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You can improve performance of your Windows 2000/XP and reclaim memory by simply disabling the services that is also known as “System Services” you don’t need which Windows 2000 or XP automatically provide by default.

What Are System Services in the 1st place
System services are actually small helper programs that provide support for other larger programs in Windows 2000. Many of the services are set up to run automatically each time you start Windows 2000. However, if you’re not using the larger programs that these services are designed to support, these services are simply wasting RAM that could be put to better use by your applications. While the word “Disable” is used here to describe the idea that you’ll remove these services from memory, what you’ll really be doing is changing the startup setting from Automatic to Manual. When you do, the services won’t automatically start each time you launch Windows 2000 Professional. However, Windows 2000 will be able to manually start the services if they’re needed. That way you won’t be unnecessarily wasting RAM, but you won’t be crippling your system either. Note: If you’re running Windows 2000 Professional on a corporate network, you may not be able to adjust system services. Regardless of whether you can or not, you should check with your system administrator before attempting the make these changes.

Changing the startup type of a service from Automatic to Manual is a relatively simple operation. To begin, open the Control Panel, open the Administrative Tools folder, and then double click the Services tool. When you see the Services window, set the View to Detail if it isn’t already. Then click the Startup Type column header to sort the services by Startup Type. When you do, all the Services that start automatically will appear at the top of the list.

As you scan through the list of services on your system whose Startup Type setting is set to Automatic, look for the services in listed in the Table below. These are some of the services are good candidates to be set to a Manual Startup Type.

Examples of services that can be safely changed to Manual :-

DHCP Client — You’re not connecting to a specific DHCP server on your local network

Distributed Link Tracking Client — You’re not connected to a Windows 2000 domain

DNS Client — You’re not connecting to a specific DNS server on your local network

FTP Publishing Service — You don’t need your system to act as an FTP server

IIS Admin Service — You don’t need your system to act as an WWW server

IPSEC Policy Agent — You’re not connected to a Windows 2000 domain

Messenger — You’re not connected to a Windows 2000 domain

Remote Registry Service — You don’t remotely access the Registry of other systems on your local network

RIP Service — You don’t need your system to act as a router

Run As Service — You don’t use any applications that run as an alias

World Wide Web Publishing Service
You don’t need your system to act as an WWW server
If you find a match and think that your system doesn’t need that particular service, right-click on the service and choose the Properties command from the shortcut menu. When you see the Properties dialog box for that service, click the Startup Type drop down list and select Manual. Then click OK. As you change the Startup Type for any service, take note of the service’s name. That way you’ll have a record of which services you changed and can change them back if you need to, as I’ll explain in a moment.

Using the Windows Task Manager
Trick : To determine the amount of RAM you’ll regain by disabling unnecessary system services, use the Windows Task Manager. Here’s how: Before you disable any system services, reboot your system and don’t launch any applications. If you have applications that automatically load when you start Windows, hold down the [Shift] key to bypass the Startup folder. Then, right click on the task bar and select Task Manager from the shortcut menu. When you see the Windows Task Manager dialog box, select the Performance tab. Now take note of the Available value in the Physical Memory panel. After you disable those system services you deem unnecessary, reboot your system in the same manner and compare the Available value in the Physical Memory panel to the one that you noted earlier.

Final thoughts
Keep in mind that you may not find all the services listed in the Table set to Automatic on your system. In fact, you might not even see some of the services listed present on your system. If that’s the case, don’t worry about it. Each Windows 2000/XP installation is unique depending on the system and installed software, and different sets of services may be installed and set to start automatically.

On the other hand, you may find services other than those listed in Table set to Automatic that you may think are unnecessary. If so, you can find out what each service does by hovering your mouse pointer over the service’s description. When you do, a tool tip window will pop up and display the entire description of the service. You can then better determine if the service is unnecessary. Remember, by changing the Startup Type to Manual, Windows 2000 can still start the service if it’s needed. If you decide to experiment with changing the Startup Types of certain services, you can monitor the services over time by launching the Services utility and checking the list of running services. If you consistently find one of the services you set to Manual running, you may decide to change the Startup Type back to Automatic.

