Windows XP Home and Professional Services

Do I really need all those services?

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• To view & modify services on XP, click on "Start/Run" and enter "services.msc". If there are 2 tabs at the bottom, click on the "Standard" tab.
• It can also be accessed from the "Control Panel" under "Administrative Tools".
• Right clicking on any particular service will allow you to stop, start, or examine the properties of that service.
• Note: Changing the "Startup Type" does not affect the currently running service. Not all services can be stopped, particularly those that are started with the "svchost.exe" process. You may have to change the type to "Disabled" and restart the computer to stop certain services.
• Exercise caution when disabling services. If you disable many services at one time, you will never know which service caused a certain piece of hardware or software to stop functioning. With the exception of a few essential services, stopping and starting services is not nearly as risky as editing the registry.

Table Header information:

• Display Name ~ is how it displays in the Services Control Panel.
• Service Name ~ is what the service’s "short" name is and what displays in the registry.
• Process Name ~ name of the Process running in the background (displays in Task Manager by hitting Ctrl+Alt+Del).
• Dependencies ~ describe what other services this service needs to run.
• Default Home ~ what Bill G. thinks should be running on Windows XP Home.
• Default Pro ~ what Bill G. thinks should be running on Windows XP Professional.
• Black Viper "SAFE" Configuration ~ this is the configuration that 95% of the people will be able to use with Microsoft's "Internet Connection Sharing and Personal Firewall" software enabled and little or no 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 this scares you, this configuration would be a good starting point.
• Alberta Independent Internet "SAFE" Configuration ~ this is the configuration recommended by AII for users that have an external firewall (ie. NAT router). Using this setup will minimize your risk and improve your computer's performance. This list does not include services for specialty hardware that may be on your machine, such as CDRW/DVD drives and printers.

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This table was originally created by Black Viper

