Tuesday, August 21, 2007

Ultimate List of Free Windows Software from Microsoft

WINDOWS XP GOODIES
Agent components provide animated characters (Genie, Merlin, Peedy, Robby & "Custom") to appear during specific help or instruction. (Support FAQ)
Alt-Tab Replacement in addition to the icon of the application window you are switching to, you see a preview of the page.
Calculator Plus also performs many types of conversions.
ConferenceXP enables you to see & hear others in a virtual collaborative space, called a venue. You collaborate on an electronic whiteboard or PowerPoint presentation, send messages and more.
Feeds Plus is an Internet Explorer 7 add-on for RSS pop-up notifications.
FolderShare keeps important files at your fingertips - anywhere. All file changes are automatically synchronized between linked computers, so you always access the latest files.
GroupBar desktop tool offers enhanced window management capabilities in a taskbar-like setting. Through simple drag-and-drop operations on window tiles within the bar, users can create lightweight, transient grouping relationships that allow them to perform certain higher-level window layout functions on multiple windows at once.

Location Finder turns a regular WiFi enabled laptop, Tablet or PC into a location determining device without the addition of any separate hardware. Location Finder uses WiFi access points - or reverse IP lookup when WiFi is not available - to center and display the person's location on the Windows Live Local.
MapCruncher converts existing maps into an online format that's easy to use as Virtual Earth. PDF and raster maps can be converted just by clicking on corresponding landmarks on the user's map. (Support: Website)
My Font Tool converts your handwriting into a TrueType font, making typed text appear written by hand.
Open Command Window Here adds an "Open Command Window Here" context menu option on file system folders, giving a quick way to open a command window.
Power Calculator graphd and evaluated functions as well as performs many conversions.
Scalable Fabric task management system. A central focus area, defined by you, contains windows that behave in the traditional way. When you drag a window into the periphery, it becomes smaller and continues to get smaller the closer you get to the edge of the screen. This makes it possible to keep windows open all the time, and change "minimize" to mean "return to the periphery". (Support: Website)
Snip IT can email selected text within Internet Explorer.
Taskbar Magnifier magnifies part of the screen from the taskbar.
TIME ZONES: There are two programs that help deal with multiple Time Zones: Premium Time Zone requires genuine Windows XP, the Standard Time Zone program does not. (Support: Working with Time Zones)
Tweak UI gives access to system settings not exposed in the default user interface, including mouse settings, Explorer settings, taskbar settings, and more.
USB Flash Drive Manager backup & restore files to/from a USB Flash Drive device.
Virtual Desktop Manager manages up to four desktops from the Windows taskbar

Virtual Machine is Microsoft's Java Virtual Machine for Internet Explorer, allowing you to view java applets on Web pages.
Webcam Timershot takes and saves pictures at specified time intervals from a Webcam.
Windows Live Writer blogging authoring tool
XML Notepad 2007 provides browsing and editing XML documents. (Support: Design Doc)
XML Paper Specification Essentials Pack enables you to view, generate and index XPS Documents.
ZoomIt is screen zoom and annotation tool for technical presentations that include application demonstrations.
EBOOKS READER
eBooks Reader offers digital versions of printed books using ClearType technology.
Optional Reference & Dictionaries
UTILITIES
ActiveSync synchronization of Outlook information, Office docs, pics, music, videos and applications from your desktop to Windows Mobile-based Pocket PCs & Smartphones.
Clear Cache Feature for Internet Explorer - automatically deletes all temporary Internet files, cookies, and history files. This was developed to programmatically clear these files when a corrupt entry caused errors with Internet Explorer.
ClearType Tuner fine tunes the ClearType technology via the Control Panel, making it easier to read text on your screen. A necessity for LCD screens (portables and flat screens) -- Or try it On-Line. [Bonus = Consolas ClearType Font Pack]
Color Control Panel Applet adds a new "Color" item to the control panel, providing viewing and editing color management settings.
Desktop Language Settings changes language, keyboard, and regional settings for Windows, Internet Explorer, and Office.
Desktop Search 3.0 helps you to find, preview, and use your documents, e-mail, music, photos, and other items. (Support KB917013)
Font Properties Extension adds several new property tabs to the fonts dialog box. (Support: Website)
ISO Recorder Power Toy makes images of CDs & DVDs to create ISO images.
Keyboard Layout Creator create & modify keyboard layouts.
MSN Search Toolbar software and components.
Mount ISO Files Virtually - this tool allows ISO image files to be mounted virtually as a CD/DVD device.
RoboCopy GUI - GUI for Command Line Utility ROBOCOPY
SequoiaView - Treemap visualization of hard drive's contents. (Utilityapproved by the PowerToys group)
SyncToy helps copy, move, and synchronize files with digital cameras, e-mail, cell phones, portable media players, camcorders, PDAs, and laptops. (Support: How to . . .)
System Configuration Utility (msconfig) has been updated with a Tools Tab. The System Configuration utility automates the routine troubleshooting steps used when diagnosing system configuration issues. (Support: How to MSCONFIG & How to perform advanced clean-boot troubleshooting)

