What are Windows Services?
A Window service is a program that is registered with Windows operating system as a service, and can be configured to run automatically at system startup. The service, once runs, can stop or continue running depending on its purpose.
Some services are critical and MUST run while others are merely additional features or functions that you may or may not want. You don't have to worry about accidentally unchecking critical services because when system starts up it'll automatically run critical services. Questions?
You can access your system's services by click Start -> type "msconfig" then enter -> click Services tab. Once you make changes reboot to have them reflected. You don't have to worry about making a mistake because you can always revert your changes later.
Many people want to know what services are essential and what are not so that we can turn off the unimportant ones to make our computers run faster.
List of Initial Services
Below is the list of names, manufacturers, and statuses of services that come with my Acer laptop. I'll also talk about what services you can turn off to speed up your computer.
| Service | Manufacturer | Status |
| Acer ePower Service | Acer Incorporated | Running |
| ActiveX Installer (AxInstSV) | Microsoft Corporation | Stopped |
| Adaptive Brightness | Microsoft Corporation | Stopped |
| Agere Modem Call Progress Audio | LSI Corporation | Running |
| Application Experience | Microsoft Corporation | Running |
| Application Identity | Microsoft Corporation | Stopped |
| Application Layer Gateway Service | Microsoft Corporation | Stopped |
| Background Intelligent Transfer Service | Microsoft Corporation | Running |
| Base Filtering Engine | Microsoft Corporation | Running |
| BitLocker Drive Encryption Service | Microsoft Corporation | Stopped |
| Block Level Backup Engine Service | Microsoft Corporation | Stopped |
| Bluetooth Support Service | Microsoft Corporation | Stopped |
| Certificate Propagation | Microsoft Corporation | Stopped |
| CNG Key Isolation | Microsoft Corporation | Running |
| COM+ Event System | Microsoft Corporation | Running |
| COM+ System Application | Microsoft Corporation | Stopped |
| Computer Browser | Microsoft Corporation | Running |
| Credential Manager | Microsoft Corporation | Stopped |
| Cryptographic Services | Microsoft Corporation | Running |
| Desktop Window Manager Session Manager | Microsoft Corporation | Running |
| DHCP Client | Microsoft Corporation | Running |
| Diagnostic Policy Service | Microsoft Corporation | Running |
| Diagnostic Service Host | Microsoft Corporation | Running |
| Diagnostic System Host | Microsoft Corporation | Stopped |
| Disk Defragmenter | Microsoft Corporation | Stopped |
| Distributed Link Tracking Client | Microsoft Corporation | Running |
| Distributed Transaction Coordinator | Microsoft Corporation | Stopped |
| DNS Client | Microsoft Corporation | Running |
| Encrypting File System (EFS) | Microsoft Corporation | Stopped |
| Extensible Authentication Protocol | Microsoft Corporation | Running |
| Fax | Microsoft Corporation | Stopped |
| Function Discovery Provider Host | Microsoft Corporation | Running |
| Function Discovery Resource Publication | Microsoft Corporation | Running |
| GameConsoleService | WildTangent, Inc. | Stopped |
| Google Software Updater | Stopped | |
| Google Update Service (gupdate) | Google Inc. | Stopped |
| GRegService | Acer Incorporated | Running |
| Group Policy Client | Microsoft Corporation | Running |
| Health Key and Certificate Management | Microsoft Corporation | Stopped |
| HomeGroup Listener | Microsoft Corporation | Running |
| HomeGroup Provider | Microsoft Corporation | Running |
| Human Interface Device Access | Microsoft Corporation | Stopped |
| IKE and AuthIP IPsec Keying Modules | Microsoft Corporation | Running |
| Intel(R) Matrix Storage Event Monitor | Intel Corporation | Running |
| Interactive Services Detection | Microsoft Corporation | Running |
