WMI, WBEM, Perf Counters

[fdv]

Hi guys

I have been MAJORLY experimenting with removing the three above.

I knew about the WBEM errors in the setup log, that's no biggie.

But I encountered all sorts of weird stuff when trying to install all sorts of software (I have been testing a LOT of packages.)

The install makes use of WMI files. Windows will install, but you'll get a persistent media installer error. As in, it won't go away. Even if you disable all media devices. Also, some codecs fail to register.

VMWare makes use of some performance counter files. Even if your counters are shut off.

If all of the removable storage manager management console files are removed, setup throws errors.

I like the management apps for Defrag and Physical Disk Manager. But to avoid the management console throwing errors, it's a random assortment of DLLs you need to keep.

It's often been said one doesn't need WBEM. And I am inclined to agree. But some installers check for files there, creating a lag in installation, like Adobe Reader. In addition, some files like FRAMEDYN are needed. Which I always knew. But sorting out what is and what is not needed as far as WBEM goes could go on and on and I don't want to delay.

A word about "registering and then deleting" files. Some folks think that you should let files install so DLLs can be registered, and then delete them later. That's an interesting theory, but I see problems with that: if you ever need to re-register the DLL, which one was it? What a pain. Also, there's little sense in letting a DLL crap up your registry with hundreds of keys if you only need a few. Also, I simply have not found any files that software has needed the registry value of but not the actual file itself except for Dreamweaver and MLANG. Not on Win2k, anyway. Nevertheless, i have created FINAL1 and FINAL2 inf files so that you can install a DLL, register it, and then delete it all automatically. I don't really know of any dlls other than MLANG that would benefit, but you now have that option. (I added the MLANG reg keys so you're all set anyway)

So, it ends up that I am going to end up restoring some files that I wanted chopped out. The plain truth is that I need software like VMWare. I have marked the files in TXTSETUP so that you can easily find what goes where, but overall, it's easier on you if you leave a lot of WMI and some of performance and a few WBEM files.

Printer drivers will be removed.

I am doing some final stuff now.

Here is a list of changes in set 9 overall so far. I need to clean some things up. Sorry for the delay.

** Things that were added or fixed.

- The fileset works with DriverPacks now

- WINHTTP.DLL. This file is NOT necessary, but sometimes it's absence generates an error on shutdown. The error can be ignored, but people keep asking me about this, so it's back.

- FLTMGR.SYS. File System Filters were never in this fileset, because they don't need to be, since the Post-SP4 Rollup adds them. Nevertheless I needed to include these three files in the setup files for my own use. If you don’t slipstream the Post SP4 Rollup, you will get filecopy errors (which you could ignore).

- Added hardware and disk manager icons to SHELL.INF which show up on the start menu (hey, it eliminates half a dozen clicks)

- Removed RSVP.exe and related files (video and audio streaming QOS, and I can't find any software that uses it)

- Fixed a small dll regfile bug in scripting inf (regfiles was under the wrong header)

- Added final.inf to delete files just before finishing the install. This allows you to copy files, register them, and then delete them, keeping the registry data the files added. So far I have not seen any need to do this, but a sample file is included to show you how it works.

- Moved a bunch of components to "add-" files. For example, to add Outlook, right click and select install (on your NEW windows install).

- Reboot.exe added because sometimes it's handy. Also added to start menu. This little exe is a "Right f***ing NOW" reboot and will NOT wait for ANYTHING. It is immune to hung apps and services.

- MLANG reg keys added to HIVECLS.INF for dreamweaver

** Services.

- Performance Monitoring service set to disabled (was manual anyway)

- Removable Storage Service is now set to Manual instead of Auto

- Utilman service disabled (special needs utilities are still individually available)

- Win32 time service now autostart

- Remote Registry Service added to Safe Mode: Networking

** Things that were removed.

- Agent

- Speech

- NetOC (Network Optional Components) removed from SYSOC (did NOT install by default)

- msmq (Message Queuing) removed from SYSOC (did NOT install by default)

- I'd commented out some obsolete drivers and their hardware strings from TXTSETUP in Set 8, and in this ver I've commented out the actual driver files from copying

- A few random files here and there were added that I'd missed, such as a bunch of .asp files, all NetDDE files, drwatson (the 16 bit ver), finger.exe, win87em.dll, Upwizun, sendcmsg.dll and sendmail.dll

- The last stragglers in the help directory have been removed

- Those idiotic 'web' and 'Connection Wizard' directories are gone (I did it by denying the system permissions to them. This trick doesn’t work for ROCKET, etc.)

- Send to items gutted except for floppy (hold off on asking why, someone will eventually find a way to replace the CLSID with a USB device)

- Disabled Performance Counters for PerfDisk, PerfNet, PerfOS, RemoteAccess, RSVP, Spooler, and TapiSrv in HIVESYS.INF

- Removable storage (service and MMC snapin), I have decided, is going for good, as is the 'Logical Drives' MMC snapin, which has absolutely zero usefulness.

- WBEM is mostly out. I actually used to use it, so I'd left it in, but I don't anymore, and by popular vote it shall be gone. Some of the files like FRAMEDYN are needed.

- Entertainment group removed (it was empty anyway)

** Stuff that got shuffled around

- HIVESYS now has settings for the Win32 Time Server Service, and sets timeserver values. You have to start this service manually.

- HIVESFT has versioning info at the top of the file

- Moved some settings from SHELL.INF to HIVEDEF because they honestly make more sense there

- Moved the Zone fix from AXANT5 to HIVESFT because it also makes more sense there

- AXANT5 had some dupe registry entries already present in the HIVE files

- Version strings added to IE.INF to make changing fake versions easy, also added WinHttpRequest Component reg entries

- Printer driver files are transitioned to the bottom of TXTSETUP and LAYOUT and will eventually be moved to a separate INF, but don't worry about this right now

- Active Directory keys from a HIVE file have been grouped separately

- I tried once to edit the path environment setting. I tried again and appear to have succeeded this time... I added WINNT\SYSTEM. This is the perfect place to put little utilities like Process Explorer. To use it, uncomment in SHELL.

** Problems with this fileset

- There is a BMP / paintbrush file association error. Just double-click to associate and you're fine.

[tain]

Wow, you've really been gutting this pig. I've always left WMI (and the others) installed because I use Samurize which is a system monitoring app. So I've never experimented with removing any of these components.

My only advice: in digging around in the available WMI counters I can tell you that there is a ton of stuff in there. And I was surprised to see how much .NET crap is buried in WMI. I wouldn't try removing WMI if you use .NET.

[fdv]

Hmm, tain, you might have to help me with the software you use -- I want to see if my latest works with all the stuff you use.

May 27th set

It was an epic battle getting this to work....

[tain]

Sure thing. But I would suggest that the easiest thing to do is to access START->PROGRAMS->ADMINISTRATIVE TOOLS-.PERFORMANCE, right-click in the main pane and select ADD COUNTERS. That brings up the WMI counter selection interface and it is the same interface that my monitoring software invokes during configuration.

If WMI is working or has issues, you'll be able to tell by how those counters are invoked and how they display the data when called.