Terminals is a "tabbed" terminal services/remote desktop client used for controlling multiple connection simultaneously.
Transliteration Utility (TU) tool for transliterating one natural language script to another (like Serbian Latin to Serbian Cyrillic or Latin to Inuktitut). Plus, it can be used to create, edit, debug, and test natural language transliteration modules used to convert one script to another. (Support: How to . . .)
Tweakomatic utility that writes Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI) scripts enablimg you to retrieve and/or configure Windows and Internet Explorer settings locally or remotely.
User State Migration Tool (USMT) migrates user files and settings during large deployments by capturing desktop, network and application settings as well as a user files, and then migrates them to a new Windows installation. (Support: Homepage)
Virtual PC is a powerful software virtualization solution that allows running multiple PC-based operating systems simultaneously on one workstation. (Support: Technical Overview)
VirtualWiFi abstracts a single WLAN card to appear as multiple virtual WLAN cards to the user. The user can then configure each virtual card to connect to a different wireless network. Therefore, VirtualWiFi allows a user to simultaneously connect his machine to multiple wireless networks using just one WLAN card.
Windows SteadyState is designed for schools, libraries, Internet Cafes, and other public locations.
Wntipcfg This GUI tool gives you information about your IP configuration.
SUPPORT & TROUBLESHOOTING
Bootvis - Microsoft states this tool is not available, but they still "support it". Bootvis "was" a performance tracing and visualization tool designed to help identify performance issues for boot/resume timing while developing new PC products or supporting software.
Change Analysis Diagnostic tracks Windows OS changes
COMDisable tool, views, disable or enable a list of available COM ports.
DebugView monitors kernel-mode and Win32 debug output on your local or networked TCP/IP computer.
Desktop Heap Monitor examines usage of a WIN32 subsystem that has an internal heap area known as "desktop heap". When running large number of programs, "Out Of Memory" error messages appear when you attempt to start new programs or try to use programs that are already running, even though you still have plenty of physical and pagefile memory available. (Support: KB126952)
DiskMon logs and displays all hard disk activity.
DLL Online Help Database - helps identify DLL version conflicts.
Fiddler is an HTTP Debugging Proxy which logs all HTTP traffic between your computer and the Internet. Fiddler allows you to inspect all HTTP Traffic, set breakpoints, and "fiddle" with incoming or outgoing data. (Support: HTTP Debugging)
Guided Help (depending on the problem) can automatically guide you through various steps to perform some diagnostic tasks yourself. (Support: How to . . .)
Kernel Memory Space Analyzer helps expert debugging engineers analyze crash dump files.
MDAC Component Checker helps you determine installed version information and diagnose installation issues with the Microsoft Data Access Components (Support: MDAC Website)
Memory Diagnostic tests the Random Access Memory (RAM) on your computer for errors. (Support: Users Guide)
Network Diagnostics for Windows XP tool (xpnetdiag) analyzes information about your network connectivity to help troubleshoot common connection problems. (Support: KB914440)
Portmon monitors and displays all serial and parallel port activity on a system. Advanced filtering and search capabilities make it a powerful tool for tracking down problems in system or application configurations.
PortQry Command Line Port Scanner is a command-line utility that troubleshoots TCP/IP connectivity issues by reporting the port status of TCP and UDP ports on a computer you choose. For details, see KB310099 and description. (Description of Microsoft Port Numbers & All Port Numbers)
Port Reporter logs TCP and UDP port activity on a local Windows system by running as a service logging which ports are used, which process is using the port, if the process is a service, which modules the process has loaded and which user account is running the process. (Description of Microsoft Port Numbers & All Port Numbers)
Port Reporter Parser Tool is a log parser for Port Reporter log files. Port Reporter Parser has many features that can help you analyze Port Reporter log files.
Process Explorer shows information about which handles and DLLs processes have opened or loaded.
Process Monitor shows real-time file system, Registry and process/thread activity.
Product Support's Reporting Tools and Premier Services Reporting Utility (Alliance version) facilitates the gathering of critical system and logging information used in troubleshooting support issues. There are 8 specialty versions, one for each of the following support scenario categories: Alliance, Directory Services (not for NT 4.0), Networking, Clustering, SQL, Software Update Services, MDAC and Base / Setup / Storage / Print / Performance. (Support: Blog Article & Overview)
Sysinternals Troubleshooting Utilities zipped into a single file containing the individual troubleshooting tools and help files.
User Mode Process Dumper (userdump) dumps any running Win32 processes memory image (including system processes such as csrss.exe, winlogon.exe, services.exe, etc) on the fly, without attaching a debugger, or terminating target processes. Generated dump file can be analyzed or debugged by using the standard debugging tools.
User Profile Deletion Utility (Delprof) deletes all data that is stored in a user profile including desktop settings, favorites, program-specific data that is contained in the Application Data folder, and the contents of the My Documents folder.
User Profile Hive Cleanup helps with slow log off and unreconciled profile problems ensuring that user sessions are completely terminated when a user logs off when using Roaming Profiles or locked profiles as implemented through the Shared Computer Toolkit.
Video Decoder Checkup Utility helps determine if an MPEG-2 DVD video decoder is installed, and whether it's compatible with Media Player 10 or Media Center Edition.
Windows Installer CleanUp Utility can remove a program's configuration information if experiencing installation (Setup) problems.
Windows Support Tools are intended for use by Microsoft support personnel and experienced users to assist in diagnosing and resolving computer problems.
SECURITY, ANTI-SPYWARE & ANTI-VIRUS
Baseline Security Analyzer includes a graphical and command line interface that can perform local or remote scans of Windows systems. MBSA will scan for common security misconfigurations in the following products: Windows 2000, XP, Server 2003, IIS 5.0 & 6.0, SQL Server 7.0 & 2000, MSIE 5.01 and later, and Office 2000, 2002 & 2003. MBSA also scans for missing security updates, update rollups and service packs published to Microsoft Update. (Support Tool: Visio Connector for MBSA 2.0, MBSA Homepage)
Malicious Software Removal Tool checks for infection by specific, prevalent malicious software (including Blaster, Sasser, and Mydoom) and helps to remove the infection if it is found. (Updated on the second Tuesday of each month.)
Promqry and PromqryUI detects if a network sniffer that is running on a computer. If a system has network interfaces in promiscuous mode, it may indicate the presence of a network sniffer running on the system.
PromqryUI provides a Windows graphical interface that can be used to detect network interfaces that are running in promiscuous mode.