| IP Helper | Microsoft Corporation | Running |
| IPsec Policy Agent | Microsoft Corporation | Stopped |
| KtmRm for Distributed Transaction Coordinator | Microsoft Corporation | Stopped |
| Link-Layer Topology Discovery Mapper | Microsoft Corporation | Stopped |
| McAfee Anti-Spam Service | McAfee, Inc. | Stopped |
| McAfee Application Installer Cleanup | McAfee, Inc. | Stopped |
| McAfee Network Agent | McAfee, Inc. | Stopped |
| McAfee Personal Firewall Service | McAfee, Inc. | Stopped |
| McAfee Proxy Service | McAfee, Inc. | Stopped |
| McAfee Real-time Scanner | McAfee, Inc. | Running |
| McAfee Scanner | McAfee, Inc. | Stopped |
| McAfee Services | McAfee, Inc. | Stopped |
| McAfee SiteAdvisor Service | McAfee, Inc. | Stopped |
| McAfee SystemGuards | McAfee, Inc. | Running |
| Microsoft .NET Framework NGEN v2.0.50727_X64 | Microsoft Corporation | Stopped |
| Microsoft .NET Framework NGEN v2.0.50727_X86 | Microsoft Corporation | Stopped |
| Microsoft iSCSI Initiator Service | Microsoft Corporation | Stopped |
| Microsoft Office Diagnostics Service | Microsoft Corporation | Stopped |
| Microsoft Software Shadow Copy Provider | Microsoft Corporation | Stopped |
| Multimedia Class Scheduler | Microsoft Corporation | Stopped |
| Netlogon | Microsoft Corporation | Stopped |
| Network Access Protection Agent | Microsoft Corporation | Stopped |
| Network Connections | Microsoft Corporation | Running |
| Network List Service | Microsoft Corporation | Running |
| Network Location Awareness | Microsoft Corporation | Running |
| Network Store Interface Service | Microsoft Corporation | Running |
| NTI Backup Now 5 Backup Service | NewTech InfoSystem, Inc. | Stopped |
| NTI Backup Now 5 Scheduler Service | NewTech InfoSystem, Inc. | Running |
| NTI IScheduleSvc | NewTech InfoSystem, Inc. | Running |
| Office Source Engine | Microsoft Corporation | Stopped |
| Parental Controls | Microsoft Corporation | Stopped |
| Partner Service | Google Inc. | Stopped |
| Peer Name Resolution Protocol | Microsoft Corporation | Running |
| Peer Networking Grouping | Microsoft Corporation | Running |
| Peer Networking Identity Manager | Microsoft Corporation | Running |
| Performance Counter DLL Host | Microsoft Corporation | Stopped |
| Performance Logs & Alerts | Microsoft Corporation | Stopped |
| PnP-X IP Bus Enumerator | Microsoft Corporation | Stopped |
| PNRP Machine Name Publication Service | Microsoft Corporation | Stopped |
| Portable Device Enumerator Service | Microsoft Corporation | Stopped |
| Power | Microsoft Corporation | Running |
| Print Spooler | Microsoft Corporation | Running |
| Problem Reports and Solutions Control Panel Support | Microsoft Corporation | Stopped |
| Program Compatibility Assistant Service | Microsoft Corporation | Running |
| Protected Storage | Microsoft Corporation | Running |
| Quality Windows Audio Video Experience | Microsoft Corporation | Stopped |
| Remote Access Auto Connection Manager | Microsoft Corporation | Stopped |
| Remote Access Connection Manager | Microsoft Corporation | Stopped |
| Remote Desktop Configuration | Microsoft Corporation | Stopped |
| Remote Desktop Services | Microsoft Corporation | Stopped |
| Remote Procedure Call (RPC) Locator | Microsoft Corporation | Stopped |
| Remote Registry | Microsoft Corporation | Stopped |
| RPC Endpoint Mapper | Microsoft Corporation | Running |
| Secondary Logon | Microsoft Corporation | Stopped |
| Secure Socket Tunneling Protocol Service | Microsoft Corporation | Stopped |
| Security Accounts Manager | Microsoft Corporation | Running |
| Security Center | Microsoft Corporation | Running |
| Server | Microsoft Corporation | Running |
| Shell Hardware Detection | Microsoft Corporation | Running |
| Smart Card | Microsoft Corporation | Stopped |
| Smart Card Removal Policy | Microsoft Corporation | Stopped |
| SNMP Trap | Microsoft Corporation | Stopped |
| SPP Notification Service | Microsoft Corporation | Stopped |
| SSDP Discovery | Microsoft Corporation | Running |