Windows XP Home and Professional Services Configurations:
Display Name	Service Name	Process Name	Dependencies	Default Home	Default Pro	BV "SAFE"	AII "SAFE"
Alerter	Alerter	services.exe	Workstation	Manual	Manual	Disabled	Disabled
Application Layer Gateway Service	ALG	alg.exe	None	Manual	Manual	Manual	Disabled
Application Management	AppMgmt	svchost.exe	None	Manual	Manual	Manual	Manual
Automatic Updates	wuauserv	svchost.exe	None	Automatic	Automatic	Automatic	Manual
Background Intelligent Transfer Service	BITS	svchost.exe	Remote Procedure Call (RPC), Workstation	Manual	Manual	Disabled	Disabled
ClipBook	ClipSrv	clipsrv.exe	Network DDE	Manual	Manual	Disabled	Disabled
COM+ Event System	EventSystem	svchost.exe	Remote Procedure Call (RPC)	Manual	Manual	Manual	Manual
COM+ System Application	COMSysApp	dllhost.exe	Remote Procedure Call (RPC)	Manual	Manual	Manual	Manual
Computer Browser	Browser	svchost.exe	Server, Workstation	Automatic	Automatic	Automatic	Automatic
Cryptographic Services	CryptSvc	svchost.exe	Remote Procedure Call (RPC)	Automatic	Automatic	Automatic	Automatic
DHCP Client	Dhcp	svchost.exe	AFD Networking Support Environment, NetBios over TCP/IP, TCP/IP Protocol Driver	Automatic	Automatic	Automatic	Disabled
Distributed Link Tracking Client	TrkWks	svchost.exe	Remote Procedure Call (RPC)	Automatic	Automatic	Manual	Manual
Distributed Transaction Coordinator	MSDTC	msdtc.exe	Remote Procedure Call (RPC), Security Accounts Manager	Manual	Manual	Manual	Manual
DNS Client	Dnscache	svchost.exe	TCP/IP Protocol Driver	Automatic	Automatic	Automatic	Automatic
Error Reporting Service	ERSvc	svchost.exe	Remote Procedure Call (RPC)	Automatic	Automatic	Disabled	Disabled
Event Log	Eventlog	services.exe	None	Automatic	Automatic	Automatic	Automatic
Fast User Switching Compatibility	FastUserSwitching Compatibility	svchost.exe	Terminal Services	Manual	Manual	Manual	Manual
Fax Service	FAX	fxssvc.exe	Plug and Play, Print Spooler, Remote Procedure Call (RPC), Telephony	Not Installed	Not Installed	Not Installed	Not Installed
FTP Publishing Service	NA	inetinfo.exe	IIS Admin	Not Available	Not Installed	Not Installed	Not Installed
Display Name	Service Name	Process Name	Dependencies	Default Home	Default Pro	BV "SAFE"	AII "SAFE"
Help and Support	helpsvc	svchost.exe	Remote Procedure Call (RPC)	Automatic	Automatic	Disabled	Manual
Human Interface Device Access	HidServ	svchost.exe	Remote Procedure Call (RPC)	Disabled	Disabled	Disabled	Disabled
IIS Admin	IISADMIN	inetinfo.exe	Remote Procedure Call (RPC), Security Accounts Manager	Not Available	Not Installed	Not Installed	Not Installed
IMAPI CD-Burning COM Service	ImapiService	imapi.exe	None	Manual	Manual	Automatic	Harware Dependent
Indexing Service	cisvc	cisvc.exe	Remote Procedure Call (RPC)	Manual	Manual	Disabled	Disabled
Internet Connection Firewall/Internet Connection Sharing	SharedAccess	svchost.exe	Application Layer Gateway Service, Network Connections, Network Location Awareness, Remote Access Connection Manager	Manual	Automatic	Automatic	Disabled
IPSEC Services	PolicyAgent	lsass.exe	IPSEC driver, Remote Procedure Call (RPC), TCP/IP Protocol Driver	Automatic	Automatic	Disabled	Disabled
Logical Disk Manager	dmserver	svchost.exe	Plug and Play, Remote Procedure Call (RPC)	Manual	Automatic	Manual	Manual
Logical Disk Manager Administrative Service	dmadmin	dmadmin.exe	Logical Disk Manager, Plug and Play, Remote Procedure Call (RPC)	Manual	Manual	Manual	Manual
Message Queuing	NA	mqsvc.exe	Distributed Transaction Coordinator, Message Queuing access control, NT LM Security Support Provider, Reliable Multicast Protocol driver, Remote Procedure Call (RPC), Server	Not Available	Not Installed	Not Installed	Not Installed
Display Name	Service Name	Process Name	Dependencies	Default Home	Default Pro	BV "SAFE"	AII "SAFE"
Message Queuing Triggers	NA	mqtgsvc.exe	Message Queuing	Not Available	Not Installed	Not Installed	Not Installed
Messenger	Messenger	services.exe	NetBIOS Interface, Plug and Play, Remote Procedure Call (RPC), Workstation	Automatic	Automatic	Disabled	Disabled
MS Software Shadow Copy Provider	SwPrv	dllhost.exe	Remote Procedure Call (RPC)	Manual	Manual	Manual	Manual
Net Login	Netlogon	lsass.exe	Workstation	Manual	Automatic	Disabled	Manual
NetMeeting Remote Desktop Sharing	mnmsrvc	mnmsrvc.exe	None	Manual	Manual	Disabled	Disabled
Network Connections	Netman	svchost.exe	Remote Procedure Call (RPC)	Manual	Manual	Manual	Manual
Network DDE	NetDDE	netdde.exe	Network DDE DSDM	Manual	Manual	Disabled	Manual
Network DDE DSDM	NetDDE dsdm	netdde.exe	AFD Networking Support Enviroment, TCP/IP Protocol Driver	Manual	Manual	Disabled	Disabled
Network Location Awareness (NLA)	Nla	svchost.exe	None	Manual	Manual	Manual	Manual
NT LM Security Support Provider	NtLmSsp	lsass.exe	None	Manual	Manual	Disabled	Disabled
Performance Logs and Alerts	SysmonLog	smlogsvc.exe	None	Manual	Manual	Disabled	Manual
Plug and Play	PlugPlay	services.exe	None	Automatic	Automatic	Automatic	Automatic
Portable Media Serial Number	WmdmPmSp	svchost.exe	None	Automatic	Automatic	Disabled	Disabled
Print Spooler	Spooler	spoolsv.exe	Remote Procedure Call (RPC)	Automatic	Automatic	Automatic	Automatic