Promqry is a command line tool that can be used to detect network interfaces that are running in promiscuous mode.
Windows Defender protects against pop-ups, slow performance and security threats caused by spyware and other potentially unwanted software.
Windows Live Safety Center - Web service designed to ensure the health of your computer with free scanning tools helping get rid of unwanted software.
OFFICE APPLICATIONS
EXPRESS EDITIONS FOR DEVELOPERS
MULTIMEDIA
CD Slide Show Generator can view images burned to a CD as a slide show.
"Decades" Auto Playlist Pack include dozens new auto playlists to organize your music by decades-from the 1940s through the new millennium.
Device Manager Software Development Kit (SDK) works with devices that support the new Media Transfer Protocol (MTP).
Easy Camera Calibration Tool determines a camera's internal parameters (focal length, aspect ratio, radial distortion, etc.). The technique only requires the camera to observe a planar pattern shown at a few (at least two) different orientations. Either the camera or the planar pattern can be freely moved. The motion need not be known. (Support: Website)
GroupShot creates a composite image from a series of photos. The photos must be of the same scene, taken from the same point of view within a short period of time. (Support: Help, Website & Channel 9 Video)
HTML Slide Show Wizard creates an HTML slide show of your digital pictures.
Image Resizer resizes one or many image files with a right-click. (Support: How to . . .)

JetStream Image Editor with cut and paste tool, based on sequential curve growing with interaction. (Support: Website)
Media Audio 9 Lossless to PCM Converter - command line tool converts files encoded using Windows Media Audio 9 Lossless back into the original PCM WAV format.
Media Bonus Pack: utilities, PowerToys, visualizations, skins, sound effects, and much more. (Net Install Version)
Media Capture capture uncompressed AVI video files with mono, stereo, 5.1, or 7.1 channels of audio, with up to 24 bit resolution and sampling rates up to 192KHz.
Media Encoder provides support for high-quality multichannel sound, high-definition video quality, new support for mixed-mode voice and music content, and more. (Support: Introduction to . . .)
Media Encoder Studio Edition for video professionals, focused on the creation of high-quality, offline encoded content.
Media Mono to Multichannel Wave Combiner 9 Series - command line tool will combine 2, 6 or 8 mono WAV files into an audio-only AVI file that can be used as a source with the Windows Media Encoder 9 Series.
Media Player Software Development Kit (SDK) introduces a range of new features and functionality for customizing the Player and Player Control.
Media Professional Exhibitor intended for playback at full-screen resolution at all times. All transport and playlist controls appear on a (required) second monitor allowing for a theatrical viewing experience.
Media Transfer Protocol Porting Kit introduces the new Media Transfer Protocol (MTP), which enables you to manage content on any portable device.
Movie Maker create, edit, and share home movies easily with drag-and-drops. [Fun Packs: Winter 2002 & 2003 - Creative Audio, Titles, Custom Effects and Transitions] (Support: Blog Posting)
Photo Info allows photographers to add, change and delete common "metadata" properties for digital photographs from inside Windows Explorer. (Support: FAQ)
Paint.Net originated as a Computer Science senior design project at Washington State University, and is still developed by the two alumni Rick Brewster and Tom Jackson who now work for Microsoft. Don't forget the Free Paint.Net Plug-Ins!
Photo Story create slideshows using your digital photos. With a single click, you can touch-up, crop, or rotate pictures. Add stunning special effects, soundtracks, and your own voice narration to your photo stories.
Producer 2003 for users of PowerPoint 2002 & 2003, includes improved audio and video quality, better synchronization, and presentation-sharing tools.
RAW Image Thumbnailer and Viewer for serious photographers. Organize and work with digital RAW files in Windows Explorer, providing thumbnails, previews, printing, and metadata display for RAW images. (Support: White Paper)
TweakMediaPlayer gives access to advanced settings for the library, CD burning, and full-screen mode. Adjust music queuing in the library, automatic volume leveling for burning audio CDs, full-screen animations, and much more.
Video Cube loads an AVI movie file as a volume, and play back the movie sampling space and time in different ways. It also provides a single cutting plane for interactively viewing single spacetime slices of the video. (Support: Video Cubisum)
GAMING
3 Degrees connects people into a small group, so you can do fun things together. Throw animations to each others' desktops with winks. Listen together to a shared playlist created from music that you own with musicmix.
Carioca Rummy Card Game is a fun form of Contract Rummy popular in Argentina and Chile.
Game Voice Share Talk strategy to your teammates. Talk trash to your opponents. Game Voice brings the power of voice to games, whether you're online, on a LAN, or offline. (Support: How to . . .)
Match-Up! Similar to the game "Concentration", test your memory and matching skills while racing against the clock.
SafeDisc - When running a restricted user account with fast user switching under Windows XP, some games will not start correctly. The game requests that the original disk be placed in the drive, even if it is already present.
HARDWARE
Fingerprint Reader - DigitalPersona Password Manager 2.0 (Support: How to . . .)
Mouse & Trackball - IntelliPoint 6.1 for Windows XP & Windows Vista, Windows XP 64 & Windows Vista 64 (Support: How to . . . ) -- New Habu Mice
Webcams - LifeCam 1.21 for Windows XP & Windows Vista
SCREENSAVERS & THEMES
4 the Dogs (Patas) - Four themes with "mans best friend."
BlueScreen of Death Screen Saver (BSOD) Who say's Microsoft doesn't have a sense of humor?
Brazilian Beaches (Praias do Brasil) - Four of Brazil's famous beaches: Florianopolis, Buzios, Jericoacoara e Fernando de Noronha.
Brazilian Carnival Three types of parties according to regions: Olinda, Salvador and Rio de Janeiro.
Creativity Fun Pack PowerToys automatically select images for your Desktop or Screen Saver.

