Want those XP Service Questions Answered...

[Mako22]

Not to stir up ****, although I'm sure this will... <hands over head, closing eyes>

This site has been cursed over at ARSTechinca: http://arstechnica.infopop.net/OpenT...6&m=1860903385

I'm not saying that I agree, in fact I have used many of his tweaks... which was the reason why I found that post.

Although I will look for a second opinion now before doing anymore of his tweaks.

Your opinions? Does this guy know what he is talking about or not?

[Miles]

Originally posted by Mako22
Not to stir up ****, although I'm sure this will... <hands over head, closing eyes>

This site has been cursed over at ARSTechinca: http://arstechnica.infopop.net/OpenT...6&m=1860903385

I'm not saying that I agree, in fact I have used many of his tweaks... which was the reason why I found that post.

Although I will look for a second opinion now before doing anymore of his tweaks.

Your opinions? Does this guy know what he is talking about or not?

Don't worry about stirring s***, your comments are welcome. I think blackviper is very knowledgeable about Windows XP and the services it runs. He gives users three possible options and IMHO explains he possible outcomes...the rest is up to the user, he's merely posting his take on his experience

[Mako22]

Actually after reading some of the non-technical stuff on his site (mostly about himself), he is quite open about his knowledge and where it came from. He doesn't try to be something/someone he isn't. And I have learned alot from his site, whether it be good or bad.

I guess I'm not understanding the bashing he is getting?

[rodtoo40]

been using his tweak site for a while now and they do work as i am running them now and i have one hauling a$$ computer only good things to say about this site

[perris]

his site is fine for people that will experiment...it's not fine for people that accept what they read as gospel

blk is self tought, which is fine, but nothing should be taken as a fact or as the final word.

for the most part, turning services off that you don't think you need will speed your boot time...but you are better off turning these services to amnual then dissabled...though obviously some would be better off dissabled, like error reporting

as for releasing memory of services;

if a service is not being referanced by the os or the user, then the memory is released by default

if the service is being referanced, then you'd better find outr what it's doing before you dissable it.

for instance, error reporting is fine to dissable.

workstation is not fine to dissable for many people, but it does slow the boot down quite a bit...so for workstation, manual is better then automatic or disssabled.

use blk as a guide, but not a gospel

[TweakHound]

Originally posted by perris
use blk as a guide, but not a gospel

I agree. It is however the only comprehensive reference of XP Services around and I have referenced it on my site (MS has completely failed to provide adequate documentation on services). The problem is that people just click away and fail to actually read what he says about the services. Me, I don't take anyones word for it. It took me a looooong time to really figure out what each service really did what and how it truely affected the system (the error logs are your friends here).
For instance, I found that you can free up quite a bit of memory (depending on your config) by disabling Fast Users Switching, this does not mean you can't still have multiple users on your computer but it does require that you reboot to log in as that user. Also, lets take the famous QOS "tweak" (disabling/turn off). This tweak does nothing for most people. I do this tweak for a variety of reasons one of which is I am not on a network where comps are competing for bandwidth (nor are programs). If you are on such a network, this tweak can actually hurt your network performance.
My whole point in this rambling is to try understand any tweaks before you take action. I am as guilty of this as the next person. I took verbatim what every site said was a tweak when I started my tweak guide. Through time/trial and error/study I've learned better and my guide has changed significantly. In fact Perris schooled me on a few things and my guide will change because of it.

[FB]

how about sp2 services???

[Kipperfillets]

Does anyone know what service needs terminating to get rid of the silly red shield thing as i dont like it!! also now i have 50 yes 50 services running!!! and i dont like it before i had 43 and i thought that was bad edit i just turned on atoupdate and the red blob shield is gone

[pointreyes]

The service Security Center should kill the red shield.

[squrel]

here is another great site also about all the thing's running in the "task manager"..to open task manager as always hit the "ALT-CTRL-DELETE" Key's in sequence and then click on "PROCESSES"....you can then also click on 'USER NAME" to see what crazy abbreviation's(exe.'s) are running from the current user. usually most of the processes with the user name as "SYSTEM" or "local network"/NETWORK"..have to be on,but you can double check and also see what they are in plain english instead of microsoft mumbo jumbo. go here and then click on "TASK LIST" and then choose letter of your choice.
ENJOY!!!

[BlendNo27]

blk vipers site has been up for a long time....can't believe people are just now finding this.

