Vista what to turn off/disable ?

[Rastalovich]

Going to be doing a bit of an experiment.

Following the replacment of my mobo, I`m going to install Vista 64bit Ultimate SP1 on the pc, and as an experiment, I`m going to install all the drivers, leave everything set as per install, comfortable clocking on the hardware - and record a bunch of benchmarkers.

Then, I propose to turn off whatever I can in Vista, without hampering the OS, and re-take the benchmarkers with the hardware at the same settings - and procede to clock stuff up and re-take.

The pc is going to be purely game based. The only internet access it wants is for gaming, firewall will be hardware, antivirus handled by another pc, so in that sense, apart from the benchmark apps, nothing extra will be installed. No email, no browsing, no utils (outside of eventual oc`ing and benching).

I`ll entertain tweaks, turn-offs/disables (only that advantage the running and not have a change of screwing the OS as a result) - not interested in Vista Managers or other apps u install to do things - and try to stay away from illegitimate hacks. Strictly speaking, I want to install to SP1 and no further KB - if any further gaming KB are required as a definate, I`ll install them as per the game requirement.

Not interested in how the desktop looks either, it can end up looking like w2k if there`s an advantage.

I know the basic stuff and some common stuff, but I`d rather some1 post the basic stuff they know of so I don`t miss anything - I`m open to all suggestions especially if backed up with linkage.

(don`t want the thread to evolve into a Whatever vS Vista vS XP vS Linux vS Mac - we`ve done that and we all have our reasons for doing what we do)

So, what to disable ..

 

[llwyd]

Have you considered using V-Lite ?

 

[Rastalovich]

Darn, I forgot to mention that. I previously used vlite to install Vista 32 on a pc, subsequently the service pack would not apply. I can`t 100% say that it`s because of this, but it seemed to be the trend when I tried it again.

So I`m starting off with a full install.

 

[DavidT]

Here you go: http://www.blackviper.com/WinVista/servicecfg.htm

Follow that guide and your computer will be speedier than ever

 

[Rastalovich]

Here you go: http://www.blackviper.com/WinVista/servicecfg.htm

Follow that guide and your computer will be speedier than ever

Reps on principle tbh.

That guy has done masses of research and testing, going to save an arse-load of time.

Gonna go through his service shutdown, disable some things I`m already aware of and see if I can hunt down anything else.

Boy he covers alot of bases in there, SP1 too.

Chosen to just run SuperPI 32m calc, and 3dmark06 1.02 non web based (average of 5 or more runs) - as a comparison to the same system, that should be fine.

Had to change the power settings installed as standard to be fair to both sides, as power saving isn`t a good idea for this.

EDIT: obstacle no.1 3dmark06 1.02 non web based uses OpenAL32.. and it won`t run. Gonna have to use the web based one... and somehow use it again when I`ve removed IE`s hooks ?!?!

Install before any changes x9650@3.5g / 4g ram@790 / 8800gt @670/900

SuperPI 32M - 14m18.797s

3dmark06 SM3 - 5758 (av)

3dmark06 SM2 - 5486 (av)

3dmark06 CPU - 5052 (av)

3dmark06 TOT - 13822 (av)

Memory footprint: 915m/4096m : 946m after 8 hours of idle : resting @ 937m

Cinebench 10 64bit exe (run-all tests from launch, no prefs changes)

OpenGL Standard Bench CB 4848

Single CPU Render Test CB 4301

Multiple CPU Render Test CB 15312

 

[Mr. Smith]

I used that link, although I only went for the 'safe' option for now.

What else should I turn off? Ram/hdd usage seems pretty high!

 

[Rastalovich]

I`m going with his `tweaked` one, seeing as I think his more aggresive one will be very much a stand alone pc.

It`s really the aim of the exercise, I`m going to go through these too:

http://www.blackviper.com/WinVista/supertweaks.htm

Seeing as 3 or 4 of them I already was going to do, I`ll go through his list.

Anything in addition I`ll make a nice list. Final result will hopefully produce a full-on guide to getting a smooth install for gaming.

 

[Mr. Smith]

I don't want to turn off all the features and services, but I know most are unnecessary.

I need my AV to function, my network to function, games to work. I want that backup image thing too. I like that 3d scroll thing too...

Asside from the above the rest can go.

What is that thing that constantly pops up?

Me: Move X file here.

Vista: 'do you want to do that?'

Me: Yes

Vista: 'click here to do it'

Me: Click. (mutters ffs.)

Vista: 'do you really want to do that because if you do you should click here, but I'm going to ignore the fact you just said yes and add some more clicks in for fun, OK?'

Me: You

ing piece of

just do what i say already. Click

Vista: OK, I'm going to do it.

Seriously, whoever thought that was a good idea needs castrating. It's like they took the worst part of your mother and ex girlfriends and worked it into vista's personality. An OS that nags and mothers you.