Danish Spring & Summer themes by photographers from the Nordic countries.
Desktop Wallpapers from Microsoft Employees: Michael Swanson & Mikhail Arkhipov's 1920 x 1200 (16:10 aspect ratio "widescreen") and 1600 x 1200 (4:3 aspect ratio "standard"), Peggi Goodwin's Gorgeous Nature Images (various resolution) and three from the Exchange Server Team.
Dungeon Siege Screensaver from the magical Land of Ehb.
Flight Simulator X Screensaver
Holiday Snowflakes Screensaver.
Ireland Desktop Theme by Failte Ireland and the Northern Ireland Tourist Board.
The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle Earth Skin for Windows Media Player 10 The skin was created in partnership with Electronic Arts and designed by The Skins Factory.
MSN Screensaver personalize your screensaver with background photos, news and weather information from MSN or any RSS feeds from websites you choose.
Nunavut (Canadian Arctic Region) - Desktop Theme
New Zealand Bliss A special Queen's Birthday 2005 edition (Preview Samples)
Office Dinosaur Screensaver. Share the Microsoft Office Dino's pain as he dances his way through one embarrassing technological difficulty after another.
Ontario Canada - Desktop Theme
Plus! Dancer LE enables you to experience the fun of entertaining dancers that groove to beats of the music that's playing on your desktop.
    • Cobey See Cobey get down to Hip Hop!
    • Evan & Michele Spice up your desktop with the sexy Argentinean tango.
    • Scooby-Doo See Scooby-Doo do the Scooby Shuffle!

Portuguese Discoveries Theme Pack produced in cooperation with Protugal's National Library - Ministry of Culture.

Ree Ree Khao Sarn, the traditional Thai children's game includes colorful wallpaper,icons and animated screensaver with sound, demonstrating children play.
Royale Noir: "Secret" internal Microsoft XP Theme.
San Fermin Desktop Theme is specifically designed for the Spanish speaking community.
Security Screensavers two screen savers remind us of basic security practices -- Ten Immutable Laws of Security, & Ten Immutable Laws of Security Administration.
TimeDimension Screensaver futuristic "clock" by Brazilian designer Hans Donner
Valentine's Day Screensaver celebrates (duh) Valentine's Day.
Video Screensaver includes sample movie footage of countries all over the world.
World of Warcraft Skin for Media Player 10 - Blizzard's official World of Warcraft skin.

posted by Dmitry at 1:21 PM 15 comments

Turn Off Unnecessary Windows XP Services

[Check out Why windows takes so long to start up., when you're done with this article.]

Turning off unnecessary services in Windows XP can greatly reduce your exploit risk, while improving system performance. It's a good time to inject that often there are all sorts of "download optimizers" and other cute programs that vendors like to push on users. Most of the time, installing such things slows your computer down at best. It could subject you to potential security risks. The first rule is "If you don't know you need it, you probably don't."

Unnecessary services don't just subject you to security risk. They also slow down the operation of your computer. So, don't get lazy here and think you can just deal with the infections later. Go ahead and turn that junk off and recapture your system from these resource hogs. You get to services by going to Control Panel, Administrative Tools, then Services. You should see a long list of services, some running and some dormant. Use this checklist to help determine which services you can live without.

If you don't know how to find Windows Services in Windows XP, click on Start, Control Panel, Administrative Tools, and Services. Below is a simple step by step to finding and changing your services on Windows XP. Keep in mind that your view settings may make your's appear slightly different, but will be the same basic path.

Click on Start then Control Panel
Click on start, then click on Control Panel.

Click on Administrative Tools
In Control Panel, click on Administrative Tools

Click on Services
In Administrative Tools, click on Services.

Choose the Service to Modify
Choose the service you wish to modify.

Changing the Service Settings

Once you select the service you wish to modify, you have several buttons to turn the service off immediately, drop down choices to disable a service, make it autmatic, or make it manual.

Windows XP Pro (and Home); Stuff to turn off:

Each service is listed as it is in Microsoft's WIndows XP Professional. These should be similar in Microsoft's XP Home as well. Under each is the definition given in the Services Manager.

  • Alerter
    Notifies selected users and computers of administrative alerts. If the service is stopped, programs that use administrative alerts will not receive them. If this service is disabled, any services that explicitly depend on it will fail to start.

    Comment: I don't want my personal computer telling me anything, ever. Shut up and work! There's few things I find more annoying than a computer constantly wanting to interact with me while I'm using it to do work or entertain myself. A computer is a tool, not a friend or work companion. No Hal, I don't want to talk to you. Perhaps there's a software vendor that can give you a compelling reason why you need this service, but for most home and SOHO PC use it's just an unnecessary service taking up resources and providing risk. Unless you are running a product that requires this service, disable it.

