What Windows 8 Microsoft services are not essential?

cytherian

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I just recently set up a Windows 8 laptop for a relative and at first, everything appeared to be blazing fast from start up, program launches, to shut down. But several weeks later I've come back to check on that laptop and it feels like it's running slower than it was.

Of course, the most logical thing is to consider what software has been installed. I did do a review of it and didn't find anything that I'd judge as contributing to the performance hit.

However, I did notice a rather HUGE number of Microsoft services in the list (italicized is running):

Application Experience [stopped]
Application Layer Gateway Service [stopped]
Windows All-User Install Agent [stopped]
Application Host Helper Service
Application Identity [stopped]
ASP.NET State Service [stopped]
Windows Audio Endpoint Builder
Windows Audio
ActiveX Installer (AxInstSV) [stopped]
BitLocker Drive Encryption Service [stopped]
Base Filtering Engine
Background Intelligent Transfer Service
Computer Browser
Bluetooth Support Service [stopped]
Certificate Propagation [stopped]
COM+ System Application
Cryptographic Services
Optimize drives [stopped]
Device Association Service
Device Install Service [stopped]
DHCP Client
DNS Client
Wired AutoConfig [stopped]
Diagnostic Policty Service
Device Setup Manager [stopped]
Extensible Authentication Protocol [stopped]
Encrypting File System (EFS) [stopped]
Windows Event Log
COM+ Event System
Fax [stopped]
Function Discovery Provider Host
Function Discovery Resource Publication
File History Service [stopped]
Windows Font Cache Service
Windows Presentation Foundation Font Cache [stopped]
Group Policy Client
Human Interface Device Access
Health Key and Certificate Management [stopped]
HomeGroup Listener
HomeGroup Provider
IKE and AuthIP IPsec Keying Modules
IP Helper
CNG Key Isolation
KtmRm for Distributed Transaction Coordinator [stopped]
Server
Workstation
Link-Layer Topology Discovery Mapper [stopped]
TCP/IP NetBIOS Helper
Multimedia Class Scheduler [stopped]
Windows Firewall
Distributed Transaction Coordinator [stopped]
MIcrosoft iSCSI Initiator Service [stopped]
Windows Installer [stopped]
Network Access Protection Agent [stopped]
Network Connectivity Assistant [stopped]
Network Connected Devices Auto-Setup
Netlogon [stopped]
Network Connections [stopped]
Network List Service
Network Location Awareness
Network Store Interface Service
Office Source Engine [stopped]
Peer Network Identity Manager
Peer Networking Grouping
Program Compatibility Assistant Service
Performance Counter DLL Host [stopped]
Performance Logs & Alerts [stopped]
Plug and Play
PNRP Machine Name Publication Service [stopped]
Peer Name Resolution Protocol
IPsec Policy Agent
Power
Printer Extensions and Notifications [stopped]
Quality Windows Audio Video Experience [stopped]
Remote Access Auto Connection Manager [stopped]
RPC Endpoint Mapper
Remote Procedure Call (RPC) Locator [stopped]
Security Accounts Manager
Task Scheduler
Smart Card Removal Policy [stopped]
Windows Backup [stopped]
Secondary Login [stopped]
System Event Notification Service
Sensor Monitoring Service [stopped]
Remote Desktop Configuration [stopped]
Shell Hardware Detection
SNMP Trap [stopped]
Print Spooler
SSDP Discovery
Secure Socket Tunneling Protocol Service [stopped]
Windows Image Acquisition (WIA)
Storage Service [stopped]
Spot Verifier [stopped]
Microsoft Software Shadow Copy Provider [stopped]
Superfetch
Systems Event Broker
Touch Keyboard and Handwriting Panel Service
Telephony [stopped]
Remote Desktop Services [stopped]
Themes
Thread Ordering Server [stopped]
Time Broker
Distributed Link Tracking Client
Windows Module Installer [stopped]
Interactive Services Detection [stopped]
Remote Desktop Services UserMode Port Redirector [stopped]
UPnP Device Host
Credential Manager
Virtual Disk [stopped]
Hyper-V Heartbeat Service [stopped]
Hyper-V Data Exchange Service [stopped]
Hyper-V Remote Desktop Virtualization Service [stopped]
Hyper-V Guest Shutdown Service [stopped]
Hyper-V Time Synchronization Service [stopped]
Hyper-V Volume Shadow Copy Requestor [stopped]
Volume Shadow Copy [stopped]
Windows Time [stopped]
Windows Process Activation Service [stopped]
Block Level Backup Engine Service [stopped]
Windows Biometric Service [stopped]
Windows Connection Manager
Windows Connect Now - Config Registrar [stopped]
Windows Color System [stopped]
Diagnostic Service Host
Diagnostic System Host [stopped]
WebClient [stopped]
Windows Event Collector [stopped]
Problem Reports and Solutions Control Panel Support [stopped]
Windows Error Reporting Service [stopped]
Still Image Acquisition Events [stopped]
Windows Defender Service [stopped]
WinHTTP Web Proxy Auto-Discovery Service
Windows Management Instrumentation
Windows Remote Management (WS-Management) [stopped]
WLAN AutoConfig
Microsoft Account Sign-in Assistant [stopped]
WMI Performance Adapter [stopped]
Windows Media Player Network Sharing Service
Family Safety [stopped]
Portable Device Enumerator Service
Security Center
Windows Search
Windows Store Service (WSService) [stopped]
Windows Update [stopped]
Windows Driver Foundation - User-mode Driver Framework
WWAN AutoConfig [stopped]


