Removing Excessive Windows Services

Windows services are applications that run automatically when Windows is booted. These programs then will run in the background as long as Windows is still up and running. When you install a Windows service, you can modify its attributes by launching the Services tab in the Administrative Tools section of the Control Panel. Over time, you can accumulate a great deal of services on you machine, many of which you probably will not need at all. The main reason for this is that most Windows operating systems use a prefetch cache. The prefetch cache will often try to anticipate your needs by automatically loading certain programs on your computer. These programs will then run at start up. Sometimes this feature can be helpful if you use a particular program or service on a regular basis but oftentimes your machine gets crowded with all kinds of serviced that you use seldom or never. If this is the case for you and your computer, you may want to consider simplifying your machine and getting rid of the services that you no longer want of need.

One of the main reasons why you want to get rid of excessive windows services is that failure to do so can often result in slower performance, increased wear and tear, and limited memory. Each program that you have installed on your PC has to be loaded into your memory before your computer can finish booting up. Over time, your computer will take longer and longer to start up. Many new applications and services have a default setting that causes them to start up every single time Windows starts up. If you do not have enough memory to accommodate all of these services, all of the programs on your PC will slow down to the point where they cannot even be used anymore. Having too many Windows services can severely limit the performance of your computer.

About every month or so, you should look in your Administrative tools section of your machine to make sure that each of the services that you have are necessary and useful. You also may want to consider disabling the prefetch cable or at the very least modifying its properties. This will ensure that your computer is not installing services and programs unnecessarily.