  • Application Layer Gateway Service
    Provides support for 3rd party protocol plug-ins for Internet Connection Sharing and the Internet Connection Firewall

    Comment: Do you want to share your internet connection? That's an article waiting to be written. Let me be clear. Since you can buy a router for $50 or less, and Windows does an awful job routing, using a computer to gateway your other computers to the internet is just stupid. "What about firewalling and admission control?" Well, that's not going to be done through the built-in internet sharing tools. So, we''re not talking about that. If you use a personal computer to gateway your other computers to the internet (and calling it a server doesn't change the reality), you are wasting resources. Buy a $50 router, or a $1000 router for that matter. But, buy a discrete device that is designed to do the job. Use hardware based firewalling (OK, it's all based on software - but I mean a boxed solution, not software installed on a PC that's prone to lose autonomy). And, what about all those cute third-party firewalling tools that plug in to this thing? Man, give me a break. If it runs on top of your Windows installation, it's not a real firewall. Unless this is required by a product you think is necessary, disable it.

  • Automatic Updates
    Enables the download and installation of critical Windows updates. If the service is disabled, the operating system can be manually updated.

    Comment: There's only two options that may make sense with this service. You should either set it to disable or manual. I'd disable it. Automatic Updates is designed as a tool to aid Microsoft in controlling their product. Props to Microsoft for trying to protect their product from piracy. But, some updates have been known to cause problems. Use it when you need it, and disable it when you don't, unless you're too lazy to do updates on your own. Don't you wonder why all the computers in big, well managed networks don't run Automatic Updates? It's mostly because managers of big networks create their own update policies. If you more completely understand the thinking that goes into deciding whether or not to distribute an update, you could better administer your own PC. Either turn it on and assume the risk, or turn it off and regularly visit Mircosoft's update and news page (discussed more below).

  • Background Intelligent Transfer Service
    Uses idle network bandwidth to transfer data.

    Comment: This is one of those tools they require you turn on to enable Automatic Updates. Think about it. It connects your PC to the internet or network and works behind your back to do stuff you didn't explicitly tell it to do. It sounds like a great tool to help hackers collect data from your PC and slowly seep it back to their lair. Unless it's immediately required, disable it. It you use it and then go for some time with no need to use it, disable it. If you can't remember to keep your PC updated with the latest security fixes, you'll need it.

  • ClipBook
    Enables ClipBook Viewer to store information and share it with remote computers. If the service is stopped, ClipBook Viewer will not be able to share information with remote computers. If this service is disabled, any services that explicitly depend on it will fail to start.

    Comment: So, you want to copy stuff to your clipbook and allow remote computers to access it? I don't. There may be a software vendor that requires this service to run. I've yet to find it useful. I suggest you disable it.

  • Computer Browser
    Maintains an updated list of computers on the network and supplies this list to computers designated as browsers. If this service is stopped, this list will not be updated or maintained. If this service is disabled, any services that explicitly depend on it will fail to start.

    Comment: If you are on a network with other computers, and need to see them, this may be a useful tool. Otherwise, disable it.

  • Cryptographic Services
    Provides three management services: Catalog Database Service, which confirms the signatures of Windows files; Protected Root Service, which adds and removes Trusted Root Certification Authority certificates from this computer; and Key Service, which helps enroll this computer for certificates. If this service is stopped, these management services will not function properly. If this service is disabled, any services that explicitly depend on it will fail to start.

    Comment: It is very necessary if you are passing certificates for networking. Unless you are in a large corporate network where connections are managed through authentication, this is unnecessary; disable it.

  • Distributed Transaction Coordinator
    Coordinates transactions that span multiple resource managers, such as databases, message queues, and file systems. If this service is stopped, these transactions will not occur. If this service is disabled, any services that explicitly depend on it will fail to start.

    Comment: Extremely few personal computers will require this service. If you use it, you may want to review the reasons it is being used. Unless you are accessing network filesystems and databases, disable it.

  • DNS Client
    Resolves and caches Domain Name System (DNS) names for this computer. If this service is stopped, this computer will not be able to resolve DNS names and locate Active Directory domain controllers. If this service is disabled, any services that explicitly depend on it will fail to start.

    Comment: It's typically good to leave this on.

  • Error Reporting Service
    Allows error reporting for services and applications running in non-standard environments.

    Comment: Erorr reporting is very useful, if you know what to do with the errors or you are running software that adjusts based on error reporting. This is that annoying "feature" in Windows that constantly pops up wanting to ship information about your software failures to Redmond. People promise me it helps find problems and solutions. I've mostly seen problem reports that you could as easily search out yourself. If you're advanced enough to use this, you'll likely use a search engine just as well. Chances are, the best thing for you to do is disable it.

  • Help and Support
    Enables Help and Support Center to run on this computer. If this service is stopped, Help and Support Center will be unavailable. If this service is disabled, any services that explicitly depend on it will fail to start.

    Comment: I don't find this service useful, other than sucking up resources. If you know how to use Google, I'd disable it.

  • Human Interface Device Access
    Enables generic input access to Human Interface Devices (HID), which activates and maintains the use of predefined hot buttons on keyboards, remote controls, and other multimedia devices. If this service is stopped, hot buttons controlled by this service will no longer function. If this service is disabled, any services that explicitly depend on it will fail to start.

    Comment: Whether or not you should disable this service, depends on other services you need. If you don't know, turn it off and see if it breaks anything. It says that it deals with hotkeys, however all the system hotkeys that most of us enjoy aren't controlled by this service, they are built into the core OS. Control C, for example, to copy and Control V to past, do not stop working when you turn this service off. It seems this has more to do with specific hotkeys that a software vendor may want to insert into their installed program or internet product. Until you see a reason for it, I'd turn this one off. Personally, I consider relying on such services to be lazy programming. But, there may be good reason for using it if it's more efficient.

  • Indexing Service
    Indexes contents and properties of files on local and remote computers; provides rapid access to files through flexible querying language.

