We first understand some relevant knowledge about system services, and then provide targeted Windows7 system service cleaning solutions according to the various needs of Windows 7 users to improve the running speed of WIndows7.
System service optimization preparation knowledge
What is a service?
A service is a program or process used by the system to perform specified system functions. Its function is to support other applications and generally runs in the background. Compared with programs run by users, services do not have program windows or dialog boxes, and they can only be observed in the Task Manager.
How to modify the startup type of a service?
In the "Search Programs and Files" column of the Win 7 start menu, enter "services.msc" or "Services" to search for the "Services" item. Click to open the service management list window. Double-click any service to view or modify its properties. In the properties window, you can modify the startup type to "manual", "automatic", "automatic (delayed startup)" or "disabled" (as shown in Figure 1) .
What is the difference between "automatic" and "automatic (delayed start)"?
"Automatic" startup means that the service is loaded at the same time when the computer starts to support other programs running on the basis of this service. "Automatic (delayed start)" is a very user-friendly design in Win 7. Starting in this way can delay the startup of the service item after a period of time after the system starts. It can well solve the problem of slow startup or slow response after startup of some low-configuration computers due to too many loaded service items.
What is the difference between "manual" and "disabled"?
When the service startup status is "Manual", although the process is closed, it can still be activated under certain circumstances. When set to "Disabled", the service will not run unless the user manually modifies the properties.
Which services need to be started manually?
"Manual" mode, as the name implies, means that this service will not be loaded when the system starts, but requires other services to be activated or the user to enter the service management interface and manually start it or modify its properties to "automatic" startup.
This mode is often used when you need to enable some functions that are not originally enabled on the system. Take the "Application Identity" service as an example. By default, the service is in the "manual" state, that is, it is not started. However, when users need to use the AppLocker function, they must manually enable this service (change it to the "automatic" state), otherwise the AppLocker function will not work properly.
What should I pay attention to before making changes?
Modifying system services may cause some unexpected problems, so it is best to back up the default service status before modification. The method is to open the service management window and click "Operation → Export List" and select "Save Type" as TXT text file or CSV file. It is recommended to choose the latter. The file can be opened with Excel.
In addition, if you are unable to enter the system normally due to modification errors, you can press the F8 key when booting to enter safe mode and modify the service startup properties in safe mode.
Hands-on operating system services under my control
Do not disable services on LAN
Computer Browser, CB for short, translates to "computer browser". Its function is to browse other computers on the LAN and provide a list of computers on the LAN and automatically update it. As the name suggests, if your computer is in a LAN, then you need the support of this service to view other computers in the LAN (that is, to view Network Neighbors). But if your computer is not in a LAN environment and is only running on a stand-alone computer, then the service can obviously be disabled.
Similar to it are HomeGroup Listener (Home Group Listening Service, referred to as HL) and HomeGroup Provider (Home Group Support Service, referred to as HP). The function of the former is to maintain the association configuration between home group computers and provide reception for the home group. service; the latter's role is to perform tasks related to the configuration and maintenance of homegroups. If your computer is not in a homegroup, you can of course choose to disable it.
Tip: The above three services all involve LAN and home group. Readers can choose to disable or set to "manual" mode according to their actual situation. It is recommended that if it is a desktop computer, you can choose to disable it. If it is a laptop, it is better not to disable it, especially the Computer Browser service. After all, laptops often need to be connected to other networks.
At the same time, you can also disable Offline Files (OF, offline file service) and Server services. The function of the former is to cache shared content on the network locally so that users can access shared files offline; the function of the latter is to allow computers to share files over the network.
Disable all unused functions
Although Win 7 provides many functions, we may not use them at ordinary times, so we can selectively turn off these services to effectively save system resources.
If your computer is a desktop or the power management policy is not enabled, you can choose to disable the Power service; if your computer is not connected to a printer, you can choose to disable the Print Spooler service, which is used to load files into memory for Print later; if you don’t need a handwriting tablet and it’s not a tablet, you can disable the Tablet PC Input Service, which provides handwriting tablet support and pen touch sensing functions; if you rarely use large-capacity mobile storage such as mobile hard drives device, you can also disable the Portable Device Enumerator Service, which is a service that provides synchronization functions for removable mass storage devices.
In addition, if you have turned off the automatic update function of the system, you can also choose to disable the Background Intelligent Transfer Service (BITS) service. Its function is to use idle network bandwidth to transfer data between the client and the server in the background. Data mainly provides support for the Windows Update function of the system.
