
System Event Notification SENS svchost.exe COM+ Event System No. Disabled Auto Auto Disabled Disabled
System Restore Service srservice svchost.exe Remote Procedure Call (RPC) Never. Disabled Auto Disabled Disabled Disabled
Task Scheduler Schedule svchost.exe Remote Procedure Call (RPC) Maybe. Disabled Auto Auto Disabled Disabled
TCP/IP NetBIOS Helper Service LmHosts svchost.exe AFD Networking Support Enviroment, NetBios over TCP/IP No. Disabled Auto Disabled Disabled Disabled

Display Name
Service Name
Process Name
Dependencies
Need it?
(Vital, Yes, Maybe, No, Not Installed, Never)
MINE
DEFAULT
Pro
"SAFE"
Internet Gateway
Gaming
TCP/IP Printer Server LPDSVC tcpsvcs.exe Print Spooler, TCP/IP Protocol Driver Not Installed. Not Installed Not Installed Not Installed Not Installed Not Installed
Telephony TapiSrv svchost.exe Plug and Play, Remote Procedure Call (RPC) Maybe. Manual Manual Manual Auto Disabled
Telnet TlntSvr tlntsvr.exe NT LM Security Support Provider, Remote Procedure Call (RPC), TCP/IP Protocol Driver Never. Disabled Manual Disabled Disabled Disabled
Terminal Services TermService svchost.exe Remote Procedure Call (RPC) No. Disabled Manual Manual Disabled Disabled
Themes Themes svchost.exe None No. Disabled Auto Auto Disabled Disabled
Uninterruptible Power Supply UPS ups.exe None No. Disabled Manual Disabled Disabled Disabled
Universal Plug and Play Device Host UPNPhost svchost.exe SSDP Discovery Service No. Manual Manual Disabled Disabled Disabled
Upload Manager uploadmgr svchost.exe Remote Procedure Call (RPC) No. Disabled Auto Disabled Disabled Disabled
Volume Shadow Copy VSS vssvc.exe Remote Procedure Call (RPC) No.  Manual Manual Manual Disabled Disabled
WebClient WebClient svchost.exe WebDav Client Redirector Never. Disabled Auto Disabled Disabled Disabled

Display Name
Service Name
Process Name
Dependencies
Need it?
(Vital, Yes, Maybe, No, Not Installed, Never)
MINE
DEFAULT
Pro
"SAFE"
Internet Gateway
Gaming
Windows Audio AudioSrv svchost.exe Plug and Play, Remote Procedure Call (RPC) Vital. Auto Auto Auto Disabled (no sound card in this system) Auto
Windows Image Acquisition (WIA) stisvc svchost.exe Remote Procedure Call (RPC) No. Manual Manual Manual Disabled Disabled
Windows Installer MSIServer msiexec.exe Remote Procedure Call (RPC) Yes.  Manual Manual Manual Manual Manual
Windows Management Instrumentation Minmgmt svchost.exe Event Log, Remote Procedure Call (RPC) Vital. Auto Auto Auto Auto Auto
Windows Management Instrumentation Driver Extension Wmi svchost.exe None Yes. Manual Manual Manual Manual Manual
Windows Time W32Time svchost.exe None No. Disabled Auto Disabled Disabled Disabled
Wireless Zero Configuration WZCSVC svchost.exe NDIS Usermode I/O Protocol, Remote Procedure Call (RPC) No. Manual Auto Disabled Disabled Disabled
WMI Performance Adapter WmiApSrv wmiapsrv.exe Remote Procedure Call (RPC) No. Manual Manual Disabled Disabled Disabled
Workstation lanmanworkstation svchost.exe None (but plenty depend on it...) Vital. Auto Auto Auto Auto Auto
World Wide Web Publishing Service W3SVC inetinfo.exe IIS Admin No. Not Available Not Installed Not Installed Not Installed Not Installed

 

 

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