    Comment: To date, nobody has shown me real system performance improvements with this technology. Keep in mind, I'm limited in this conversation to Windows. Indexing is very useful. Indexing databases is very useful. Indexing your computer isn't very useful at all. Typically, if you are on a network, you know where on a network to find your chosen data. If you are not on a network, there's no real performance enhancement to this service that justifies the complexity and resource use. Chances are good you should disable it.

  • IMAPI CD-Burning COM Service
    Manages CD recording using Image Mastering Applications Programming Interface (IMAPI). If this service is stopped, this computer will be unable to record CDs. If this service is disabled, any services that explicitly depend on it will fail to start.

    Comment: Obviously, there may be some usefulness leaving this service as manual, if you have a CD burner installed. If you don't, disable it.

  • Internet Connection Firewall (ICF) / Internet Connection Sharing (ICS)
    Provides network address translation, addressing, name resolution and/or intrusion prevention services for a home or small office network.

    Comment: This tool does a great job of complicating my internet connection and slowing down transactions. It's not likely this tool is sophisticated enough to make a major impact in your system's performance. You should disable it.

  • Messenger
    Transmits net send and Alerter service messages between clients and servers. This service is not related to Windows Messenger. If this service is stopped, Alerter messages will not be transmitted. If this service is disabled, any services that explicitly depend on it will fail to start.

    Comment: Turn this thing off! It's a simple kit for anybody that can connect via any network to your computer to access your system and do things you don't want them to. Disable it.

  • Net Logon
    Supports pass-through authentication of account logon events for computers in a domain.

    Comment: Unless you need this to operate inside a domain, it's likely not necessary or useful. If you are using a home or SOHO PC and don't have a local domain based network, disable it.

  • NetMeeting Remote Desktop Sharing
    Enables an authorized user to access this computer remotely by using NetMeeting over a corporate intranet. If this service is stopped, remote desktop sharing will be unavailable. If this service is disabled, any services that explicitly depend on it will fail to start.

    Comment: Do you really want a built in tool to share control of your desktop over your network connection? There are better tools for doing this kind of work, if needed. If someone you buy software from insists you let them use this tool to help you install it one time, then enable it and disable it immediately afterward. For typical use, you should disable it.

  • Remote Desktop Help Session Manager
    Manages and controls Remote Assistance. If this service is stopped, Remote Assistance will be unavailable. Before stopping this service, see the Dependencies tab of the Properties dialog box.

    Comment: Refer to NetMeeting. If you don't want to share control of your computer through your network, disable it.

  • Remote Procedure Call (RPC) Locator
    Manages the RPC name service database.

    Comment: There are some network programs and protocols that require this to be turned on. Chances are you could just turn it off and see if you break anything. If you are using a single PC in your home or SOHO, it's likely just a security risk. If you don't know you need it, disable it.

  • Remote Registry
    Enables remote users to modify registry settings on this computer. If this service is stopped, the registry can be modified only by users on this computer. If this service is disabled, any services that explicitly depend on it will fail to start.

    Comment: Seems self-explanatory. You can enable this service to help remote people or programs change your registry. Great hacker tool if you can't secure it. Disable it.

  • System Restore Service
    Performs system restore functions. To stop service, turn off System Restore from the System Restore tab in My Computer->Properties

    Comment: This is almost useless if you ever have a problem with damaged drives, corrupted data, or malware. It uses a lot of resources and isn't useful for most people. You can turn it on before you install a big piece of software. This service allows you to backup to a previous system should you mess your's up with an installation of software or a modification to your system settings, usually registry damage. To improve system performance and take the minor risk of not being able to make your computer work like it did yesterday, disable it.

  • TCP/IP NetBIOS Helper
    Enables support for NetBIOS over TCP/IP (NetBT) service and NetBIOS name resolution.

    Comment: Very few people use NetBIOS at home. This is the Windows built-in protocol for simple networking. You may need it. Otherwise, disable it.

  • Telephony
    Provides Telephony API (TAPI) support for programs that control telephony devices and IP based voice connections on the local computer and, through the LAN, on servers that are also running the service.

    Comment: If you use telephony, you probably use discrete devices or proprietary services that don't rely on this service. However, you do need this servive if you use a modem to connect to the ineternet. If you don't specifically need the Microsoft Telephony service, disable it. If you use a modem to connect to the internet, leave it enabled.

  • Telnet
    Enables a remote user to log on to this computer and run programs, and supports various TCP/IP Telnet clients, including UNIX-based and Windows-based computers. If this service is stopped, remote user access to programs might be unavailable. If this service is disabled, any services that explicitly depend on it will fail to start.

    Comment: There's just not a circumstance where I can imagine that turning this service on is a good idea. Unless you need to let people telnet into your computer and have a really good reason for doing so, disable it.

  • Terminal Services
    Allows multiple users to be connected interactively to a machine as well as the display of desktops and applications to remote computers. The underpinning of Remote Desktop (including RD for Administrators), Fast User Switching, Remote Assistance, and Terminal Server.

    Comment: As I've said above, there's better tools for remote desktop administration. The idea of Terminal Services is to allow remote desktop administration of a system, like the user was on the actual console. In almost all circumstances you should disable it.

  • Themes
    Provides user experience theme management.

    Comment: Themes are cute and bloated. Enabling themes is not a good way to increase performance, but you may think it's neat. If you aren't addicted to cute desktop eye candy, disable it.

  • Uninterruptible Power Supply
    Manages an uninterruptible power supply (UPS) connected to the computer.

    Comment: Unless you are using a UPS on your computer and it has the capability of managing the system, disable it.

