Turning Off Unnecessary XP Controlling Services

Windows XP is a relatively powerful operating system but it also has many non-essential services running all the time and slowing down your PC's performance. Turning off unnecessary services in Windows XP can greatly reduce your security risk, and improve system performance. Of course there are hundreds if not thousands of services and add-ons that companies provide to "optimize your computing experience, but often these applications may do more harm than good. The following is a list of services provided in Windows XP which may or may not be essential to your style of computing. Evaluate your computing needs and determine which services you can turn off.

Navigate to services by going to <Control Panel>, <Administrative Tools>, then <Services>. There will be a long list of services, some running and some dormant. Use this checklist to help decide which services you can live without. If you run in to a problem or need a service later, just return to Services and enable it.

Windows XP Pro (and Home); Services to potentially turn off:

Each service is listed as it is in Microsoft's Windows XP Professional. These should be similar in Microsoft's XP Home as well. Under each service is the definition supplied in the Services Manager.

• Alerter
  Notifies selected users and computers of administrative alerts. If the service is stopped, programs that use administrative alerts will not receive them. If this service is disabled, any services that explicitly
  depend on it will fail to start.

• Application Layer Gateway Service
  Provides support for 3rd party protocol plug-ins for Internet Connection Sharing and the Internet Connection Firewall.

Any router purchased for $50 or less will serve to share Internet Connectivity far better than this service.

• ClipBook
  Enables ClipBook Viewer to store information and share it with remote computers. If the service is stopped, ClipBook Viewer will not be able to share information with remote computers. If this service is
  disabled, any services that explicitly depend on it will fail to start.
   

• Computer Browser
  Maintains an updated list of computers on the network and supplies this list to computers designated as browsers. If this service is stopped, this list will not be updated or maintained. If this service is disabled,
  any services that explicitly depend on it will fail to start.

This tool may be useful for networked computers.

• Cryptographic Services
  Provides three management services: Catalog Database Service, which confirms the signatures of Windows files; Protected Root Service, which adds and removes Trusted Root Certification Authority certificates from this computer; and Key Service, which helps enroll this computer for certificates. If this service is stopped, these management services will not function properly. If this service is disabled, any services that explicitly depend on it will fail to start.

• Distributed Transaction Coordinator
  Coordinates transactions that span multiple resource managers, such as databases, message queues, and file systems. If this service is stopped, these transactions will not occur. If this service is disabled, any services that explicitly depend on it will fail to start.

• DNS Client
  Resolves and caches Domain Name System (DNS) names for this computer. If this service is stopped, this computer will not be able to resolve DNS names and locate Active Directory domain controllers. If this service is disabled, any services that explicitly depend on it will fail to start.

• Error Reporting Service
  Allows error reporting for services and applications running in non-standard environments.

• Help and Support
  Enables Help and Support Center to run on this computer. If this service is stopped, Help and Support Center will be unavailable. If this service is disabled, any services that explicitly depend on it will fail to
  start.

• Indexing Service
  Indexes contents and properties of files on local and remote computers;
  provides rapid access to files through flexible querying language.

• Internet Connection Firewall (ICF) / Internet Connection Sharing (ICS)
  Provides network address translation, addressing, name resolution and/or intrusion prevention services for a home or small office network.
   

• Messenger
  Transmits net send and Alerter service messages between clients and servers. This service is not related to Windows Messenger. If this service is stopped, Alerter messages will not be transmitted. If this service is disabled, any services that explicitly depend on it will fail to start.
   

• Net Logon
  Supports pass-through authentication of account logon events for computers in a domain.
   

• NetMeeting Remote Desktop Sharing
  Enables an authorized user to access this computer remotely by using NetMeeting over a corporate intranet. If this service is stopped, remote desktop sharing will be unavailable. If this service is disabled, any services that explicitly depend on it will fail to start.
   

• Remote Desktop Help Session Manager
  Manages and controls Remote Assistance. If this service is stopped, Remote Assistance will be unavailable. Before stopping this service, see the Dependencies tab of the Properties dialog box.
   

• Remote Procedure Call (RPC) Locator
  Manages the RPC name service database.

• Remote Registry
  Enables remote users to modify registry settings on this computer. If this service is stopped, the registry can be modified only by users on this computer. If this service is disabled, any services that explicitly depend on it will fail to start.

• TCP/IP NetBIOS Helper
  Enables support for NetBIOS over TCP/IP (NetBT) service and NetBIOS name resolution.

• Telephony
  Provides Telephony API (TAPI) support for programs that control telephony devices and IP based voice connections on the local computer and, through the LAN, on servers that are also running the service.

• Telnet
  Enables a remote user to log on to this computer and run programs, and  supports various TCP/IP Telnet clients, including UNIX-based and Windows-based computers. If this service is stopped, remote user
  access to programs might be unavailable. If this service is disabled, any services that explicitly depend on it will fail to start.

• Terminal Services
  Allows multiple users to be connected interactively to a machine as well as the display of desktops and applications to remote computers. The underpinning of Remote Desktop (including RD for Administrators), Fast User Switching, Remote Assistance, and Terminal Server.

• Themes
  Provides user experience theme management.
   

• Uninterruptible Power Supply
  Manages an uninterruptible power supply (UPS) connected to the computer.

Unless you are using a UPS on your computer and it can manage your system power, disable it.

• Windows Time
  Maintains date and time synchronization on all clients and servers in the network. If this service is stopped, date and time synchronization will be unavailable. If this service is disabled, any services that
  explicitly depend on it will fail to start.
   

• Wireless Zero Configuration
  Provides automatic configuration for the 802.11 adapters

Unless you use 802.11 devices like Wi-Fi or Bluetooth, disable it.

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