Home network. Which XP pro proccesses i realy need ?

[Yannis Cheras]

HI

Please can anyone tell me which of the folowing proccesses needed to a home network consist

of a modem/router, two desktops and one laptop(Wireless), and the only think i want to

share is a printer attached to the one of the destops ? . All the three runs Windows XP pro

SP3 Eng.

•Computer Browser

•DHCP Client

•Distributed Link Tracking Client

•Distributed Transaction Coordinator

•DNS Client

•Extensible Authentication Protocol Service

•Health Key and Certificate Management Service

•HTTP SSL

•IPSEC Services

•IPv6 Helper Service

•Messenger

•MS Software Shadow Copy Provider

•Net Logon

•NetMeeting Remote Desktop Sharing

•Network Access Protection Agent

•Network Connections

•Network DDE

•Network DDE DSDM

•Network Location Awareness (NLA)

•Network Provisioning Service

•NT LM Security Support Provider

•Remote Access Auto Connection Manager

•Remote Access Connection Manager

•Remote Desktop Help Session Manager

•Remote Procedure Call (RPC) Locator

•Remote Registry

•Routing and Remote Access

•Server

•SSDP Discovery Service

•TCP/IP NetBIOS Helper Service

•Telephony

•Telnet

•Terminal Services

•WebClient

•Windows Firewall / Internet Connection Sharing

•Wired AutoConfig

•Wireless Zero Configuration

•Workstation

[fdv]

Blackviper is still the go-to guy for this data. Here's where you need to see:

http://www.blackviper.com/WinXP/servicecfg.htm

[GrofLuigi]

•Computer Browser YES

•DHCP Client YES

•Distributed Link Tracking Client NO

•Distributed Transaction Coordinator NO

•DNS Client NO (but YES doesn't hurt too much)

•Extensible Authentication Protocol Service NO (just leave manual)

•Health Key and Certificate Management Service NO (just leave manual)

•HTTP SSL NO

•IPSEC Services NO

•IPv6 Helper Service NO (MAYBE if connecting to Vista)

•Messenger NO

•MS Software Shadow Copy Provider NO

•Net Logon NO

•NetMeeting Remote Desktop Sharing NO

•Network Access Protection Agent NO (just leave manual)

•Network Connections YES (change to AUTOMATIC for quicker boot)

•Network DDE NO

•Network DDE DSDM NO

•Network Location Awareness (NLA) YES (for wireless)

•Network Provisioning Service NO (MAYBE for wireless)

•NT LM Security Support Provider NO (leave MANUAL)

•Remote Access Auto Connection Manager MAYBE (depending on type of connection)

•Remote Access Connection Manager MAYBE (depending on type of connection)

•Remote Desktop Help Session Manager NO

•Remote Procedure Call (RPC) Locator NO

•Remote Registry NO

•Routing and Remote Access NO

•Server YES

•SSDP Discovery Service NO (MANUAL or DISABLED)

•TCP/IP NetBIOS Helper Service YES

•Telephony YES (most of the time you need it)

•Telnet NO

•Terminal Services NO

•WebClient YES

•Windows Firewall / Internet Connection Sharing YES

•Wired AutoConfig NO (leave MANUAL)

•Wireless Zero Configuration YES

•Workstation YES

GL

[allen2]

I would only start the needed services. Perhaps you just need to know what those services are used for.

I might be wrong for some of them.

•Computer Browser : allow browse lan computer if their server service and computer browser is also started. It could safely turned off if you don't to browse other computer (in most cases).

•DHCP Client: help you to get an ip address from the dhcp server, only needed if you have one on your router.

•Distributed Link Tracking Client: used for dfs (to help a client computer know where the resources are). Not needed in most cases.

•Distributed Transaction Coordinator: needed for some enterprise applications like Web based application.

•DNS Client: will resolve ip address and dns names and cache them locally. Very usefull if you want to browse internet without a proxy.

•Extensible Authentication Protocol Service: Needed only if you need VPN and other kind of security layers.

•Health Key and Certificate Management Service: Not needed if you don't use certificates (like the one needed for ssl).