  • Upload Manager
    Manages synchronous and asynchronous file transfers between clients and servers on the network. If this service is stopped, synchronous and asynchronous file transfers between clients and servers on the network will not occur. If this service is disabled, any services that explicitly depend on it will fail to start.

    Comment: If you are not in a local network sharing data (files and/or services), disable it.

  • Windows Time
    Maintains date and time synchronization on all clients and servers in the network. If this service is stopped, date and time synchronization will be unavailable. If this service is disabled, any services that explicitly depend on it will fail to start.

    Comment: Sometimes it works. Unless you are really needing your time to sync to something running a Windows time server, disable it.

  • Wireless Zero Configuration
    Provides automatic configuration for the 802.11 adapters

    Comment: Unless you use 802.11 devices, disable it.

  • Workstation
    Creates and maintains client network connections to remote servers. If this service is stopped, these connections will be unavailable. If this service is disabled, any services that explicitly depend on it will fail to start.

    Comment: If you are not in a local network sharing data (files and/or services), disable it.

If you turn off all the services suggested above and try to use Automatic Updates via WindowsUpdate.Microsoft.com, you will likely see a message something like this:

Windows Update cannot continue because a required service application is disabled. Windows Update requires the following services:

"Automatic Updates enables detection, downloading, and installation of critical updates for your computer.

Background Intelligent Transfer Service (BITS) enables faster, restartable downloading of updates.

Event Log logs Windows Update events for troubleshooting. To ensure that these services are enabled:"

It's easy to just go back to Services, and turn these services on as you need them. An operating system shouldn't need daily updates to run. And, the more services you run, the more likely you are to need updates. See a circle here? Occasionally, a little laziness won't kill you. Though you could just go to Technet (Microsoft's only support for IT professionals) and get all your news and update files with descriptions of their efficacy and safety, you may occasionally just want to veg out and let Microsoft do the work for you. You should still read each update and decide for yourself whether it makes sense. Some of them are flat out bad news. But, turning up these services for a few minutes to run Automatic Updates may be a shortcut to periodic updates.

So, let's look at the services they want you to turn on.

Automatic Updates
Background Intelligent Transfer Service
Event Log

I haven't a clue why you need Background Intelligent Transfer Services to run so you can go to a website, download, and install service packs. But, you can turn it, and the others, on and then turn it back off when you are done. It's just three services.

If you turn off all the services suggested above and try to use Automatic Updates via WindowsUpdate.Microsoft.com, you will likely see a message something like this:
Windows Update cannot continue because a required service application is disabled. Windows Update requires the following services:
Automatic Updates enables detection, downloading, and installation of critical updates for your computer.
Background Intelligent Transfer Service (BITS) enables faster, restartable downloading of updates.
Event Log logs Windows Update events for troubleshooting. To ensure that these services are enabled:

It's easy to just go back to Services, and turn these services on as you need them. An operating system shouldn't need daily updates to run. And, the more services you run, the more likely you are to need updates. See a circle here? Occasionally, a little laziness won't kill you. Though you could just go to Technet (Microsoft's only support for IT professionals) and get all your news and update files with descriptions of their efficacy and safety, you may occasionally just want to veg out and let Microsoft do the work for you. You should still read each update and decide for yourself whether it makes sense. Some of them are flat out bad news. But, turning up these services for a few minutes to run Automatic Updates may be a shortcut to periodic updates.

So, let's look at the services they want you to turn on.

  1. Automatic Updates
  2. Background Intelligent Transfer Service
  3. Event Log

I haven't a clue why you need Background Intelligent Transfer Services to run so you can go to a website, download, and install service packs. But, you can turn it, and the others, on and then turn it back off when you are done. After all, it's just three services.

If you take a minimalist's point of view to running both software and services on your computer, it will perform faster and more safely than it will if you just randomly load anything anyone tells you to. To better secure your PC, stick to a mindset that if you don't absolutely need a service running right now, you should just turn it off.

For those of you that break stuff when you turn off services I suggest are unnecessary.

If you turn off all the stuff that blatantly doesn't have anything to do with the network, you should be fine. Then, turn off one thing at a time that you /think/ doesn't support your network connection. If you lose your connection, turn the service back on. Next, and this part is very important, make sure your network settings are accurate and set for "on" so you can reconnect. You should find out how your PC connects to your local network before you get started and document it. But, anything you turn off that breaks something needs to be carefully examined and documented (write it down somewhere).

Just because you turn a service back on, doesn't mean your broken software will magically start working again. For example, remember the issue of using a computer in your network to manage your connection? If that's how you connect, you'll have to reconfigure that connection to get online if you kill it by killing a service. Likely, Computer Browser will cause this kind of problem. Also, just enabling the service doesn't turn it on. You need to manually restart it, since the start, enable, stop, settings go into action on bootup. So, if you don't want to wait til your box reboots, you'll need to manually turn off the service if you want it disabled, and manually turn it on if you want to enable it (and see if that given service is your problem).

What about System Restore? Well, I don't like it. If I had a dollar for every time someone fouled up their PC, ran system restore, and were amazed that all wasn't suddenly happy sunshine, I'd have a really nice vacation home. I realize it makes life easier for newbies that randomly screw stuff up and can't be hassled with learning the things they use. But, for most cases, it's a great tool for virus and worms to avoid capture. You delete them, they have a backup switch to recapture control through the restore program. Many antivirus programs don't work properly when you have this feature enabled. You can leave it on if you're a fan. Perhaps it makes you feel good, like it would make everything right again if you had it around. But, it won't save you from a serious problem. Backups and safe computer practices will.

You need to learn enough about your PC to run a functional backup and restoration of your critical data. If you can't do this, you're just waiting to lose everything.

