Windows XP Services You Can Safely Disable

Windows XP typically runs a lot of processes the average home user doesn't need. They consume memory which can slow your system. Some can also compromise your computer's security. You'll find a listing of services you can safely disable on this website along with a detailed explanation of what they do.


Windows XP Home and Professional Service Pack 2 Service Configurations (http://www.blackviper.com/WinXP/servicecfg.htm)

Windows XP typically runs a lot of processes the average home user doesn't need. They consume memory which can slow your system. Some can also compromise your computer's security. You'll find a listing of services you can safely disable on this website along with a detailed explanation of what they do.


Windows XP Home and Professional Service Pack 2 Service Configurations (http://www.blackviper.com/WinXP/servicecfg.htm)
Although a note of caution to the novice: if you change some of those settings, you might later on have errors that are difficult to troubleshoot. For example, a new hardware you install might not work or a software might constantly fail with some criptic error message. I know since I've gone that route many times. So, turn off any services with caution making sure, beforehand, that you absolutely do not need it. This can be difficult since their use are often very cryptic to the beginner.

Although a note of caution to the novice: if you change some of those settings, you might later on have errors that are difficult to troubleshoot. For example, a new hardware you install might not work or a software might constantly fail with some criptic error message. I know since I've gone that route many times. So, turn off any services with caution making sure, beforehand, that you absolutely do not need it. This can be difficult since their use are often very cryptic to the beginner.

It's thoroughly explained in the link for each service what its dependencies are and what potentially could be affected. I would advise anyone doing this to take the time to read through all the contents and save the pages offline so that if there are any problems you'll have the information to review. I used the SAFE settings and haven't had any problems. The Power User and Bare Bones settings aren't for novices or people that have better things to do with their time. If you use those you will get error messages and will have to restore services to perform certain tasks. I might have tried those when I was younger to squeeze every ounce of power out of my computer, but it's too time consuming to bother with these days. Mostly this is useful for people that need to free an extra 5-10mB without affecting functionality. If you have RAM up the wazoo, don't even bother with it.

a general word of caution is the old adage "if it ain't broke don't fix it"
I would strongly suggest not changing the settings if you don't have any problems or concerns AND/OR you don't feel you know what you're doing.

Well, these are more for the security minded:

http://labmice.techtarget.com/articles/winxpsecuritychecklist.htm

Some useful registry hacks here:
http://www.onecomputerguy.com/windowsxp_tips.htm

Only use if you know what you are doing. Backup your registry before tampering with it if you are scared.