[Mako22]

My original post was a year ago

[FB]

Originally Posted by Mako22

My original post was a year ago

i know your post was a long time ago.
I have been using black vipers site for almost 2 years, i just wish he updated for sp2

[tkbalt]

Originally Posted by FB -|-+

i know your post was a long time ago.
I have been using black vipers site for almost 2 years, i just wish he updated for sp2

Me too - and he has. http://www.blackviper.com/WinXP/servicecfg.htm

[shaihulud]

I don't really want to do this, but this has been on my conscience for a bit. Would I recommend Viper? No, I do not. His information, along with many others, is far from being beneficial or even true. There are resources for the services in question if relevant to anything specific at Microsoft's web site(s). Proper searches need to be implemented.

I shall do one debunking. A good example of disconcerting information on Viper's and other tweaking web sites is for the Indexing service. This service is disable by default. Making the change that the web sites post will do nothing beneficial for it is already in the state that the user is trying to achieve

Under services MMC it can be seen that the Indexing service is at a manual state and the status is not started. Also the proper way to configure the indexing service is though an MMC. Use computer management for simplification. Either right click on My Computer and select Manage, use Administration Tools if configured to access the MMC, or what ever is appropriate for your interfacing, such as Run..

Expand Services and Applications, and Indexing Service should be easily seen. Click on Indexing Service and note that again in the tool bar that the service has not been started. Move the pointer to Action in the menu bar, and select the option. Move the pointer down to All Tasks. Note, when the menu of All Tasks is present that again the service has not been started. If the service was enabled you can configure the Indexing service here. You can even disable it by selecting Never Used. This will disable the service. Since the service is disable this option will not effect anything.

The QOS service is completely miscomprehended, a simple look here will debunk and inform the user correctly: http://support.microsoft.com/default...b;en-us;316666. Another funny situation is BootVis. Windows XP automatically does this for the user during idle time, and the utility will void any third party defrag boot routine changes. Defrag -b will also change any boot order that any third party defrag has implemented. TCP/IP tweaks are very much unnecessary, 99% unnecessary. All it takes is a read from a request for comment file, or just a class in TCP/IP will show that the “tweaks” listed are more detrimental to the performance than beneficial. Disable paging of kernel is not even relevant to Windows XP. The list can continue.

The user has to be very critical of the tweaks. Honestly, these are not tweaks these are configuration options. Tweak means to make small adjustments or fine-tune. These are not tweaks by the very nature for most are irrelevant. There is more of a placebo effect than anything beneficial or detrimental factors. To configure the system for proper usage is perfectly fine and should be done, but this is the correct school of thinking. Not what is posted on many of the web sites contain any validity, and what is even more funny is none of them check for such and copy each other.

This is very much similar to what I had to deal with in dentistry. The famous root canal, feared by many. I had people cry, I am talking 50 year old men that have been through wars, cry if I told them they need a root canal to save a tooth. Well, the irony is that RCT, root canal therapy, does not hurt.

Now, I know many are saying mine hurt. Well, it can but this is the reason as to why. Biology. Many patients wait till an inopportune time to perform the procedure, specially if apprehensive. Yes, for most out there you cause your own pain. The tooth can be very carious (an advanced lesion), necrotic for years causing a pathoses, etc. This can complicate the procedure due to the bacteria present. Anesthetics and the bacteria's PH contradict each other. There is a variable here due to the many bacteria and type of anesthetics. This is where the skill of the doctor and his pharmacology come into play. If this procedure hurts so much how come I had so many fall a sleep in my operatory while it was being done?

If a patient was to properly handle the situation, as in regular checkups, scheduling a restoration procedure before it becomes a more expensive and complicated issue, or even brush at least twice a day for 2 minutes and floss. Then many would have no problems. There are two things you are asked in dentistry: Is it going to hurt? How much is it going to cost? I always replied that depends on you, and explained throughly with medical factual proof.

It is amazing how much a convert you gain if they feel no pain or learn the truth. If people were willing to learn a bit more. Do some research, but do not get stupid with it. Think critically, and educate, themselves then most of the experiences would be different and positive for computers and teeth-anything really. False or disconcerting information is a bane to everything we do, use, love, hate, etc. Funny thing is it is simply cured.

http://support.microsoft.com/search/?adv=1
http://technet.microsoft.com/default.aspx