Welcome to speed up Vista, part 1. Microsoft Windows Vista may dive bombed since it was released in 2007. For those you that do have it and thought it was a faster system you will be disappointed! First and foremost Vista looks beautiful but underneath those good looks, it is also using a lot of needless system resources.
See Part 2 of Speed Up Windows Vista
If you are not interested in the pretty looks or you are on a machine that is using less than 2 GB of RAM it is wise to turn it off which would improve your system performance vastly. There are other services that run unnecessarily which are safe to be turned off and help improve the performance of your computer.
Some products that you may install have services that run also, some may be disabled but only do so with caution. Alternative firewalls and virus programs need to be running constantly so please don’t disable these.
If you would like to compare the before and after results right click on the taskbar and select Task Manager to do this when you have not got any programs running. Look at the bottom of the task manager window and see how many processes you have running. Change your services, restart your computer and check again. You should see a noticeable difference. This, of course, takes a huge weight off your memory and processor!
To Open Up Vista Services Manager
- In XP click the start menu, then click on run
- Type services.MSC and hit enter
- In Vista click start menu
- Type services.msc in the search box and hit Enter
- Click continue at the UAC prompt.
The services that are shown depend on which version of Vista you use. The services shown can be changed, all others not shown can be left at their defaults. For an in-depth explanation of all the processes please visit Speedy Vista. If you run into trouble they have a registry reset file to reset them to their defaults.
Certificate Propagation
The majority of people don’t use a smart card (different from memory cards in cameras) to log into windows this is safe to disable
Computer Browser
Keeps a list of computers on the local network. Can be safely set to manual.
Cryptographic services
Checks signed software. Can be safely set to manual.
Desktop Window Manager Session Manager
The most resource-hoggy service in Vista. Looks are good but disable this to gain more power.
DFS Replication
Keeps files synchronised over a network. Can be set to manual.
Diagnostic Policy Service
Annoying service that checks that programs have been installed correctly. Can be set to manual or disabled
Diagnostic Service Host
Diagnostic tools to check for problems in memory discs and files. Can be disabled or left manual.
Distributed Link Tracking Client
Keeps track of file locations over a network. Can be safely disabled.
Fax
Don’t send faxes? You can safely disable it.
Function Discovery Resource Publication
Publishes your computer resources over the network. Can be set to manual or disabled if you only have one computer in your network.
IKE and AUTHIP
Sometimes used for VPN software. Can be set to manual or disabled.
IP Helper
Useful if you use the IPV6 protocol but until then it is safe to disable.
IPSEC Policy Agent
May be required by some Internet Service Providers. Can be disabled but test network connectivity.
KtmRm for Distributed Transaction Coordinator
The connection between MSDTC and KTM. Can be set to manual or disabled.
Network Location Awareness
Stores information on the network. Can be set to manual or disabled.
Offline Files
Stores offline files cache. Can be safely disabled.
Parental Controls
Speaks for itself! Having children serves a purpose, if not then you can safely disable them.
Portable Device Enumerator Service
Maybe needed for MP3 Players and Digital Cameras. OK to set to manual.
Program Compatibility Assistant Service
Support for using software meant for older Windows operating systems. Can be set to manual or disabled.
Ready Boost
Ability to use a portable USB drive to add more memory to your computer. If you plan on using a USB thumb drive to speed up your computer leave it on auto otherwise disable it.
Remote Registry
Enables people to edit your registry remotely. This a potential security flaw! If you don’t want other people editing your registry, disable it.
Secondary Login
Does a program need you to log in as a secondary user? Can be set to manual.
Tablet PC Input Service
No tablet PC? Can be safely disabled.
Terminal Services
Allows a user to connect to a remote computer interactively. Can be set to manual.
Webclient
Enables a computer to access and edit internet files. Can be set to manual or disabled.
Windows Firewall
If you have your own firewall installed it is safe to disable or set it to manual.
Windows Media Center Service Launcher
If you have vista ultimate and use media centre then leave it at automatic if not set to manual.
Windows Search
If you the search feature often you may keep this enabled otherwise it can be disabled. You can still perform a search but it may be a little slower. Having this enabled may slow your computer down.