windows services

Distributed Transaction Coordinator; MSDTC
Supports Microsoft Transaction Server (MTS); primarily used in applications based on Microsoft SQL Server. Very few workstations need to have this service running, so you can keep it set to Manual.

DNS Client; Dnscache
Looks up and caches requests for Domain Name System (DNS) names, as a performance optimization. If the service is stopped, DNS requests are forwarded to the DNS server specified in your TCP/IP configuration settings. Leave this service set to Automatic if you want DNS caching, or set it to Manual if you do not.

Error Reporting Service; ERSvc
Supports the Windows Error Reporting feature that sends program and operating system crash dumps to Microsoft. If you want to turn off this feature, first open Control Panel, System, Advanced and click Error Reporting. After disabling Error Reporting in the dialog box shown in Figure 17-8, you can set this service to Disabled.

Event Log; Eventlog
Maintains the system event log; this service should never be disabled. To see the event log, open Control Panel, Administrative Tools, Event Viewer.

Fast User Switching Compatibility; FastUserSwitchingCompatibility
Supports the multiple-logon feature of Windows XP. To disable Fast User Switching, open Control Panel, User Accounts and click Change The Way Users Log On Or Off. Fast User Switching is available only for stand-alone computers or computers in a workgroup.

Fax; Fax
Provides fax capabilities. This service is optional and is not installed by default. For information on installing and configuring this service, see Microsoft Knowledge Base article Q306550.

FTP Publishing; MSFTPSVC
Part of Internet Information Services (IIS). For best security, disable the FTP Publishing service unless you know you have a specific need for it. Disabling this service in the Services console makes it impossible to start any FTP server in the Internet Information Services console; you'll get an error message about the service not being able to start.

Help and Support; helpsvc
Provides access to the Help and Support Center in Windows XP; some—but not all—such accesses cause this service to start. Set it to Manual so that it can start when needed.

Human Interface Device Access; HidServ
Handles the special wheels and navigation buttons on some mice and keyboards. A standard 102-key keyboard and Microsoft PS/2 mouse do not require this service, so you can set it to Manual if you don't have exotic input hardware.

IIS Admin; IISADMIN
Supports IIS; you will see this service if IIS has been installed. Leave it set to Automatic. If you require no IIS components (that is, you don't have a server for Web, FTP, NNTP, or SMTP access), uninstall IIS through Control Panel, Add Or Remove Programs, Add/Remove Windows Components.

IMAPI CD-Burning COM Service; ImapiService
Used by the built-in CD-burning feature in Windows XP. If you set the service to Manual, it starts when you send files to a CD drive in preparation for burning a CD.

Indexing Service; cisvc
Potentially generates an index of every file on all your drives, making this a very resource-intensive service. You can control which directories are indexed through Start, Administrative Tools, Computer Management, Indexing Service. However, you might want to set Indexing Service to Disabled. No system services depend on it, and the Windows search function (Start, Search) performs its own file-by-file search (albeit more slowly) when Indexing Service isn't running.

Internet Connection Firewall (ICF)/ Internet Connection Sharing (ICS); SharedAccess
Enables network address translation (NAT) for computers that share an Internet connection using ICS. Leave this service set to Automatic if you are using ICF or ICS. Otherwise, set it to Manual.

IPSEC Services; PolicyAgent
Supports the IP Security Protocol (IPSec), which is used to secure some VPNs, wireless networks, and other networks. If you are not using IPSec, you can set this service to Manual.

Logical Disk Manager; dmserver

Logical Disk Manager Administrative Service; dmadmin
Used to support the Disk Management console (Diskmgmt.msc). If you set these two services to Manual, they can be started as needed by Disk Management.