Other than that I like Vista. I'm sure auto-nag can be turned off? Please say yes! THe blackviper site is blocked at work...

 

[Rastalovich]

I don`t know about auto-nag, but uac can be completely turned off, and there`s also a way to turn off that thing that fades your desktop to dark when a pop-up comes along.

Try doing a move of a folder with files in it that u know it`ll nag u about - after the nagging it leaves the empty folder behind. hehe

 

[Bungral]

Yeah get rid of the UAC... Well annoying.. Just turn it off in all your settings.

 

[Mr. Smith]

That's the one! UAC. I just googled it and there are various ways to turn it off

Cheers Rast.

I hear superfetch chews hardcore amounts of ram. I'd turn it off for your experiment, I might turn it off too... If I find, no, when I find some good links/tips I'll post them up in here

 

[mrapoc]

This thread interests me...

Vista is nice apart from being a ultra guzzler!

I turned UAC and the sidebar off within a week trying to cut down resource useage

Keep posting with any findings especially performance wise

 

[Rastalovich]

Any other sensible benchmark to run to do a b4 and after comparison ?

Best be quick if u got a suggestion, I`m freakin working 2morrow, so I`ll probably plough through this as soon as I get home tonite.

Don`t want 3dmark05 and below. Some kind of desktop-performance-thingy ?

 

[Bungral]

This thread interests me...

Vista is nice apart from being a ultra guzzler!

I turned UAC and the sidebar off within a week trying to cut down resource useage

Keep posting with any findings especially performance wise

I leave my sidebar.. Whats the point in us forever increasing our ram if all were gonna do is use less and less?? I get it if its purely a performance machine and for benching and stuff but normal use leaving something like the sidebar on wouldn't harm.

Unless it just annoys you then yeah totally fair

 

[Mr. Smith]

Rast, Cinebench 10

 

[Rastalovich]

I leave my sidebar.. Whats the point in us forever increasing our ram if all were gonna do is use less and less?? I get it if its purely a performance machine and for benching and stuff but normal use leaving something like the sidebar on wouldn't harm.

Unless it just annoys you then yeah totally fair

Thing with the machine as I`m using it, it`ll just game - that`s it. If it`s something not in use, I`m losing it.

On the one I use for web etc, I keep the sidebar on tbh. Fill it with junk

Rast, Cinebench 10

kk

EDIT: Done the cine, doing the stripping now.

 

[Bungral]

Yeah well like you say on your gaming machine that makes sense, but on an everyday computer I can't see the point in getting rid just to use less RAM. Some of the gadgets are quite good

Thing with the machine as I`m using it, it`ll just game - that`s it. If it`s something not in use, I`m losing it.

On the one I use for web etc, I keep the sidebar on tbh. Fill it with junk

 

[Rastalovich]

I`ll keep this window open and edit as I go through the stages. (maybe some notes to self which might not make sense til l8r)

0. Set power options to full performance (already done)

1. Disable UAC

1a. Turned off security alerts (u find out why after 1.) 927m after reboot.

2. System Restore and Indexing Features (15k+ files down to 0) 866m after reboot. (jumped up to 919m after a few mins)

3. Windows Sidebar. 825m after reboot. (892m after a few mins)

4. Remove Remote Assistance and ensure Remote Desktop is disabled. 884m after reboot and settle (notice Free is going down at the rate of 5mb second, cache is filling up) 893 after several minutes Free is almost all used up, stopped at 515m.

.. no drivers to update ..

.. no systray stuff to remove .. (check for auzen/creative with hjt l8r)

5. Add/Remove programs (Windows Features)

-Games

-XPS Viewer

-Internet Printing

-Remote Differential Compression

-Tablet PC Optional Components

-Windows DFS Replication Service

-Windows Fax and Scan

-Windows Meeting Space

-Windows Ultimate Extras (921m @ Free 376m) (884 @ Free 409m)

7. Services (using BlackViper`s "tweaked" listing, doing it manually, although I noticve he has an excellent util that makes a reg file on the site)

Application Experience - disabled

Application Layer Gateway Service - disabled

Application Management - disabled

Certificate Propagation - disabled

DFS Replication - disabled ** couldn`t see this one **

Diagnostic Policy Service - disabled

Diagnostic Service Host - disabled

Diagnostic System Host - disabled

Distributed Link Tracking Client - disabled

Distributed Transaction Coordinator - disabled

Fax - disabled ** couldn`t see this one **

Function Discovery Provider Host- disabled

Function Discovery Resource Publication - disabled

Health Key and Certificate Management - disabled

Human Interface Device Access - disabled *didn`t apply this one for fear of G15*

IKE and AuthIP IPsec Keying Modules - disabled

Interactive Services Detection - disabled

Internet Connection Sharing (ICS) - disabled

IP Helper - disabled *didn`t apply this one for fear of IPv6 only functioning (no link to Linksys)*