•HTTP SSL: Not needed as it would only be needed for IIS (MS web server).

•IPSEC Services: not need if your router doesn't support it or isn't configured for it.

•IPv6 Helper Service: not need if your router doesn't support it or isn't configured for it.

•Messenger: will allow the computer to receive of network smb messages sent with the "net send" command. Not needed in most cases

•MS Software Shadow Copy Provider: Allow to create snpshots of your drives. Very usefull for backup and system restore but absolutely no needed for something else.

•Net Logon: usefull only if your computer is member of a domain (active directory or NT).

•NetMeeting Remote Desktop Sharing: usefull to allow remote desktop with netmeeting.

•Network Access Protection Agent: useless for a home network unless you're using active directory

•Network Connections: allow you to connect to network. usefull

•Network DDE: only needed for some programs. Not needed in most cases.

•Network DDE DSDM: only needed for some programs. Not needed in most cases.

•Network Location Awareness (NLA): usefull when connected to a network.

•Network Provisioning Service: usefull for wireless network.

•NT LM Security Support Provider: allow nt lm authentification which is used in most cases.

•Remote Access Auto Connection Manager: not needed if you're behind a router unless you use a vpn.

•Remote Access Connection Manager: not needed if you're behind a router unless you use a vpn.

•Remote Desktop Help Session Manager: allows you to offer control over your computer to someone that you trust through Remote Assistance.

•Remote Procedure Call (RPC) Locator: maps names to objects on network. Shoudln't be needed depend on your network configuration.

•Remote Registry: allow a remote computer to acces to registry via the server service. Not needed in most cases.

•Routing and Remote Access: no explaination needed for this one.

•Server: usefull for file and printer sharing.

•SSDP Discovery Service: onyl usefull if you're using ssdp on your network.

•TCP/IP NetBIOS Helper Service: usefull for file and printer sharing and browsing.

•Telephony: not needed unless you're using a fax/modem on this computer.

•Telnet: will allow a remote computer to connect and execute command line application on this computer.

•Terminal Services: allow remote desktop session.

•WebClient: provide web information to some applications. Not needed.

•Windows Firewall / Internet Connection Sharing: firewall not needed if your router already do this job.

•Wired AutoConfig: usefull if you use the networks switches and radius capable hardware. not needed in most cases.

•Wireless Zero Configuration: usefull for wireless network unless your wireless drive is better.

•Workstation: allow to operate the workstation usefull and required by most services/applications but could be disabled in some case.

[AnnieMS]

Thanks to Yannis Cheras for asking the question and to everyone else for thorough answers w/ that little bit of extra info that helps the learning process for future situations. I've been trying to figure this out for ages. I'd got most of them, a lot w/ the help of Blackviper, but I wasn't 100% sure of all of them.

[the xt guy]

Whatever you do, don't change the "Remote Procedure Call" (not the same as "Remote Procedure Call Locator"). Leave it on "Automatic". Virtually everything in Windows needs this to run. If you disable it, your computer will (literally) barely start and be crippled to the point of uselessness. You will have to use the Recovery Console to restart the service.

Edited April 1, 2010 by the xt guy

[Yannis Cheras]

Whatever you do, don't change the "Remote Procedure Call" (not the same as "Remote Procedure Call Locator"). Leave it on "Automatic". Virtually everything in Windows needs this to run. If you disable it, your computer will (literally) barely start and be crippled to the point of uselessness. You will have to use the Recovery Console to restart the service.

No i don't touch "Remote Procedure Call" and i will never do it.

However the:

Terminal Services: allow remote desktop session.

in services don't have a stop button so i decided to left it run. Has anyone disable it and in next reboot was everything ok ? In BlackVipers page wrote that for security reason disable it if none application needed it. What should i do ?

All other suggestions by Allen2 used without proplems in my printer sharing. Thanks

[allen2]

Terminal server service won't stop by design after XP is up. You could disable it safely if you don't want to connect to this computer through remote desktop (it will also disable the XP fast user switching ability).