Don't be afraid to learn more about your PC. It's one thing to run through a checklist of stuff I suggest you don't need. But, it's not a guarantee that I address every concern for every user. With a few hours here and there of learning now, you'll save yourself a lot of frustration later. The things I learned about Windows five and six years ago still serve me today. The things I learned about networks running Unix systems serve me every day, no matter what operating system I may run.

Enjoy learning; it's the first line of defense against bad software and broken PCs.

[Check out Why windows takes so long to start up., when you're done with this article.]

posted by Dmitry at 1:19 PM 2 comments

Friday, July 06, 2007

Why windows takes so long to start up.

Most of us have had a brand new computer at one time. It's a great feeling. You boot up windows and within 30 seconds you are surfing the net, checking your email, or playing your favorite game. 10 months down the road things aren't so nice anymore. You power up your computer and it seems to take forever to load.

Even when you are careful about what you install it seems that each day it takes longer for it to boot. It's not your imagination - and there are a couple of good tips to keep your boot time short and sweet.

As always - backup your system before you start any of this. If you make a mistake you might need to restore from backup

Update (09/08/2006) - There has been some controversy about the prefetch folder. I think this issue needs to be looked into. I did have a reputable source for this information: It was the "Windows XP Annoyances" book by O'Reilly. Page 210. Titled "Keeping an eye on prefetch"



1. The prefetch cache

The first tip I want to talk about is the windows prefetch. Windows XP has this feature that loads commonly used programs - at boot time.

Here is how it works: Yesterday you used MS Word, and Duke Nukem 3D. Today you boot your system to check e-mail. It sees parts of these two programs in the prefetch folder and loads them into memory before windows completes the boot process. The benefit is faster application launch times. If you really wanted to use MS Word, it would pop up really quick when you double clicked on it.

The problem is most people have been running windows for years, and the prefetch gets clogged with stuff that you almost never use. Windows takes forever to boot because it is prefetching a 1.0 copy of Napster, and you just want to check your email before you have to go to work.

What can be done about it? Well there are a few things we can do to tweak the prefetch cache. One method is to disable it partially, and this can be done quite easily.

Simply browse to the windows folder (Ex: C:\Windows) and under there you should see the prefetch folder. Go into the prefetch folder and delete all the files (Careful! It should look like this c:\windows\prefetch) And here is a screenshot of one if you still have questions



The first thing to note is the next reboot will be slow. This is because windows needs to relearn the prefetch for system files. Subsequent boots will run much faster since the sludge of programs has been removed, and only new ones are in the cache.

The trouble is that it will only help you for a while - until the prefetch gets clogged up again. We need to edit a registry key to tweak it. Open regedit and browse to this key:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\Memory Management\PrefetchParameters

Under this key you should see a value named: EnablePrefetcher

It has 4 possible values:

0 - Disabled : The prefetch system is turned off.

1 - Application : The prefetch only caches applications.

2 - Boot : The prefetch only caches boot system files.

3 - All : The prefetch caches boot, and application files.

We don't want to disable it entirely. This would actually make boot times *longer*. This is because this feature is also used to speed up the loading of boot files. That is why we are going to pick the number 2 option. It allows us to keep the advantage of caching system files, without continually clogging the system up with applications.

Set the value to 2 and reboot.

The 2nd time you boot it should boot much faster. Remember that the side effect is that launching individual applications once windows has loaded will now be slightly slower.

2. Hard drive fragmentation

Over time your hard drive will become fragmented. An over simplified explanation of fragmentation is when your files and folders are not all stored in the same spot. For example lets say you had a large movie file. If it were fragmented the first 5 megabytes are at the beginning of the hard drive, and then next 5 are at the end. It takes longer for windows to read the file than it would if it were all in the same spot. The point is that if each file is stored in a linear fashion, and the drive does not have to move all over the place to read it - it will load faster. XP has a built-in defrag tool, and it is simple to run. Open "My Computer" right click on the boot drive, and go to properties. Now click on the tools tab.

Click "Defragment Now" and the following window should appear:



Before you click on the "Defragment" button you want to close all applications and be aware that it might take hours to complete. If you leave something running it might keep windows from completing the defragment operation.

Click on the defragment button and you can walk away. Or you can watch it defrag your hard drive:



3. Disconnected network drives

I am using networked drives all the time. If you have ever put your machine on a network and connected to a shared drive, this can slow you down too. If you have a drive that is still mapped, but cannot be reached it will slow down windows during boot time. This is because windows will wait...wait...and wait some more for the remote server to respond. To clean these out open "My Computer" and go to the tools menu. Click on "Disconnect Network Drives" It will open a window that looks like this:



Click on the drives you no longer need, and click OK.

4. Spyware & Adware

These can have a big impact on your start times. If your PC gets loaded with spyware, it spends a large portion of its boot time making sure those pesky programs are loaded and ready to throw popup adverts at you all day. To check and clean your system of spyware there are three free programs that I highly recommend:

1. Microsoft Windows Defender

2. Ad-Aware

3. SpyBot Search And destroy

5. File and Printer Sharing

One other item that can significantly impact is the "File and Printer Sharing" feature within windows. Obviously, if you are sharing your printer, or folders you don't want to disable this - so this tip is not for you. If you never use it, then why waste your time waiting for it to load?

Here is how to turn it off:

Go into the control panel. Click on "Network Connections"



Now right click on "Local Area Connection" and click on properties

Uncheck the "File and Printer Sharing for Microsoft Networks"



Click OK, and reboot.

That wraps up our windows startup optimization.

posted by Dmitry at 10:30 AM 1 comments