Information technology news and advice
Workstation/Desktop/Laptop Security
Safe Settings for Windows XP Services
When you turn on your computer, even before you log in as a user, Windows loads in the memory and activates technical programs called "services". Some of these services are essential for your computer work, some are loaded without any necessity. The loaded services consume your precious RAM memory, the activated services take out the processor power.
Apart from this, the loaded and activated services may be accessed and abused by your computer invaders, the "bad guys". If these services are needed for your work, it is a reasonable risk, if these services are not needed for your work then they are an unjustifiable risk.
A very good popular description of the security and services could be found on the Black Viper website and elsewhere. You will find there many prescriptions of how to set up your computer to be safe and secure. (Unfortunately the indicated original link does not work anymore, please use mirrors: 1, 2, 3).
Here is a link to the Windows XP registry patch that turns off the generally unneeded services. This patch was borrowed from the Black Viper and modified to allow some additional services. Right-click on the link and save the registry patch on the Desktop or elswhere on your computer.
1. Before installing this patch, you should backup the current configuration of your services so that if some of the Windows functions stop working after reconfiguring the services, you may easily restore the initial configuration.
Open Control Panel (Through START button, select Settings | Control Panel)
Double-click on Systems icon in Control Panel and then click on the Hardware tab. Now click on Hardware Profiles button. There you will see listed your current profile.
Click on Copy button and enter My Default in Copy Profile window to save it as a backup. Don't forget to click OK button to finalize.
2. Now run the patch. You will be asked whether you want to make changes in the Registry, you should agree.
3. After applying the patch, go back to Hardware Profile and save the patched configuration, copying it as Save Tweak. Using the UP and DOWN arrows on the right side of the Hardware Profile window, move Save Tweak to the top and place My Default profile underneath.
Click Select the first profile listed ... button and set the time to 15 seconds in the small window. Click OK button to finalize the change.
4. Reboot. You will see the black screen listing your profiles, Save Tweak will be automatically selected in 15 seconds.
Check if everything you need on your computer works.
5. You may always restore your initial configuration selecting My Default in the boot time in the black screen listing available profiles.
Notes
You may turn on and off the Windows services using the Services window accessible from Control Panel | Administrative Tools | Services.
1. Do not use the msconfig program to disable services, use always the Services window!
2. Before manually disabling ANY service, check out the information listed about each service by clicking its name. You may download and patch your Services descriptions with the comments made by Black Viper that give more detail on the necessity and vulnerabilies of many services. (Installing this patch is absolutely safe as it does not change anything but the textual descriptions)
3. If you put the setting for a service to Manual, it is safe because Windows, when/if it's needed, will turn it on but it is not quite secure because "the bad guys" may also turn it on.