Are any of these running services non-essential or seldom used whereby they could be disabled to help improve performance?
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    HP
    CPU
    AMD
    Motherboard
    AMD
    Memory
    8Gb
    Graphics Card(s)
    RADEON

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1.1 Pro with Media Center
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Gateway
    CPU
    AMD K140 Cores 2 Threads 2 Name AMD K140 Package Socket FT1 BGA Technology 40nm
    Motherboard
    Manufacturer Gateway Model SX2110G (P0)
    Memory
    Type DDR3 Size 8192 MBytes DRAM Frequency 532.3 MHz
    Graphics Card(s)
    ATI AMD Radeon HD 7310 Graphics
    Sound Card
    AMD High Definition Audio Device Realtek High Definition Audio USB Audio Device
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Name 1950W on AMD Radeon HD 7310 Graphics Current Resolution 1366x768 pixels Work Resolution 1366x76
    Screen Resolution
    Current Resolution 1366x768 pixels Work Resolution 1366x768 pixels
    Hard Drives
    AMD K140
    Cores 2
    Threads 2
    Name AMD K140
    Package Socket FT1 BGA
    Technology 40nm
    Specification AMD E1-1200 APU with Radeon HD Graphics
    Family F
    Extended Family 14
    Model 2
    Extended Model 2
    Stepping 0
    Revision ON-C0
    Instruction
    Browser
    Opera 24.0
    Antivirus
    Avast Internet Security
From what I have read, a lot of the Windows updates for the OS have contributed to it's slowing down. I cannot say that I have tested with them to specifically see how much slowdown we are talking about here, but it's what I have read.

I don't think people gain much if anything from shutting off Windows services. In theory it sounds good. But in most testing that I did with a stopwatch, disabling of services at first cuts a seconds or two off here and there, and then ends up adding back in 4-5 seconds in other places...so the overall outcome tends to be a slower computer in the end (after all of the speed tweaks).
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 7
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Self-Built in July 2009
    CPU
    Intel Q9550 2.83Ghz OC'd to 3.40Ghz
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte GA-EP45-UD3R rev. 1.1, F12 BIOS
    Memory
    8GB G.Skill PI DDR2-800, 4-4-4-12 timings
    Graphics Card(s)
    EVGA 1280MB Nvidia GeForce GTX570
    Sound Card
    Realtek ALC899A 8 channel onboard audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    23" Acer x233H
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    Intel X25-M 80GB Gen 2 SSD
    Western Digital 1TB Caviar Black, 32MB cache. WD1001FALS
    PSU
    Corsair 620HX modular
    Case
    Antec P182
    Cooling
    stock
    Keyboard
    ABS M1 Mechanical
    Mouse
    Logitech G9 Laser Mouse
    Internet Speed
    15/2 cable modem
    Other Info
    Windows and Linux enthusiast. Logitech G35 Headset.
Black Viper service settings -win 8--
Black Viper’s Windows 8 Service Configurations | Black Viper | www.blackviper.comBe SURE to notice one or 2 *'s
* **
Very important !
Thanks, I'll have to give this a thorough look-over.

From what I have read, a lot of the Windows updates for the OS have contributed to it's slowing down. I cannot say that I have tested with them to specifically see how much slowdown we are talking about here, but it's what I have read. I don't think people gain much if anything from shutting off Windows services. In theory it sounds good. But in most testing that I did with a stopwatch, disabling of services at first cuts a seconds or two off here and there, and then ends up adding back in 4-5 seconds in other places...so the overall outcome tends to be a slower computer in the end (after all of the speed tweaks).
You could be right... but then, if some program is just a little slower starting when you want it and otherwise your start-up time is reduced by a good 10-30 seconds, that could be a worthwhile trade-off. Anyway, if there have been a number of postings about W8 slowing down after updates, I'll have to go looking for them and see what the speculation is. Thanks.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    HP
    CPU
    AMD
    Motherboard
    AMD
    Memory
    8Gb
    Graphics Card(s)
    RADEON
Black Viper service settings -win 8--
Black Viper’s Windows 8 Service Configurations | Black Viper | www.blackviper.comBe SURE to notice one or 2 *'s
* **
Very important !
Thanks, I'll have to give this a thorough look-over.


