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How do I disable useless processes for XP?

After I installed more and more programs, it seems that my windows start up takes more time.
And I believe there must be a lot of useless processes that's comsuming my memory, and some processes will launch spam windows.
I check my running processes under task manager, but I have trouble telling which one is not necessary.

How do I know the use of each process and when is it launched? so I can disable it at load time.
is that in the "Services"? but still, I can't tell which one to disable.

Any information will be helpful!

Thanks.

babyhuey

****Disclaimer****Never edit the registry without first making a backup********
You can do this by going to start, run and typing regedit. Once the registry is open click on my comptuer then go to edit and export the registry. Name it something that you can remember and then click save.

Go to the key [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run] and this will be the startup program and process. Go through these and delete any that are not programs that you want starting evertime you start your computer. MAKE SURE THAT YOU KNOW WHAT YOU ARE DELETING BEFORE YOU DELETE IT!!!! IF you do delete something that you need. go to your backup and double click on it. IT will ask you if you want to write the backup, say yes and this should restore it.

Chad

babyhuey

****Disclaimer****Never edit the registry without first making a backup********
You can do this by going to start, run and typing regedit. Once the registry is open click on my comptuer then go to file and export the registry. Name it something that you can remember and then click save.

Go to the key [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run] and this will be the startup program and process. Go through these and delete any that are not programs that you want starting evertime you start your computer. MAKE SURE THAT YOU KNOW WHAT YOU ARE DELETING BEFORE YOU DELETE IT!!!! IF you do delete something that you need. go to your backup and double click on it. IT will ask you if you want to write the backup, say yes and this should restore it.

Chad

jonnyz0109

A small program I use to do this saves you from having to edit the registry, and it accomplishes the same thing. Get it here:
http://www.mlin.net/StartupCPL.shtml

I downloaded the EXE only version, and stuck it in my C:\windows\system32 folder, so I just go to START > RUN > "Startup" and the control panel pops up. Also you can get the full installer if you want it to show up in your add/remove programs area.

The program is totally free and he has updated it more than once since I've had the app (~2 years, I think). The program will catch all startup items that are loading for current user, the entire system, the startup folder, and other areas from the registry.

Hope this helps!
Jonnyz :o)

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sramesh2k

Windows XP Services removal recommendation for improving System Resources
***************************************************************
Before disabling ANY service, backup your registry by creating a System Restore Point (storing the snapshot of the current settings).

Backup the system settings using System Restore in Windows XP:

Access the System Restore Wizard through Help and Support Center. To access the System Restore Wizard,
Click Start, and then click Help and Support.
Click Performance and Maintenance, click Using System Restore to undo changes, and then
Click Run the System Restore Wizard.

Click Create a restore point, and then click Next.
In the Restore point description box, type a name to identify this restore point.
[System Restore automatically adds to this name the date and time that this Restore Point is created.]
To finish creating this restore point, click Create.
Click Close and exit the System Restore window.

Disabling unwanted services:

Disabling all of the unneeded services frees up many Mega Bytes of Physical memory (RAM), depending on system and configurations. By disabling the optional services, you can improve the overall system performance to a higher extent.

The following services are optional for normal Windows XP functionality. So, these services can be safely disabled:

Alerter
Automatic Updates
Background Intelligent Transfer Service
ClipBook
Human Interface Device Access
Indexing Service
Messenger
NetMeeting Remote Desktop Sharing
Portable Media Serial Number
Secondary Logon
Smart Card
Smart Card Helper
Uninterruptible Power Supply
Wireless Zero Configuration
Background Intelligent Transfer Service

Procedure to disable a Service:

1. Click Start | Run | and type “Services.msc”
2. Right-click the service that you want to configure, and then click Properties.
3. On the General tab, in the Startup type box, click Disabled.
4. Click OK and close the “Services” window.

Use the above procedure to disable all the services mentioned above. After disabling the services, you will need to restart the computer for the changes to take effect.