Protected Storage	ProtectedStorage	lsass.exe	Remote Procedure Call (RPC)	Automatic	Automatic	Automatic	Automatic
QoS RSVP	RSVP	rsvp.exe	AFD Networking Support Environment, Remote Procedure Call (RPC), TCP/IP Protocol Driver	Manual	Manual	Disabled	Manual
Remote Access Auto Connection Manager	RasAuto	svchost.exe	Remote Access Connection Manager, Telephony	Manual	Manual	Manual	Manual
Remote Access Connection Manager	RasMan	svchost.exe	Telephony	Manual	Manual	Manual	Disabled
Remote Desktop Help Session Manager	RDSessMgr	sessmgr.exe	Remote Procedure Call (RPC)	Manual	Manual	Disabled	Disabled
Remote Procedure Call (RPC)	RpcSs	svchost.exe	None (but everything depends on it)	Automatic	Automatic	Automatic	Automatic
Display Name	Service Name	Process Name	Dependencies	Default Home	Default Pro	BV "SAFE"	AII "SAFE"
Remote Procedure Call (RPC) Locator	RpcLocator	locator.exe	Workstation	Manual	Manual	Manual	Manual
Remote Registry Service	RemoteRegistry	svchost.exe	None	Not Available	Automatic	Disabled	Disabled
Removable Storage	NtmsSvc	svchost.exe	Remote Procedure Call (RPC)	Manual	Manual	Manual	Manual
RIP Listener	NA	svchost.exe	Remote Procedure Call (RPC)	Not Installed	Not Installed	Not Installed	Not Installed
Routing and Remote Access	RemoteAccess	svchost.exe	NetBIOSGroup, Remote Procedure Call (RPC)	Disabled	Manual	Disabled	Disabled
Secondary Logon	seclogon	svchost.exe	None	Automatic	Automatic	Disabled	Disabled
Security Accounts Manager	SamSs	lsass.exe	Remote Procedure Call (RPC)	Automatic	Automatic	Automatic	Automatic
Server	lanmanserver	svchost.exe	None	Automatic	Automatic	Automatic	Automatic
Shell Hardware Detection	ShellHWDetection	svchost.exe	Remote Procedure Call (RPC)	Automatic	Automatic	Automatic	Automatic
Simple Mail Transport Protocol (SMTP)	SMTPSVC	inetinfo.exe	Event Log, IIS Admin	Not Available	Not Installed	Not Installed	Not Installed
Simple TCP/IP Services	NA	tcpsvcs.exe	AFD Networking Support Environment	Not Installed	Not Installed	Not Installed	Not Installed
Smart Card	SCardSvr	SCardSvr.exe	Plug and Play	Manual	Manual	Disabled	Disabled
Smart Card Helper	SCardDrv	SCardSvr.exe	None	Manual	Manual	Disabled	Disabled
SNMP Service	NA	snmp.exe	Event Log	Not Installed	Not Installed	Not Installed	Not Installed
SNMP Trap Service	NA	snmptrap.exe	Event Log	Not Installed	Not Installed	Not Installed	Not Installed
SSDP Discovery Service	SSDPSRV	svchost.exe	None	Manual	Manual	Disabled	Disabled
System Event Notification	SENS	svchost.exe	COM+ Event System	Automatic	Automatic	Automatic	Automatic
System Restore Service	srservice	svchost.exe	Remote Procedure Call (RPC)	Automatic	Automatic	Disabled	Disabled
Task Scheduler	Schedule	svchost.exe	Remote Procedure Call (RPC)	Automatic	Automatic	Automatic	Automatic
TCP/IP NetBIOS Helper Service	LmHosts	svchost.exe	AFD Networking Support Enviroment, NetBios over TCP/IP	Automatic	Automatic	Disabled	Manual
Display Name	Service Name	Process Name	Dependencies	Default Home	Default Pro	BV "SAFE"	AII "SAFE"
TCP/IP Printer Server	LPDSVC	tcpsvcs.exe	Print Spooler, TCP/IP Protocol Driver	Not Installed	Not Installed	Not Installed	Not Installed
Telephony	TapiSrv	svchost.exe	Plug and Play, Remote Procedure Call (RPC)	Manual	Manual	Manual	Manual
Telnet	TlntSvr	tlntsvr.exe	NT LM Security Support Provider, Remote Procedure Call (RPC), TCP/IP Protocol Driver	Not Available	Manual	Disabled	Disabled
Terminal Services	TermService	svchost.exe	Remote Procedure Call (RPC)	Manual	Manual	Manual	Manual
Themes	Themes	svchost.exe	None	Automatic	Automatic	Automatic	Disabled
Uninterruptible Power Supply	UPS	ups.exe	None	Manual	Manual	Disabled	Disabled
Universal Plug and Play Device Host	UPNPhost	svchost.exe	SSDP Discovery Service	Manual	Manual	Disabled	Disabled
Upload Manager	uploadmgr	svchost.exe	Remote Procedure Call (RPC)	Automatic	Automatic	Disabled	Disabled
Volume Shadow Copy	VSS	vssvc.exe	Remote Procedure Call (RPC)	Manual	Manual	Manual	Manual
WebClient	WebClient	svchost.exe	WebDav Client Redirector	Automatic	Automatic	Disabled	Disabled
Windows Audio	AudioSrv	svchost.exe	Plug and Play, Remote Procedure Call (RPC)	Automatic	Automatic	Automatic	Automatic
Windows Image Acquisition (WIA)	stisvc	svchost.exe	Remote Procedure Call (RPC)	Manual	Manual	Manual	Manual
Windows Installer	MSIServer	msiexec.exe	Remote Procedure Call (RPC)	Manual	Manual	Manual	Manual
Windows Management Instrumentation	Winmgmt	svchost.exe	Event Log, Remote Procedure Call (RPC)	Automatic	Automatic	Automatic	Automatic
Windows Management Instrumentation Driver Extension	Wmi	svchost.exe	None	Not Available	Manual	Manual	Manual
Windows Time	W32Time	svchost.exe	None	Automatic	Automatic	Disabled	Disabled
Wireless Zero Configuration	WZCSVC	svchost.exe	NDIS Usermode I/O Protocol, Remote Procedure Call (RPC)	Automatic	Automatic	Disabled	Disabled
WMI Performance Adapter	WmiApSrv	wmiapsrv.exe	Remote Procedure Call (RPC)	Manual	Manual	Disabled	Disabled
Workstation	lanmanworkstation	svchost.exe	None (but plenty depend on it)	Automatic	Automatic	Automatic	Automatic
World Wide Web Publishing Service	W3SVC	inetinfo.exe	IIS Admin	Not Available	Not Installed	Not Installed	Not Installed

The answer is NO!

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