IPsec Policy Agent - disabled

KtmRm for Distributed Transaction Coordinator - disabled

Link-Layer Topology Discovery Mapper - disabled *didn`t apply this scared of network*

Microsoft iSCSI Initiator Service - disabled

Netlogon - disabled *scared DNS stuff*

Network Access Protection Agent - disabled

Offline Files - disabled

Parental Controls - disabled

Peer Name Resolution Protocol - disabled

Peer Networking Grouping - disabled

Peer Networking Identity Manager - disabled

PnP-X IP Bus Enumerator - disabled **scared network device discovery**

PNRP Machine Name Publication Service - disabled

Portable Device Enumerator Service - disabled

Problem Reports and Solutions Control Panel Support - disabled

Quality Windows Audio Video Experience - disabled

ReadyBoost - disabled

Remote Registry - disabled

Secure Socket Tunneling Protocol Service - disabled *not applied - scared of IPv6 network*

Smart Card - disabled

Smart Card Removal Policy - disabled

SNMP Trap - disabled

Tablet PC Input Service - disabled

Terminal Services UserMode Port Redirector - disabled

Virtual Disk - disabled

WebClient - disabled

Windows CardSpace - disabled

Windows Connect Now - Config Registrar - disabled

Windows Error Reporting Service - disabled

Windows Image Acquisition (WIA) - disabled

Windows Media Center Receiver Service - disabled

Windows Media Center Scheduler Service - disabled

Windows Media Center Service Launcher - disabled

Windows Media Player Network Sharing Service - disabled

Windows Remote Management (WS-Management) - disabled

Windows Search - disabled

WinHTTP Web Proxy Auto-Discovery Service - disabled

(if it survives that I`ll take my hat off)

++Print Spooler - disabled

++Windows Defender - disabled (Turned this into Automatic cos it complains)

++Windows Update - disabled (Turn off before disabling service)

7a. Turn off Windows Firewall.(should be at top) 1.05G footprint from boot, settles down to 7xx after a while.

** note here, all the time from boot the pc is using about 2% cpu to cache stuff ** Can`t be the best time to run benchers or whatever during this.

After about 7 minutes the caching has settled down, 792m @ Free 660m

6. Aero (themes) - idiot forgot to do this.

6a. Visual Performance Options - best performance.

After 7:20m 828m @ Free 627m

8. Run HijackThis and took out the IE hooks, CTXFiHlp, and those services with no files (half know they`ll go back pointlessly)

8a. Foolishly and flippently took out the 2 welcomecenter & 2 sidebar startup things - we`ll see if I`m so stupid. Restart >.<

** Jeez it started ok lol. 1 line in my startup sequence which is Uguru (and of course those stoopid services with files missing that are everpresent) **

 

[Rastalovich]

I`ll keep the above post for future editing. Pop in some benchers here b4 I end for the night, still some to do, but atlest the mostly BlackViper section can be evaluated.

Install before any changes x9650@3.5g / 4g ram@790 / 8800gt @670/900

SuperPI 32M - 14m18.797s

3dmark06 SM3 - 5758 (av)

3dmark06 SM2 - 5486 (av)

3dmark06 CPU - 5052 (av)

3dmark06 TOT - 13822 (av)

Cinebench 10 64bit exe (run-all tests from launch, no prefs changes)

OpenGL Standard Bench CB 4848

Single CPU Render Test CB 4301

Multiple CPU Render Test CB 15312

Memory footprint: 915m/4096m : 946m after 8 hours of idle : resting @ 937m

Install after Black Viper etc x9650@3.5g / 4g ram@790 / 8800gt @670/900

SuperPI 32M - 14m16.093s

3dmark06 SM3 - 5751 (av)

3dmark06 SM2 - 5487 (av)

3dmark06 CPU - 5085 (av)

3dmark06 TOT - 13829 (av)

Cinebench 10 64bit exe (run-all tests from launch, no prefs changes)

OpenGL Standard Bench CB 4753

Single CPU Render Test CB 4347

Multiple CPU Render Test CB 15460

Memory footprint: 818m/4096m : Free 616m (2846m cached) after 7 minutes.

Kernel Memory: Total 201m, Paged 136m, Unpaged 65m

System: Handles 7423, Threads 400, Processes 30 (inc Taskmanager x2), Page File 750m/8362m.

--------------------------------------------

Very minimal differences in the benchmarkers imo. 1 thing I will say tho is the scene changes in the 3dmark app zipped by.

I`ll delve into more stripping 2morrow.

 

[FarFarAway]

So you tweaked Vista and most stuff went down?

Pfft, not worth the hassle