Black Viper has been around a long time.
I used the site back when I had XP Pro.

Using the site does take careful reading.
You shut the wrong service off & it could cause lots of problems.

Some services depend on other services.
By shutting down one, it could affect several others.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1.1 Pro with Media Center
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Gateway
    CPU
    AMD K140 Cores 2 Threads 2 Name AMD K140 Package Socket FT1 BGA Technology 40nm
    Motherboard
    Manufacturer Gateway Model SX2110G (P0)
    Memory
    Type DDR3 Size 8192 MBytes DRAM Frequency 532.3 MHz
    Graphics Card(s)
    ATI AMD Radeon HD 7310 Graphics
    Sound Card
    AMD High Definition Audio Device Realtek High Definition Audio USB Audio Device
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Name 1950W on AMD Radeon HD 7310 Graphics Current Resolution 1366x768 pixels Work Resolution 1366x76
    Screen Resolution
    Current Resolution 1366x768 pixels Work Resolution 1366x768 pixels
    Hard Drives
    AMD K140
    Cores 2
    Threads 2
    Name AMD K140
    Package Socket FT1 BGA
    Technology 40nm
    Specification AMD E1-1200 APU with Radeon HD Graphics
    Family F
    Extended Family 14
    Model 2
    Extended Model 2
    Stepping 0
    Revision ON-C0
    Instruction
    Browser
    Opera 24.0
    Antivirus
    Avast Internet Security
I've found that there is no need for service optimization like that. The only things that need to be looked over are the ones that are set as Automatic under Startup type, as they start up with Windows, and thus can drag boot times down. A few services, like print spooler (if you don't have a printer), workstation, server, computer browser (if you don't do file sharing over a network) as well as disabling third party services that do nothing; it can decrease boot times like about three to five seconds or a bit more depending on third party services.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    ASUS
    CPU
    AMD FX 8320
    Motherboard
    Crosshair V Formula-Z
    Memory
    16 gig DDR3
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS R9 270
    Screen Resolution
    1440x900
    Hard Drives
    1 TB Seagate Barracuda (starting to hate Seagate)
    x2 3 TB Toshibas
    Windows 8.1 is installed on a SanDisk Ultra Plus 256 GB
    PSU
    OCZ 500 watt
    Case
    A current work in progres as I'll be building the physical case myself. It shall be fantastic.
    Cooling
    Arctic Cooler with 3 heatpipes
    Keyboard
    Logitech K750 wireless solar powered keyboard
    Mouse
    Microsoft Touch Mouse
    Browser
    Internet Explorer 11
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender, but I might go back on KIS 2014
Go to the Start Page and type resmon, hit enter.
Resource Monitor will show you which Processes and Services are running and how much resources they are using.
Generally W8 is very good at controlling Processes and Services, you may find some 3rd party programs are running unnecessarily, you can disable them from the Task Manager/Startup tab.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Pro x64/ Windows 7 Ult x64
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    76~2.0
    CPU
    Intel Core i5-3570K 4.6GHz
    Motherboard
    GIGABYTE GA-Z77X UD3H f18
    Memory
    8GB (2X4GB) DDR3 1600 CORSAIR Vengeance CL8 1.5v
    Graphics Card(s)
    Sapphire HD 7770 Vapor-X 1GB DDR5
    Sound Card
    Onboard VIA VT2021
    Monitor(s) Displays
    22" LCD Dell SP2208WFP
    Screen Resolution
    1680x1050
    Hard Drives
    Samaung 840Pro 128GB, Seagate 500GB SATA2 7200rpm 32mb, Seagate 1TB SATA2 7200rpm 32mb,
    PSU
    Corsair HX650W
    Case
    Cooler Master Storm Scout
    Cooling
    Corsair H80 w/Noctua NF P12 12cm fan, case fans 2X14cm
    Keyboard
    Logitech Wave
    Mouse
    CM Sentinel
    Internet Speed
    Abysmal
    Browser
    Opera Next
    Other Info
    Dell Venue 8Pro: Baytrail Z3740D, 2GB Ram, 64GB HDD, 8" IPS Display 1280 x 800, Active Stylus.
    Haswell laptop: HP Envy 17t-j, i7-4700MQ, GeForce 740M 2GB DDR3, 17.3" Full HD 1920x1080, 16GB RAM, Samsung 840 Pro 128GB, 1TB Hitachi 7200 HDD,
    Desktop: eSATA ports,
    External eSATA Seagate 500GB SATA2 7200rpm,
Waste of time IMO to try using fewer services.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Win7 Ult on DIY; Win8 Pro on MBP/Parallels; Win7 Ult on MBP/Boot Camp; Win7 Ult/Win8 Pro on HP
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    DIY Rig; MacBook Pro (MBP)/Parallels/Boot Camp; HP Pavilion dv6500t Laptop
    CPU
    Intel i7-2600K (sometimes OC'd to 4.8 GHz)
    Motherboard
    ASUS P8P67 Deluxe Rev B3
    Memory
    16 GB Corsair Vengeance
    Graphics Card(s)
    EVGA 570 SC
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Gateway
    Hard Drives
    Dual Boot:
    Win7 Ult RAID 0 on OCZ Revo x2 and
    Win7 Ult RAID 0 on Caviar Black SATA 3's
    PSU
    Cooler Master Silent Pro 1000W
    Case
    Cooler Master 932 HAF
    Cooling
    Zalman CNPS9900MAX-B CPU Fan
    Keyboard
    Logitech Cordless Desktop MX 5500
    Mouse
    Logitech Cordless Desktop MX 5500
    Internet Speed
    20 Mbps Download/2+ Mbps Upload
    Other Info
    Pioneer Blu-ray Burner/DVD Burner
the solution i use is, every morning when i boot my computer ,i walk away and go the bathroom ,come back and its showing desktop ,i think it loaded quite fast,and if it still not loaded ,then the other thing i was doing was quite fast . .lol
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    win8.1.1 enterprise
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Hinze57
    CPU
    AMD FX 6100 6core 3.30gHz
    Motherboard
    gigibyte ga-78lmy-s2p
    Memory
    4gig ddr3
    Graphics Card(s)
    Radon hd5000 Series
    Sound Card
    onboard realtek hd
    Monitor(s) Displays
    19" viewsonic/ 22"Samsung
    Screen Resolution
    1680x1050
    Hard Drives
    128gig ssd Kingston
    80gig WD 10000 rpm spinner
    Case
    micro
    Keyboard
    microsoft curve 200
    Mouse
    Logitech wireless M215
    Internet Speed
    high speed 20
    Browser
    ie 11
    Antivirus
    windows defender
    Other Info
    updated enterprise apr 2/14
the solution i use is, every morning when i boot my computer ,i walk away and go the bathroom ,come back and its showing desktop ,i think it loaded quite fast,and if it still not loaded ,then the other thing i was doing was quite fast . .lol
:think: What a concept...... when my puter gets slow I think I'll try that,but only if I gotta go. :)

