Shell
Hardware Detection.
This is best left set to Manual, although should you have problems with
connecting certain external devices, e.g. Docking a laptop then set this to Automatic
instead.
Smart
Card. Manages
access to smart cards read by this computer. If you require the use/support
of Smart cards on your PC then set this to Automatic. In all other
instances you can set this to Manual without issue.
Smart
Card Helper. Enables
support for legacy non-plug & play smart-card readers used by this computer.
If this service is stopped, this computer will not support legacy reader.
Similar to the previous Service, although in this case
for non-Plug & Play compatible Smart card readers. Set this to Automatic
to enable support & use of such legacy devices otherwise set this to Manual.
SSDP
Discovery Service.
Enables discovery of UPnP devices on your home network. Should your
PC/Network be connected (Or will be) to such UPnP enabled devices set this to Automatic,
otherwise you can set this to Manual instead. You can read more about
UPnP in this
Microsoft article.
System
Event Notification.
Tracks system events such as Windows logon, network, & power events.
Notifies COM+ Event System subscribers of these events. Although on most
systems this can be set to Manual, it is best to set this to Automatic
(particularly with Laptops) so as to avoid some functionality problems that may
occur with it not active.
System
Restore Service.
Performs system restore functions. Before selecting the Startup type Right
click on My Computer & select Properties, then the System
Restore tab.
Select
the Drive(s) you have available as appropriate & then the Settings
button to configure the system restore feature per Drive. If you don’t wish to
use System Restore at all then Tick Turn off System Restore on all drives,
this will both improve overall system performance & save Hard Drive space
(Though there are the obvious drawbacks that go hand in hand with disabling
it). Click Apply then the Ok button to apply your changes. Should
you have disabled System Restore then you may set the Service to Manual,
otherwise leave this set to Automatic.
Task
Scheduler. Enables
a user to configure & schedule automated tasks on this computer. I’d
recommend setting this to Automatic, regardless of whether or not you
actually have any scheduled tasks. The Task scheduler is used in the Prefetching
process - Prefetching is the process of bringing data & code pages into
memory from disk before it's demanded, which should help improve overall
system & application startup time. You can read further details about this
in this Microsoft
Windows XP Kernel Article (Scroll down to the Prefetch section).
Certainly do not set this to Disabled anyway.
TCP/IP
NetBIOS Helper.
Enables support for NetBIOS over TCP/IP (NetBT) service & NetBIOS name
resolution. For best Internet security it would be best not to use NetBIOS
& as a result you should set this to Manual or Disabled.
Should your Internet (Or more likely Network) connection require NetBIOS/WINS
support set this to Automatic. If not then set this to Manual
& take the following steps;
1.
Click on Start,
Control Panel then Network Connections.
2.
Select your
connection, Right click on it & select Properties. Now select
the Networking tab.
3.
Select the Internet
Protocol (TCP/IP) item followed by the Properties button, then the Advanced
button. Finally, select the WINS tab.
-
Untick
Enable LMHOSTS lookup
& select Disable NetBIOS over TCP/IP.
-
Click
Ok (several times) as necessary to apply the changes to your
Network/Internet connection. You’ll need to re-connection to that affected
connection for after the changes have been made.
Should
you experience problems connecting to your Network/Internet connection after
applying these settings, then try restoring the original settings instead.
Telephony.
Provides Telephony API (TAPI) support for programs that control telephony
devices & IP based voice connections on the local computer &, through
the LAN, on servers that are also running the service. This Service should
be set to Manual or Automatic
(If this Service has any dependencies then it will automatically be
initiated). Attempting to Stop this Service will have the following effect if any dependency exists;
Telnet.
Enables a remote user to log on to this computer & run programs, &
supports various TCP/IP Telnet clients, including UNIX-based & Windows-based
computers. Should you require other Users to be able to remotely access the
PC using the Command Prompt/Telnet set this to Automatic. For improved
security I’d recommend setting this to Disabled.
Terminal
Services. Allows
multiple users to be connected interactively to a machine as well as the display
of desktops & applications to remote computers. The underpinning of Remote
Desktop (including RD for Administrators), Fast User Switching, Remote
Assistance, & Terminal Server. Should you require the use of any of the
features listed here set this to Manual or Automatic, if these
aren’t required it would be best to set this to Disabled for security
reasons.
Themes.
Provides user experience theme management. Should you use any of the
Themes available in Windows XP then set this to Automatic otherwise the
Theme will not display/function correctly. For improved system performance
(& less visual pleasantries) you should set this to Manual or Disabled,
which is probably more worth noting on XP systems which are intended to be used
to work on.
Uninterruptible
Power Supply. Manages
an uninterruptible power supply (UPS) connected to the computer. If your
system is connected to a UPS system then set this to Automatic, otherwise
you can set this to Manual instead.
Universal
Plug and Play Device Host.
Provides support to host Universal Plug & Play devices. If you have
set the SSDP Discovery Service to Automatic then set this to Automatic
also, similarly if you have set it to Manual you may set this to Manual
also.
Upload
Manager. Manages
synchronous & asynchronous file transfers between clients & servers on
the network. Leave this set to Manual.
