Productivity Portfolio

Typically, I don't concern myself with how long it takes my notebook to boot up. I figure I can do some other activity like getting coffee while my PC goes through its startup routine. Both these activities are essential for work. While it takes roughly the same amount of time to get my coffee, I noticed it was taking my notebook longer.

Most of the time, I can resolve this issue by freeing up space and deleting non-essential programs from starting with Windows. This clean up process annoys me, as I detest how many software programs insist on starting without asking user permission. Even after the usual steps, my notebook's performance wasn't what I expected. I decided to look to see if I could change some of Windows' Services.

Windows Services tend to be components that load into memory and handle major system functions. However, other non-Microsoft programs can load services as well. The problem is it can be tricky determining which services are needed and when they should load.

Windows System Configuration Utility 

One way to view which services load is to use the Windows System Configuration Utility.

To open this utility,

1. From the Start menu, click Run

2. In the Open: text box, type msconfig

3. Click OK.

4. Click the Services tab.

You should see a dialog like the one below. Your services will most likely be different.

Windows Services Administrative Panel 

While the above view gives you an idea of what is presently running, it doesn't describe the process or its priority and startup mode. To get a better sense, you can use the Windows Services Administrative panel.

To access the Windows Services panel,

1. From the Start menu, click Run

2. In the Open: text box, type services.msc.

3. Click OK.

4. Click the Standard tab at the bottom.

As you can see, this view shows considerably more information, but it didn't answer all my questions. In some cases, there wasn't any description provided. More importantly, I wasn't always sure from the description how the service should load.

If you glance at the Startup Type column, you'll see there are three choices.

Automatic these are critical services which should load into memory when the PC boots. These include many operating system functions and items such as your firewall and virus scanner

Manual These services don't load at startup. Instead, they are loaded when another dependent process requires it.

Disabled won't load unless you start the process.

You can edit a services type by right clicking the entry and selecting Properties. In the middle of the General tab, you should see a list box for Startup type.

When I did this exercise, two things were apparent:

1. I had many services that were marked as "automatic".

2. I had many services without a description.

I know people who at this stage would forge ahead and change the Startup Type without giving the description much thought. I'm not one of those people. Instead, I'll backup my system and note my changes. Unless some support person suggested a change or I could find another resource, I didn't want to take unnecessary risks. Fortunately, I found some good resources.

Answers that Work we've mentioned this site previously as they have an extensive list of task programs sorted alphabetically. You can click the first letter of the service and look for its entry. Below is an entry for ALG.EXE

Depending on how many entries you need to review, you might decide it's easier to use their commercial program called The Ultimate Troubleshooter. The program combines this database and provides more entries in an easy to understand four color coding system. As example, items in red indicate it is most likely useless, problematic or dangerous. Conversely, green items indicated items that should be kept.

Process Library this site also provides useful information. The site is easier to search for specific items as I could enter the service name. I didn't need to scroll through a long list. I also liked the detailed way in which the information was categorized.

The company that publishes Process Library, Uniblue, also has a commercial program called Win Task 5 Pro. I liked the program as it provides volumes of information about what's running on your PC. It's a program I would use when trying to troubleshoot a specific program or DLL or even writing a script. The program has a two color coding system. Items that are important operating system processes show with a red icon to the left of their name. Normal processes show in black.

What I found out from doing the research is I had many services that were marked as "automatic". Of those, four belonged to applications I had deleted from my notebook. It was a little disheartening to learn that even though I deleted these programs using the Add/delete Program within Control Panel, portions remained. I wrongly assumed that the entire program would be removed. I also had a handful of services I changed from "automatic" to manual based on my usage or third party applications.

As a result of the suggestions offered, I first changed various "automatic" settings to manual. I didn't want to change an "automatic" setting to "disabled". Instead, I took the extra step of changing the setting to "manual" and then rebooting. If the notebook operated normally, I would then change that setting to "disabled" if it were something that wasn't needed.

After going through this optimization process, my notebook is running more smoothly. If you have a machine in a similar state, I would suggest reviewing which services are loading even if you don't make any changes. The exercise gives you a better idea of what is going on with your machine. If you decide to make changes, I found it easier to use a program such as The Ultimate Troubleshooter. Just remember that before making any changes, it's best to backup your system first.

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