MIKLO
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    windows 8
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Dell
first thing in the morning its a race to see what device comes first .
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    win8.1.1 enterprise
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Hinze57
    CPU
    AMD FX 6100 6core 3.30gHz
    Motherboard
    gigibyte ga-78lmy-s2p
    Memory
    4gig ddr3
    Graphics Card(s)
    Radon hd5000 Series
    Sound Card
    onboard realtek hd
    Monitor(s) Displays
    19" viewsonic/ 22"Samsung
    Screen Resolution
    1680x1050
    Hard Drives
    128gig ssd Kingston
    80gig WD 10000 rpm spinner
    Case
    micro
    Keyboard
    microsoft curve 200
    Mouse
    Logitech wireless M215
    Internet Speed
    high speed 20
    Browser
    ie 11
    Antivirus
    windows defender
    Other Info
    updated enterprise apr 2/14
One of the easiest means of increasing responsiveness is to disable 6 services (unless you actually use them, of course):

Windows Media Player Network Sharing Service and Windows Media Center Receiver Service and Windows Media Center Scheduler Service. Set them to Manual and they will only run when needed. Set to Disabled to deny.

Reason should be self-explanatory, but . . . if you are not streaming media from your system, or not scheduling a recording session, these are absolutely unnecessary.

Home Group Listener and Home Group Provider and Internet Connection Sharing are other resource hogs; so if you're not using them, Disable.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Win8 Pro Media Center
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Dell
    CPU
    AMD Athlon 64 X2 6000+
    Motherboard
    Dell Oct
    Memory
    4 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    ATI Radeon HD 5450
    Browser
    IE 11
    Antivirus
    MSSE
I got my laptop with windows 8 on it. I have to say its pretty fast. First thing I always do is get a legit copy of windows and the reinstall fresh removing all the manufacture bloat software they put on. HP is good for this which is what I have. This gave me a supper fast laptop I am happy with.

But what really made me happy with speed is when I replaced my spinning disk with an SSD :eek:.

Power button press to desktop is around 10 seconds. I am satisfied with that. Sometimes it takes me longer to fart than it does my computer to boot up. Oh, thats around 10 seconds with a cold boot. No sleeping involved.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windiow 8
    Computer type
    Laptop
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