Processes are way too high.

[Rezabrya]

I was wondering if anybody could help me out by telling me how to "labotomise" my Windows Vista SP2 64 bit. Normally I have 70 to 80 processes running and I know this is way too much. I have experimented a little myself but it always ends up badly. I will include screenshots of all my running processes and please tell me which ones I can safely take out of both running and startup processes. Thank you.

[harleyman]

All of whats listed in your name you can turn off..Except your browser exe ..


Many of the Svhosts can be killed to...But you need to find out what ones first..

The HP stuff can also be shut down, oncluding the spoolers..



are you asking because you have performance issues? if so you can get Alricity PC tool that you pre set up and it will launch FSX and shut down everything but what you leave on like Antivirus and such....

I might be wrong, but killing services there will only last till reboot, then they all load again ....


This tool PRIO will allow you to see what each process does when you mouse over it..It requires a reboot after installing...http://www.klitetools.com/comments.php?catid=52&id=5069

[stansdds]

Harleyman is correct, programs like Alacrity PC and FSAutoStart will turn off services and programs, but these will be restored the next time you boot your computer. Disabling them through MSConfig keeps them turned off. When in doubt, you can always use Alacrity or FSAutoStart to turn off selected services and programs to see what effect they will have on your computer before deciding if you want them to be permanently off.

[Bjoern]

I would have already gone mental with 80 processes running!

Back when I had Vista as my main OS, I had trimmed it down to about 30 to 35 running processes without losing much functionality.

My Windows XP has 25 running processes right after bootup, that's with Antivir, NHancer, a WiFi Tool and the Logitech G15 software running in the background!
For processes I only need once in a while, say for printing, LAN functionality, Windows Update and stuff, I've got batch files ready which start and stop them with a double-click.

As for what to switch off and what not, I usually consult Blackviper's site.
http://www.blackviper.com/
NickN has also made a list of unnecessary processes for his Windows tweaking guide, but I find it way too short.

[Wulf190]

I have 28 processes running, and I think thats too many. But 80?! Reminds me on my PC at work....

[Roger]

I have Vista 32 bit Home Premium and I have 65 processes running. I have used Alacrity and IObit's game booster. Neither of these gave me 1 frame extra. On an XP Machine a 5 - 10% increase was noted 18 months ago using Alacrity on Fs2004. It seems Vista manages these things quite well...as long as UAC and Indexing are turned off.

[harleyman]

I have 57 processes running on my new rig on Vista 64, and can't tell any difference at all if they are running or not...

I never bothered with that on this machine..It was not needed.

[FLighT01]

Fellas', I'd urge real caution with Services. I've been playing around with various configurations for almost a year on my Vista64 box and I run about 28 or 29 services after a reboot and after a service or two finishes running that turn on at start up but then turn themselves off, and even if they leave a footprint in memory I suspect it's a small one.

I've been reading everything I could find on the various services and what they do. In many cases the descriptions don't really make it clear if you need it or not and it depends on what other services or apps you want running. I was surprised many times by what a service did in conjunction with other apps and services.

If your at 27 to 33 with Vista then it's just a matter of the handful of security related services to make a determination on running or not: UAC, Defender, System Restore, Auto Updates, Aero, Indexing, Security Center. I run 20 at start up on my XP box but Vista ain't XP.

Many services use very small amounts of memory, some only 1 or 2 MB of my Physical Memory, I consider that insignificant with 4GB on board and that is probably why Harleyman notices little or no difference at 57. I swear I've even noticed that stopping some services actually resulted in an increase in Physical Memory use in Task manager for which I have no explanation.

Also, you could end up stopping a service that an app you only use once in a while needs and when you go to use it somewhere down the road it won't start. If your lucky you'll get some error codes (like 10061 or 1053). You'll find a service that's needed and when you go to turn it on it won't start, or worse, a service that won't stop. Ran into that with Media Player 11, turned it on by accident, went through a lot of hoops to get it truly off at start up. So many are interdependent also. Even when you check the dependencies tab you can make a wrong call, and then there's the Log On tab.

Anyway, that's been my experience, be cautious is my advice. Been there, done that, and I continue to self-flagelate from time to time, LOL.

[Rezabrya]

Well a friend went on teamviewer and looked through my processes and found nothing extra that I didnt need. I guess Vista is just a different OS in terms of processes. I can live with 70-80 as long as it isn't affecting my performance which it doesn't seem to be. Thanks for the help guys. I will be switching to Windows 7 when retail comes out so hopefully that will solve some of my problems. One question I have is if I installed the windows 7 RC now, would I have to do a fresh os install when RTM comes out or can I just enter my serial into the RC and have a full RTM without having to do a fresh install?

[FLighT01]

I'm hoping Win7 will be to Vista what XP was to ME. I'll switch in a heartbeat.

[Bjoern]

As for the batches, here's a basic how-to.

I'll write this for XP, since I don't know for what you'll need administrative rights in Vista and for what you don't. I pretty sure you'll have to run the .bat files as administrator though.

1) Create an empty text file.
2) Open up the services list (Control Panel -> Computer Management (?) -> Services)
3) Now decide which service you want to stop
4) Open the empty text file and write
"@echo" into the first line
5) Into the second line, write
net stop "[Name of the service, *exactly*(!) as shown in the services list]"6) Now save the text file as a .bat file via "Save as..." by entering
[Desired filename].bat into the "File Name" field.
7) Repeat step one.
8) Repeat step four.
9) Repeat step five, however this time use "net start" instead of "net stop"!
10) Repeat step six.

Now, double click on the first file you've created and check the status of the service in the "services" window. If it doesn't read "running", the .bat file did its thing. To restart the service again, click the second file. The service should be up and running again.

You can put as many "net start"/"net stop" commands into one batch file as you like.


Here's what's in one of my many .bat files as an example:

@echo
net start "Server"
net start "Computerbrowser"
net start "DNS Client"

[Rezabrya]

Alright I made a bat file for my iPod stuff and O&O defrag and stuff. Works perfectly. I am trying to find all my printer software to make a bat file for that. Any suggestions of Microsoft services that I wouldn't use often?

[Bjoern]

Glad to hear it worked!

For suggestions regarding unneeded services, try Black Viper's site. I've posted the link a few replies above.

[bonefish]

Instead of using my gut, I use this website to help determine what really needs to be running. Helps you learn, too.
http://www.processlibrary.com/directory/files/jusched/
SEAN