Is there a list of services that it's ok to turn off someplace?

[~A_Sammy]

I hear this service is essential, that one only uses system resources and
should be turned off, etc.

If you have just one computer, no network, no games, and it is used just for
spreadsheets, word processing, and email, what services have to be running,
and which of the dafault ones can be turned off?

Oh, I already know you can turn messenger off. I did that when I started
getting spamed by it.

Thanks,

a s

 

[Chris Lanier]

Greetings

Windows XP Home and Professional Service Configurations
http://www.blkviper.com/WinXP/servicecfg.htm

 

[Mike Kolitz]

This site (http://www.blackviper.com/WinXP/servicecfg.htm) has some advice
about which services you might be able to turn off.

I would advise that you be VERY careful when turning off services if you're
not absolutely sure of what you're doing. You could do some serious damage
to your system if you stop the wrong service from starting on the next
reboot.

--
Mike Kolitz MCSE 2000
MS-MVP - Windows Setup and Deployment

Remember to check Windows Update often,
and apply the patches marked as Critical!
http://windowsupdate.microsoft.com

 

[Alex Nichol]

I hear this service is essential, that one only uses system resources and
should be turned off, etc.

If you have just one computer, no network, no games, and it is used just for
spreadsheets, word processing, and email, what services have to be running,
and which of the dafault ones can be turned off?

The ones I think you may well set as Manual (rather than Disabled - they
can they start if something needs them) on a stand alone
machine (or probably non-corporate LAN ) are

Background Intelligent transfer (though it is used by Auto Update,
manual update works fine without)
Routing and remote access
Both of which seem implicated in heavy usage of CPU

SSDP Discovery and
U PnP
provided you don't need it for a UPnP router

Alerter (which is *not* needed for error alerts on the local machine)

Indexing (unless the use of context in searches is an actual benefit)

IMAPI CD Burning (if third party CD burning is implemented)

Messenger (against the pop-up ads, though of course NetBIOS should be
blocked in a firewall, this is better than nothing - and is doing no
good in the sort of setups mentioned)

QoS RSVP (not that it causes the trouble that street wisdom suggests -
but it doesn't do anything positive)

Anything else that is not needed is probably not Starting anyway