Windows Services

In addition to the startup entries found using msconfig, there is yet another group of 'applications' that automatically start when you turn on your PC, and in Windows these are called Services.

A Service is a process that runs in the background. Windows comes with a lot of Services pre-installed, for example there are a lot of Services that handle your internet connections, there is a Service that handles your Printers, and many more. In addition, many applications, especially anti-virus software and hardware drivers, install their own Services that are separate to the startup entries that can be handled using msconfig. A lot of Services that start automatically when you turn your computer on however are not required by the average user; for example, when Windows starts, there are a few services that automatically start with it for file sharing, even if you don't share files from your computer.

To view your Services, go to Start -> Control Panel, and select Administrative Tools. From here, click Services. You should see something like this.

Our aim here is to disable as many services as we can, to reduce the amount of work Windows has to do when it starts up. How this can achieved, however, differs between versions of Windows; the number of services, their names, and what they specifically do, is different between Windows XP and Windows Vista, but the Vista and Windows 7 services are almost identical. There are some good lists on the internet of which Services are "safe" to disable, so pick which guide suits you and get disabling!

Windows XP Services
Windows Vista Services
Windows 7 Services

As usual, if there is anything here you don't understand or are unsure about, or if those links go down, comment here or send me a message.