RT 7 Lite Components Removal Explanation

[billybully]

]This thread is in an incomplete state and is based in my Windows 7 DVD (Windows 7 Ultimate N SP1 x64 English) and it'll be updated as much as I want. Any help would be appreciated.

Hello there. First of all, this is a project inspired by both, WinterStorm 2050's "Components to Keep" thread from Rockers Team Forums and LUZR4LIFE's "nLite Component Removal Explanation" thread from Wincert Forums (this thread helped me a lot when I was a little brat) and is the fruit of years of research and learning.

This thread is aimed for those who want to slim the hell down their Windows 7 WIMs but are just beginners in this field: it will try to help you decide whether you need a component or not.

WARNING: this thread will not include the things you need to keep for 3rd party software or other Microsoft software. Just for everyday stuff and Internet. If you have doubts, you can PM me, ask in the comments or check the RT 7 Lite's component description (which, by the way, I'm trying to improve with this thread).

*Another thing, I'm the author of this post. This was first published on Rockers Team Forums. This ain't no copy-paste.

BASIC INFORMATION

This thread is based on what I remove and what I keep. That said, the final product is a fully-functional, stable and slimmed-the-hell-down ISO file. If you want my Lastsession.inf file straight up without having to read all this crap, then here it is.

Lastsession.inf

So, let's get on with the basics.

*The original "install.wim" file is 2.429 GB large.

*My final "install.wim" file is 1.097 GB. So that means that 1.332 GB is taken down from the original one. Of course the size could be even smaller, because there are plenty of components I don't know if I could remove them.

*All this means ~55% of the original image, is crap (at least for me).

*Please note that the only tasks I activate in RT 7 Lite are Integration (to integrate my LAN driver), Components removal and Customization (to remove every Aero theme but one).

COMPONENTS EXPLANATION

Bold components are the ones I leave alone.

✓ACCESSORIES - ALL OF THESE COMPONENTS ARE SAFE TO REMOVE

*Accessibility - Ease of Access Center control panel.

*Action Center - Action Center control panel.

*Aero Cursors - The pretty cursors that shipped with Windows Vista.

*Character Map - This app has all the characters your OS supports, in case you don't know how to input one.

*Calculator - Windows calculator.

*Clear Type Tuner - An app that lets you customize the clarity and appearance of Windows fonts.

*Default Computer Program Access - Default Programs control panel.

*Diagnostics Troubleshooting Wizard - Troubleshooting control panel.

*Disk Cleanup - A poor tool that lets you free some hard drive space, removing crap.

*Games - Games Windows 7 is shipped with.

*Infrared File Transfer Application - Application that lets you transfer files from and into your PC using Infrared.

*Mobility Center - Mobility Center control panel.

*Notepad - Windows plain text editor.

*On-Screen Magnifier - Windows zooming tool.

*Paint - Windows basic image editor.

*People Near Me - App that lets other people from your network to invite you to use programs, such as Meeting Space.

*Projector Connectivity - Lets you use a projector connected to your network.

*Speech Support - Speech Recognition control panel.

*Sticky Notes - Lets you create Post-It notes and pin them in your desktop.

*System Information - Basic and advanced things of the system are shown with this app.

*Welcome Center - Getting Started control panel.

*Windows Contacts - Basically, an address book that can be used by multiple programs.

*Windows Fax and Scanner - N/A

*Windows Repair Disc - N/A

*Windows Sidebar - The desktop gadgets platform.

*Windows Sideshow - N/A.

*Wordpad - A basic Word-like app, more functional than Notepad.

*Write - N/A.

✓LANGUAGE PACKS - ALL OF THESE COMPONENTS ARE SAFE TO REMOVE... SO I REMOVED 'EM

✓NETWORK - ALL OF THESE COMPONENTS ARE SAFE TO REMOVE

*Connect To Network Projector - Application to use and configure a projector connected to your network.

*Internet Explorer - Internet Explorer 8.

*Internet Information Services - Web server applications.

*Network Explorer and Sharing Center - Network and Sharing Center control panel.

*Remote Desktop and Assistance - Application to let you control or let you being controled by a remote computer.

*Remote Desktop Connection - See above.

*TCP/IP Applications - N/A

*Telnet Client - N/A

*Telnet Server - N/A

*Windows Mail - Default Windows e-mail reader.

*Windows Presentation Foundation Host - A .NET Framework component that is used for UI rendering. You could remove it, but I see it makes a stability improvement in my PC.

✓MULTIMEDIA - ALL OF THESE COMPONENTS ARE SAFE TO REMOVE

*Autoplay - Autoplay control panel.

*Mobile PC Presentation - N/A

*Sample Pictures - Images located in My Images folder... for no apparent reason.

