Services are a computer program or process that runs in the background and provides support to other programs in Windows 7/8. By disabling unnecessary services, the performance can be improved significantly, especially on computers with low system resources.

– Open the Start Menu + right click on “Computer” + left click “Manage”
or
open the Start Menu and type “SERVICES.MSC” and press enter.

-expand “Services and Applications” and select “Services”

– Double click icon on the service you want to disable or start + click on the Stop button + Startup type, click on the drop down menu and select Disable.

-Click on the Apply button + OK button.
– Restart PC.

Services safe to disable:

Tablet PC Input Service  / Touch Keyboard and Handwriting Panel Service (Windows 8): you can safely disable this service, unless you use Tablet PC.

Secondary logon: if you are the only user of your computer, it can be disabled. But only if you don’t plan to use more than one user account.

Fax: unless you use your computer to send or receive faxes using fax resources available on your system  you can disable it.

Print Spooler: if you don’t have a printer attached to your computer and you don’t use virtual printers (PDF creator, Microsoft XPS Document Writer, , etc) you can disable it.

Offline Files: unless you use the Offline Files functionality from Windows, you can disable it.

Routing and Remote Access Service: This service offers routing services to businesses in local area and wide area networks. It allows computers to dial in to the local computer in order for it to get access to the local network. On a home computer you won’t need such features.

Bluetooth Support Service: unless you use Bluetooth devices such as keyboards, mice, printers or phones, you can disable this service.

BitLocker Drive Encryption Service: unless you use Microsoft’s Encryption Software you can disable this service. BitLocker Drive Encryption is a feature that allows users to protect data by providing encryption for entire volumes.

Encrypting File System:EFS provides file encryption technology for storing encrypted files on NTFS file systems. If you don’t need to encrypt data on your hard drives, it is OK to disable it.

Certificate Propagation: if you don’t use SmartCards, it is safe to disable this service.

Netlogon: this service is not needed in a home computer. It maintains a secure channel between the local computer and the domain controller for authenticating users. Unless you are connecting to a network domain, this service will never be used.

Parental Controls (in Windows 7) / Family Safety (in Windows 8): unless you have children using your computer and you want to monitor and control their activities, this service is not required.

Remote Desktop Configuration: Remote Desktop Protocol is a protocol developed by Microsoft which provides Windows users with a graphical interface to another computer.  If you don’t need to connect remotely to another computer or allow incoming remote connections to yours, then it is safe to disable this service.

Remote Desktop Services: same as above.

Remote Desktop Services UserMode Port Redirector: same as above.

Smart Card: Smart Cards are generally used for safety reasons in large organizations or corporations.

Smart Card Removal Policy: same as above.

Windows Firewall: This service should be disabled only if you are using a third-party security solution that provides firewall protection.

Windows Defender: if you use a third-party security solution (antivirus and antispyware), then disabling this service is a safe choice.

Windows Search: Provides content indexing, property caching, and search results for files, e-mail, and other content.

CCleaner – protects your privacy and makes your computer faster and more secure!

CCleaner removes cookies, temporary files and various other unused data that clogs up your operating system. This frees up valuable hard disk space allowing your system to run faster. The built in Registry Cleaner fixes errors and broken settings to make your computer more stable.

Download CCleaner and run installation.

Select your language and press Next.

Select any additional options and press Next.

Choose if you want to install Chrome and Google Toolbar and press Install.

Run CCleaner.

To remove cookies, temporary files and various other unused data  click Analyse and after that Run Cleaner.

To fixes errors and broken settings in registry click Registry button in the left panel
– click Scan for Issues
-select all problems
– run Fix selected issues…

Disk Defragmenter
-rearranges fragmented data so your disks and drives can work more efficiently.

Open Start menu, type “disk defragmenter” and press enter.

Choose disk drive and press Defragment disk button.

The post Windows 7/8 speed up and tune up appeared first on ConfigOS.

Ninite is a service that lets users automatically install popular applications for their Windows operating system. It allows users to make a selection from a list of applications and bundles the selection into a single installer package. It is free for personal use. A paid version, Ninite Pro, is available for professional use.

www.ninite.com

1. Click all the apps you want

For home user I recommend : Chrome, Firefox, Skype, VLC, Winamp, GOM, Silverlight, Picasa, GIMP, OpenOffice, Reader, CutePDF, Avast, Malwarebytes, qBittorrent, TeamViewer, CDBurnerXP, WinRAR, Adobe Flash Player; Advanced SystemCare

You can learn more about a program by hovering over it.

2. Click Get Installer and run it

Ninite installs apps for you automatically in the background without any toolbars.

3. Run it again later Your installer will update apps to the latest versions. If something is up-to-date it will skip it.

The post Windows recommended apps appeared first on ConfigOS.