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Windows 7 Services
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The last time I did a services related article was right
after the release of Service Pack 1 for Windows XP. I
skipped over Vista completely because I didn't use it long
enough to even bother looking at the services. I really like
Windows 7 and think it will have a future lifespan very
similar to what XP enjoyed so I've put together a new
services article devoted strictly to the Windows 7 operating
system.
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| Is There Any
Benefit to Adjusting System Services? |
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I understand full well the primary reason people
like to fiddle with services is the hope of picking
up some substantial performance gains. I said this
way back when I wrote the XP services article and
I'll say it again some ten years later; it just
isn't going to happen. You may pick up a tiny
performance gain by fiddling with the settings, but
it won't be anything substantial, if even
noticeable.
It's just my opinion, but if you are in a
situation where these gains are necessary to achieve
an acceptable or increased level of system
performance, it would be wiser to upgrade the
physical system to one that is adequate to benefit
from the Windows 7 operating system.
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Viewing and Accessing Services -
There are two ways to view
Services on your computer.
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System Configuration Utility |
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The first is to use the MS
Configuration Utility either by typing msconfig.exe in the Run box accessed
via the Start Menu or by typing msconfig.exe in the Search box accessed
via the Start Menu, followed by clicking the Services tab. If you
want a quick visual of which items are running or stopped,
this is fine, but do not use
System Configuration to make changes or modify any services
settings. Changes should only be made through services.msc
which I'll talk about below. The one feature of System
Configuration relative to services that's very handy is the
[Hide All Microsoft Services] checkbox. Use it if you want
to quickly identify any third party services that have been
added to the system, but avoid all the other checkboxes and
[Disable All] button. When you're done viewing just click
the [Cancel] button to exit the application. |
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Microsoft Management Console - Services PlugIn |
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The preferred way to make changes to services is to
launch services.msc, a plugin for the Microsoft Management
Console, either by typing services.msc in the Run box accessed
via the Start Menu or by typing services.msc in the Search box accessed
via the Start Menu. The Services window shown below will open. As
you can see, in its default view it's pretty jumbled and
hard to read but there are many controls on the menus you
can use to resize columns and make the info more legible.
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Looking at the Services
window you can see it has columns for Name, Description, Status,
Startup Type and Log On As. This provides a quick overview of all
the services on your computer. Detailed information is available by
clicking any of the entries. The four captures below show the
property sheet, by tabs, for the ActiveX Installer (AxInstSV) Service. |
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General Tab |
Log On Tab |
Recovery Tab |
Dependencies Tab |
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The Individual Services Pages
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Here's an explanation of how I've set up the pages for each
individual service. There are four distinct areas included
to help you make an informed decision regarding whether to
leave the default configuration in place or modify it for
your personal system. |
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The first section [shown above] of a service page is a
screen capture of the service listing being viewed. The
[Name] and [Description] are what's of interest, especially
the description as this will help you determine what the
service does and whether or not it's necessary to proper
functioning of the system. |
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The second section [shown above] of a service page is
the table containing a [Real World Description], [Is
This Service Needed], [Recommended Setting], and [Notes]
section. Bear in mind that these four items are strictly my
opinion and may or may not work in your personal situation. |
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The third section [shown above] of a service page is a
screen capture of the [General] tab of the specific service
property sheet. It contains a lot of additional information
including the [Service Name], [Display Name], [Path to
Executable], [Startup Type], and [Service Status]. In
addition there is a table on the right listing the Default
Startup Mode for each different version of Windows 7 as
determined by a clean installation of the operating system
version. |
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The fourth and final section [shown above] of a service page is a
screen capture of the [Dependencies] tab of the specific
service property sheet. Dependencies are often ignored when
evaluating services but they do play a critical role in
determining what can be disabled and how a change made to
one service will impact others with unintended consequences. |
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| Final Notes - Cautions - And The List of Services |
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- I have not broken
down the settings into different 'configurations' for purposes
such as game playing, etc. This seems pointless to me since
each system is unique and requires a specific configuration
based on operating system version and installed hardware.
- Almost assuredly you will have more services listed than I
have shown below from a clean installation of Windows 7
Ultimate. That's to be expected as applications often add
services when they are installed. Review them just like you
would any of the ones listed and make an informed decision. - Changing
services settings can be just as dangerous as editing the
registry. Contrary to what some will advise, it is very
possible to turn a currently functioning system into a
paperweight necessitating a full reinstall of the operating
system. Have current -tested- backups of your
system/data and understand how to restore system/data if something
goes terribly wrong. -
Remember that to edit the values for a service, launch services.msc
as explained earlier and never use msconfig.exe to make
changes to services. - The recommendations I've made regarding each service are
based solely on my personal experience. What I've found or
what works for me may bear no relation to what works for you. |
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That's it - The list of services from a Windows 7 Ultimate
clean installation is below. Have fun! |
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- Important Information -
The Elder Geek sites contain many articles and suggestions for
modifying the Windows operating system. I've tried these
tweaks and tips on many systems. Sometimes they work,
sometimes not. The point is, ensure you have a current,
tested backup of all system and data files and understand
how to restore the system in case something goes very wrong.
You can still yell at me, but I assume no responsibility for
your actions and use of the information and disclaim any
legal responsibility for any consequences of such actions. |
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