Tip: Turning off the BITS service may cause some applications that rely on the BITS service to be unable to automatically update or download updates normally. If users disable the service and cause some software to fail to update, they can choose to restart the service.
In addition to the above services, if you do not use the Windows Media Player media library network sharing function newly provided in Win 7, you can also disable the Windows Media Player Network Sharing Service service, especially for stand-alone users.
The useless functions should be banned
In addition to the uncommon functions in Win 7, there are also some relatively useless functions, and you can also choose to disable them.
The Diagnostic Policy Service (DPS) service can be completely disabled. It is a service that provides problem detection, troubleshooting, and diagnostic support for Windows components. What is common is that when a fault occurs in the system, a dialog box will pop up asking you whether you need to enable fault diagnosis to help you find the cause. Users who have used this feature know that the chances of solving the problem are slim, so disable it!
After disabling this service, the system's diagnostic tools will not run properly and will prompt "The diagnostic policy service has been disabled."
In addition to the DPS service, we can also turn off the Diagnostic Service Host service at the same time. Its role is to specifically analyze the cause of the failure. Similar to Diagnostic System Host, system component diagnostic service. Its role is to detect problems with Windows components, troubleshoot them, and provide solutions. Under normal circumstances, it is not used, and similar to the DPS service, the chance of solving the problem is low, so you can choose to disable it.
If the DPS service still has some effect, then the Distributed Link Tracking Client (DLTC) service can be said to have no effect at all! Its main function is to maintain NTFS files inside the computer or on the computer in the LAN Links between system files. To put it bluntly, shortcuts, object links and embedded links are still valid after the target file is renamed or moved. Moreover, within the local area network, the service is only effective if all computers have turned on it, so it can be completely disabled.
In addition, the one that can be "comparable" to the DLTC service is probably the Windows Error Reporting Service! I believe everyone is familiar with this service. Its function is to report when the program stops running or stops responding. Errors and allows solutions to be provided, and corresponding error logs and reports are generated. Have you ever used it? So ban it, no need to hesitate at all!
Disabling autoplay is safer
Shell Hardware Detection, hardware detection service, referred to as SHD, is used to provide notification functions for automatically playing devices or hardware, which is the commonly used operation prompt that will pop up after inserting a flash memory (as shown in Figure 3). If you think this prompt has little practical significance or even becomes an annoying prompt, simply disable it so that there will be no prompts when connecting flash drives or removable devices in the future.
Tip: Disabling this function means disabling the auto-play function. It can also reduce the risk of system poisoning to a certain extent. Why not?
If you turn off the SHD service first, the system may also prompt you to shut down the Windows Image Acquisition (Windows Image Acquisition Service, referred to as WIA) service, which provides image acquisition services for scanners and cameras. Generally, if your computer is not connected to the scanner, you can turn off the service. Ordinary users generally do not connect cameras, because copying pictures is usually done using a card reader.
Tip: The service defaults to "manual" status. If you have connected a scanner, you do not need to modify the status of the service. If not, you can choose to manually modify it to "disabled".
Search functions vary from person to person
The search function (Windows Search) provided in Win 7 has made great progress, but different users may have different positionings for this function. If the user needs to frequently use this function to search documents, etc., then the status quo (delayed startup) can be maintained; if the user rarely uses the search function of Win 7, then the user can choose to disable the service.
Install antivirus and disable firewall service
Windows Firewall, the Windows Firewall service we are familiar with, needless to say its role - the basic defense system of Windows. However, if you are using third-party anti-virus software and firewall, then you can consider turning off the Windows Firewall service, because generally, third-party anti-virus software and firewall can completely replace the system firewall that comes with Windows, and the effect is better than that of Windows Firewalls are better.
Tip: Some third-party anti-virus software will prompt you to turn off the system's built-in firewall during installation, but turning off Windows Firewall does not actually turn off the Windows Firewall service, which causes an invisible waste of resources. Therefore, in actual use, you can choose to manually turn off the Windows Firewall service (set the startup mode to "disabled") after installing third-party anti-virus software.
Disabling services has obvious effects
In this article, we have listed nearly 20 system services that can be disabled. After personal testing, after turning off these system services, the system startup speed is significantly accelerated - the computer startup time is reduced from the original 58 seconds to 50 seconds. Of course, this time will vary due to different computer configurations, but I believe that for some users with relatively low configurations, the effect will be more obvious!
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