| Superfetch | Microsoft Corporation | Running |
| System Event Notification Service | Microsoft Corporation | Running |
| Tablet PC Input Service | Microsoft Corporation | Stopped |
| Task Scheduler | Microsoft Corporation | Running |
| TCP/IP NetBIOS Helper | Microsoft Corporation | Running |
| Telephony | Microsoft Corporation | Stopped |
| Themes | Microsoft Corporation | Running |
| Thread Ordering Server | Microsoft Corporation | Stopped |
| TPM Base Services | Microsoft Corporation | Stopped |
| Updater Service | Acer | Running |
| UPnP Device Host | Microsoft Corporation | Running |
| Virtual Disk | Microsoft Corporation | Stopped |
| Volume Shadow Copy | Microsoft Corporation | Stopped |
| WebClient | Microsoft Corporation | Stopped |
| Windows Audio | Microsoft Corporation | Running |
| Windows Audio Endpoint Builder | Microsoft Corporation | Running |
| Windows Backup | Microsoft Corporation | Stopped |
| Windows Biometric Service | Microsoft Corporation | Stopped |
| Windows CardSpace | Microsoft Corporation | Stopped |
| Windows Color System | Microsoft Corporation | Stopped |
| Windows Connect Now - Config Registrar | Microsoft Corporation | Stopped |
| Windows Defender | Microsoft Corporation | Running |
| Windows Driver Foundation - User-mode Driver Framework | Microsoft Corporation | Running |
| Windows Error Reporting Service | Microsoft Corporation | Stopped |
| Windows Event Collector | Microsoft Corporation | Stopped |
| Windows Event Log | Microsoft Corporation | Running |
| Windows Firewall | Microsoft Corporation | Running |
| Windows Font Cache Service | Microsoft Corporation | Stopped |
| Windows Image Acquisition (WIA) | Microsoft Corporation | Stopped |
| Windows Installer | Microsoft Corporation | Stopped |
| Windows Management Instrumentation | Microsoft Corporation | Running |
| Windows Media Center Receiver Service | Microsoft Corporation | Stopped |
| Windows Media Center Scheduler Service | Microsoft Corporation | Stopped |
| Windows Media Player Network Sharing Service | Microsoft Corporation | Running |
| Windows Modules Installer | Microsoft Corporation | Stopped |
| Windows Presentation Foundation Font Cache 3.0.0.0 | Microsoft Corporation | Stopped |
| Windows Remote Management (WS-Management) | Microsoft Corporation | Stopped |
| Windows Search | Microsoft Corporation | Running |
| Windows Time | Microsoft Corporation | Running |
| Windows Update | Microsoft Corporation | Running |
| WinHTTP Web Proxy Auto-Discovery Service | Microsoft Corporation | Stopped |
| Wired AutoConfig | Microsoft Corporation | Stopped |
| WLAN AutoConfig | Microsoft Corporation | Running |
| WMI Performance Adapter | Microsoft Corporation | Stopped |
| Workstation | Microsoft Corporation | Running |
| WWAN AutoConfig | Microsoft Corporation | Stopped |
Which Services Can I Turn Off?
In general you wouldn't want to mess with them too much because you might turn off a service of a dependency of one that plays sound from your speakers, browses the Internet, prints document, etc.
A rule of thumb is you shouldn't touch any service provided by Microsoft Corporation. Since I know what I am doing I turn off Microsoft services like Fax, FSService Platform, Windows Biometric Service, Windows Update, etc.
If you are an advanced user you can turn off services that are unimportant judging by their names. In the above list I'd turn off services with McAfee and Google because they are not essential to the operating system. Then I'd turn off services I don't need such as Bluetooth Support Service, Windows Firewall (I use Sygate firewall), Smart Card, Parental Controls, etc.
One way to absolutely know the minimum services you need simply uncheck one service and reboot and test. If you can hear audio, browse the net, etc., then proceed with unchecking the next service. If unchecking one fails the test check it back!
Any questions or comments let me know!
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