Roughly 1 year ago Microsoft released Windows 7 to the retail world and it has definitely been received as a significant improvement over its predecessor Vista. Many of the organizations that took a pass on Vista to stay with XP are starting to give Windows 7 a serious look for its use as their workstation OS platform going forward. As a result, we thought that we should take a look at ways to improve overall system performance within the Windows 7 environment.
Windows 7, like its predecessors, includes a number of features that are really intended on either setting you up for a future that has not yet arrived or are background processes meant to try and anticipate what you will need in the future to try to improve perceived performance. While these features are intended to improve the overall user experience, in many cases they simply end up consuming valuable CPU cycles or memory lowering overall performance. This occurs because these features must actively be used in order for them to contribute to your environment and many that are enabled by default simply are not used by many organizations.
One area that includes a number of examples is the system services that are installed by default. I am not saying that the services reviewed herein are not valuable services, I am only pointing out that they need to be used in the proper context and environment in order to provide value to the organization. Let's take a look at them one by one, so one can make an informed decision as to whether these should be included in your default Windows 7 deployment image.
Application Experience
This service is essentially a database of 3rd party apps that Microsoft maintains to automatically apply proper settings to get well known programs with issues to run without user intervention (running in compatibility mode). If your environment doesn't include any apps that need to be run in compatibility mode, then this service is simply consuming resources and there is little risk to disabling it. If you have only one or two apps that need to run in compatibility mode, then you may still be able to disable it by manually specifying the compatibility mode parameters for those apps. If your environment houses more applications requiring compatibility mode than that, this service should probably be left running in your environment.
Desktop Windows Manager Session Manager
This service controls the Desktop Window Manager (DWM), which is responsible for Aero (transparent windows, etc). Without this service, you won't have the Aero effects. DWM consumes a fair amount of RAM which increases with each window you have open. While these visual effects are cool, are we really getting the value out of our machines by consuming our system resources this way and potentially forcing our "real" apps to be paging for memory?
Given some individual's propensity for choosing "form over function", I would strongly recommend against disabling this service by any sort of policy, either local or domain. It will simply lead to a confrontation down the road that isn't worth arguing over.
Diagnostic Policy Service
The Diagnostic Policy Service enables dynamic problem detection, troubleshooting and resolution for Windows components. If this service is stopped, diagnostics will no longer function. This is one of the services that I am always torn as to whether it should be left on or not. I usually disable it in the system image and then simply re-enable it on higher-end machines and on an as needed basis for lower-end machines.
I would recommend leaving this service enabled for all of the machines that are in your "QA" pool where you test system patches, etc. This service is usually quicker at finding problems on the system than we are.
Distributed Link Tracking Client
This service maintains links with NTFS files within your computer or across a domain. For example, you could make a file on "Computer A." You then create a "short cut" or "link" to that file on "Computer B." If you then move the file on Computer A to a different location, this service would tell Computer B to update its information to allow uninterrupted connectivity. Even though this is functionality sounds appealing, I have not found it terribly useful in a production environment. The user communities I have worked with simply don't maintain local shortcuts to all of their work files the way that this service expects them to. Additionally, there are usually only 3 reasons why a file or folder gets moved in the 1stplace and this really only "helps" the case of accidental folder movement.
If you are hoping this service will assist in cases of server swap out, the only time this service was able to help was when the folder was a part of a DFS hierarchy. In my testing, I have been unable to get this service to update shortcuts that move to a new server. (Which is kind of expected, when you think about it)
Many also hope this service will help in the case of files or folders that get moved to a proper location as a result of a filing correction due to the original location being inconsistent with corporate standards. While the service does update the links in this situation, the individual who misfiled the data in the first place never hears that the file or folder was moved or why. This then leads to larger, non-technical problems in the future.
IP helper
This service provides tunnel connectivity using IPv6 transition technologies (IPv6toIPv4, ISATAP, Port Proxy, and Teredo), and IP-HTTPS. If this service is stopped, the computer will not have the enhanced connectivity benefits that these technologies offer. Bottom line on this one is that unless you are running IPv6 in your environment, there is no need for this service.
Offline Files
Before you reach for the pitchforks and torches, I am well aware that this service can be unbelievably useful for the mobile worker. In fact, it is one of the tools that I rely on nearly every day. The key here though is that it is a tool for the mobile worker. In most environments, the mobile workforce is the minority; typically not more than 25%-40% of the overall user base. For the remainder of the workforce, this service has little, if any, value as they should have live access to the source materials nearly all the time. If you are using a scriptable image deployment system like the OSD component of SCCM, it is a simple matter to re-enable this service automatically as a part of your task sequences that address laptop computers. Even if you are not, it is a simple step to re-enable it as a part of the build process or in response to user inquiry.
Themes
Like the Desktop Window Manager Session Manager Service, this is another one of the "form over function" services within the OS. This service is responsible for providing user experience theme management. Together with the Desktop Window Manager Session Manager Service, the Themes service provides the heart of the "Aero Glass engine".
Don't get me wrong, the Windows 7 Aero looks awesome and can even be a plus. However, disabling the themes and Desktop Window Manager Session Manager Service to make it look like Windows 2000/XP could save you several hundred MB of RAM. In a 32-bit OS, several hundred MB of RAM is significant and could keep end-user workstations from paging when using more memory intensive applications and improving overall system responsiveness. On a 4GB machine, disabling these 2 services could result in an additional 10% of system RAM being available for end-user applications without paging. On a 2GB machine, the effects are even more significant.
Windows Media Player Network Sharing
This service shares Windows Media Player libraries to other networked players and media devices using Universal Plug and Play. If someone can come up with a business purpose for this service, I am all ears.
Windows Search
This is another one of the services that fills a very useful role for the mobile workforce, but not so much for the traditional desktop worker. Think about it; desktop search indexes files on the local workstation for faster searching. In most environments, users are strongly discouraged from storing files on their desktops in favor of using network shares for disaster recovery purposes.
Conclusion
There are likely other services that are providing questionable value for the resources they consume, but the nine services covered should cover the vast majority of the "low hanging fruit".
Thomas A. Owen has over 15 years of consulting and direct employment experience at organizations ranging from the single site "Mom and Pop" to the multinational Fortune 100. In that time, he has had to face and correct many of the common demons that plague IT Managers/Administrators everyday. For other topics relevant to the Small and Medium sized business IT department, please see his daily blog, http://smartit4smb.blogspot.com, where a different topic is covered each week.
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