Windows 7, What services to turn off?

[MatTheCat]

In Vista, there a few 'services' that gamers really needed to trun off in order to get better performance in thier games. For example, turning off 'superfetch' could give you as much as a 10FPS bonus in some games.

Is Windows 7 the same? If so, what are the services that are best switched off in order to enahnce gaming performance?

[newtekie1]

http://www.blackviper.com/Windows_7/servicecfg.htm

The quickest way to run down that list is to just go down the "safe" column, look for anything with an * by it, that idicates a change from default. Then change whatever has the * by it.

Though some of the extreme tweaks, such as disabling Superfetch, doesn't really make a lot of sense to me. The minor performance gains are not noticeable, they weren't in Vista either, so unless you are benchmarking and going for world records, it doesn't matter.

[95Viper]

Originally Posted by newtekie1

http://www.blackviper.com/Windows_7/servicecfg.htm

The quickest way to run down that list is to just go down the "safe" column, look for anything with an * by it, that idicates a change from default. Then change whatever has the * by it.

+1 for Black Viper

[jellyrole]

Hibernation is one of the big ones.

[Lionheart]

I would do this but Im too lazy right now!

[RuskiSnajper]

Blackviper helped me lower my Windows 7 ram by 600 MB , running off 620 MB at startup , before had about 1200MB with 4GB memory.

And there is some service that forces windows to use more memory for nothing if there is enough free memory , so it may look like you have low memory , if 40% being used already at start. But we know windows7 flushes out that what it does really not need if applications such as games need it.

[newconroer]

Although BlackViper's list helps, you can take it even further if you read a bit about services elsewhere in tech groups.

One nice feature of his site though, is the registry file maker for the services. You can make a Windows default and store it, and then build your own. It's a simple matter of double-clicking the file to import it to the registry. If you don't like it, and cannot source which particular service(s) might be giving you problems by being disabled, then import the original and reboot.

This will allow you to tinker and test without the tediousness of doing it all one-by-one/manually.

I've attached a pretty aggressive services registry file if you would like to try it. Just rename it to .reg instead of .txt and then double click it. When given a prompt, click YES.

This service setup is aimed at a single computer that is :

A) Not connected to a home-network
B) Does manual Windows Updates
C) Has it's own security measures, i.e. custom hosts file, manually run virus programs, and hard-firewall built into the router/modem.
D) Has it's content and file system manually backed-up, i.e. images you make yourself and store for safe-keeping, rather than relying on Windows Restore.

Note that :

-Windows Update is on manual, I would further reinforce this by checking the Windows Update settings are set to how you prefer. Personally I keep it disabled entirely until I'm ready to check for updates myself.
-Windows Installer is on manual. This will turn on automatically when needed.
-Windows Module Installer(also known as Trusted Installer) is on manual. If you do any Windows Updates, or maybe more importantly, install .Net Framework/Visual C++ or play any games that use those packages, they will fail with a .dll token error. This service should start when needed.
-All Windows System Restore features/services are disabled. This would include Block-Level Backup, Volume Shadow Copy etc. I prefer this because I do my own images and mini-images and store them for safe keeping. Thus no Windows Restore is needed.
-All networking, file sharing and WLAN services are disabled (except Network Store Interace which is necessary no matter your type of internet connection). This means that if you're connected to a network within your home, you will lose some if not all connectivity to the other machines. If you are connecting wirelessly, you won't be able to anymore.
-All program compatibility and Windows error reporting features are disabled. I've never ever needed them. However if you do find one day that you have an issue with your system, and Windows Event Log isn't providing enough help, then these services may be of value.
-Windows Defender and Security Center are disabled. I don't want or use Defender, I have my own programs I run manually. And for most people that should be fine.
-DNS Cache is disabled. This is important, because if you run a custom hosts file(which is one of the BEST ways to stop mal/spy/adware), then it can be significantly large in size. My hosts file is almost 2mb. That's big for a text file. When you have such a hosts file on your system, it can wreak havoc for the DNS caching. One of your SVCHosts services will show about 50% CPU usage in Task Manager because it can't cope. Thus disabling the service stops this problem and should not give you any issues with web browsing.
-Secondary Logon and Security Accounts is disabled. This means you will have problems logging in and out of other users. If you're the only user/adminstrator, then there's no issue.

-I have left Windows Desktop Manager and Themes on automatic, as I suspect most people prefer at least some type of modern Windows layout/style/theme. Without these two working in tandem, then you cannot achieve Aero or Aero like visuals.
-Print spooler is also on, but is up to you. Some people don't print from their computers!
-In case you use any special peripherals, such as gaming mice, keyboards etc., Human Interface Device service is on automatic.
-Superfetch is automatic. There's no reason to turn this off. You will notice a good performance gain with it on for burst data and general Windows use. Games will not be negatively affected by it either.


Additionally I suggest you use Hijackthis and another program that can monitor your Windows Startup run list, such as Tuneup Utilities 2010. Tuneup will be better to use than MSCONFIG, and also more straight forward as it will only list programs that run at start-up. Hijack this will show you more advanced information(but still miles better than MSCONFIG utility), including services, BHO files and run commands(meaning programs that run at start-up).
If you see a list of services, which show in Hijack and their line ends in (file missing), that simply means you have it set to "manual" and it wasn't expecting that. Nothing to be alarmed about, that's normal.

[MatTheCat]

Originally Posted by newtekie1

Though some of the extreme tweaks, such as disabling Superfetch, doesn't really make a lot of sense to me. The minor performance gains are not noticeable, they weren't in Vista either, so unless you are benchmarking and going for world records, it doesn't matter.

I noticed (in Vista) the performance gains a lot!

Around 10FPS gain/loss.