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By following the practices suggested below, you can improve the overall security of your computer system. These recommendations apply both to individual users and to personnel responsible for managing groups of computers.

Set good passwords
Make sure all accounts on your computer, including the computer administrator’s account, have strong passwords. Follow this link to check, how strong or secure your passwords are. Change your password immediately if you suspect someone else may have guessed it.

Keep your software up-to-date
New versions of software are released on a regular basis to counter threats; without the current software, your computer is likely to be infected or compromised. Your operating system and Web browser are the two components most frequently attacked, and therefore it is most important to keep them up-to-date. A good way for Windows users to stay current is to allow your operating system to be updated automatically using Windows Update.

Run anti-virus software
Set antivirus software to automatically check for updates at least once a week. When informed that a new virus has been detected, update your virus definition files immediately by clicking on your Antivirus and running updates.

Be careful opening e-mail attachments
Many viruses are transmitted through e-mail, often as attachments. Never open an attachment unless you are sure who sent it and what it contains. Always use your antivirus software to scan attachments for viruses before opening them by clicking on your Antivirus icon and selecting Scan.

Control access to your machine
Never set up your system for anonymous or guest access. Make sure your system is configured to require a unique userid and password for any kind of access.

Routinely back up files on your system
Backing up your system not only allows you to recover files and data if your hard drive or computer fails, but also ensures that you can determine what data was stored on your system, should it be stolen or accessed without authorization. Because California law requires that individuals be notified if their personal information is stolen or inadvertently made available, it is especially important to be able to verify the existence of such information on a computer.

Turn your computer off when you leave for the day
Your computer cannot be infected or invaded when it is not connected to the network. Turn it off when you are done for the day. This is particularly important if you will be away from your system longer than a few days. If you haven’t turned on your computer in a few days, be sure to check for updates for software and antivirus files (see above) before you do anything else.

Install screen-saver passwords on your system
In addition to logging into your Windows system with your system userid and password, you should utilize a screen saver and enable its password feature. That way, if you leave your computer without turning it off, the screen saver will activate (after a pre-determined period of time) and you’ll need to enter a password to resume your Windows session.

Clean your hard drive before disposing of it
Before disposing of your current computer, make sure to remove all sensitive and confidential data from the hard drive. While deleting unwanted files using a delete or erase command might appear to remove files and data, in fact, the DOS and Windows delete commands simply remove pointers to the data but leave the actual data and files available for recovery. To make sure that data and files are not recoverable from a computer’s hard drive, it is important to over-write the space these files and data occupied with other, seemingly random, input. A number of utilities for doing this are available as freeware or shareware.

Take extra precautions with your laptop or other portable devices
By design, laptop computers (and other portable computing devices, PDAs, for example) are carried from place to place and thus are exposed to risks less prevalent in stationary environments where desktops are protected by firewalls, automated scheduled virus scanners, and automated critical updates and patch installations. To protect the UCOP network and the devices connected to it, all laptops must be updated with the latest Microsoft critical updates and patches and scanned using the latest virus definition files before they are brought into a UCOP facility and connected to the UCOP network. Also, invest in a laptop or PDA lockdown cable to deter easy theft of your portable device, and lock your office (where applicable) when you leave it.

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Windows Logo (Display or hide the Start menu)
Windows Logo+BREAK (Display the System Properties dialog box)
Windows Logo+D (Display the desktop)
Windows Logo+M (Minimize all of the windows)
Windows Logo+SHIFT+M (Restore the minimized windows)
Windows Logo+E (Open My Computer)
Windows Logo+F (Search for a file or a folder)
CTRL+Windows Logo+F (Search for computers)
Windows Logo+F1 (Display Windows Help)
Windows Logo+ L (Lock the keyboard)
Windows Logo+R (Open the Run dialog box)
Windows Logo+U (Open Utility Manager)

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