*Screensavers - Screensavers Windows 7 is shipped with.

*Sound Recorder - Sound recording app.

*Windows Aero Themes - Default Aero themes.

*Windows Codec Packages - Bundled codecs of Windows 7.

*Windows ISO Burn - App that lets you burn ISO images to CDs/DVDs.

*Windows Media Encoders and Decoders - Encoders and decoders to create Windows Media content.

*Windows Photo Gallery - See below.

*Windows Photo Viewer - The default Windows image viewer.

*Windows Picture Acquisition Wizard - N/A

*Windows Sounds - Certain things trigger these sounds.

*Windows Wallpapers - Wallpapers bundled with Windows 7.

✓SYSTEM

*Microsoft Common Console Document - MMC.exe in fewer words. This app is a host to multiple, very advanced apps. In this component, I remove these: Shared Folder Management, Print Management, Performance Monitor, Event Viewer and NAP Client Configuration. I'm not sure what could happen if I remove other stuff. Research of this component needs to be done.

*Adapter Troubleshooter - Run this app when you are having trouble with Windows 7. You'll thank it later.

*Advanced UAC - App to control every aspect of User Account Control.

*Auto File System Converter - Lets you format a drive with a different file system.

*Auto File System Format Utility - Lets you format a drive.

*Corrupted File Recovery - N/A

*Device Pairing Application - App that installs drivers for your hardware, like memory sticks.

*Disk Quota - App that lets you limit the hard drive space taken by each user account.

*Display Color Calibration - App that helps you determine which are the right settings for your screen.

*DPI scaling - Think of this as a Retina Display for Windows.

*Event Command Line Utility - N/A

*Extended Copy Utility - N/A

*IMAPIv2 Burning Support - Built-in app for burning media to CDs/DVDs.

*Location and Mobile PC Sensor - Location and Other Sensors control panel.

*Manual Windows Setup - Instead of booting from the DVD, you could insert the DVD and run the Setup app.

*Microsoft Custom Dictionary - N/A

*Microsoft Sync Center - Sync Center control panel.

*Natural Language - Instead of typing "kind:music Gorillaz", you type "music by Gorillaz" in the search box.

*Narrator - Screen reader app.

*Onscreen Keyboard - Lets you you input characters without the keyboard.

*Optional Features - N/A

*Recovery - Recovery control panel.

*SQL Client Configuration Utility - N/A

*System Properties - System control panel.

*System Restore - Daily backups of your PC are made with this. That way, in case something goes wrong, you could restore your PC from one of them.

*Tablet PC - Support for pen-controllable screens. You'll lose Sticky Notes and Snipping Tool.

*Thumbnail Cache - The pane at the bottom of Windows Explorer.

*User Account Control - The Yes/No question prompt it appears when you try to run an app.

*Windows Cabinet Maker - N/A

*Windows Cache Files (WinSxS) - Removes Backup folder (located in Windows\winsxs).

*Windows Easy Transfer - Application to help you migrate from an old version of Windows to Windows 7.

*Windows Font Viewer - Application that lets you preview fonts.

*Windows Help - Built-in help for Windows.

*Windows Logon Reminder - N/A

*Windows Memory Diagnostic - A RAM test to determine if your hardware is failing.

*Windows Powershell - Command line interface built with .NET Framework.

*Windows Script Host - Scripting runtime and engine.

*Windows SQM Consolidator - Customer Experience Improvement Program app.

*WinSAT - Performance Information and Tools control panel.

*Windows Time Zone and Date - Both, the Date and Time control panel and the Region and Language control panel.

*Workspace Runtime - N/A

*XPS Viewer - Default .XPS file viewer.

*Zip Folder - Default .ZIP file viewer.

[MrJinje]

Good stuff, keep it up.

[theKramer]

Found an issue:

Removing the "Microsoft MSDSM" component in the "System" section of "Accessories" breaks disk management

It was selected for removal in Winterstorm2050's most recent "lastsession.ini".

Edited September 22, 2012 by theKramer

[winterstorm]

Strange because that's working for me ... I'm using "Manage" from right clic on "My Computer" and disk management is working ...

B)

[billybully]

Yeah, man. Removing MSDSM doesn't breaks Disk Management. Either, you removed Virtual Disk service, or you removed Disk Management from Microsoft Common Console Document.

[theKramer]

Yeah, man. Removing MSDSM doesn't breaks Disk Management. Either, you removed Virtual Disk service, or you removed Disk Management from Microsoft Common Console Document.

Yeah, posted too early on that. It seems that removing the Microsoft driver from "Storage Controllers" section within Drivers section is the root cause of the error that I receive, not MSDSM.

Can you guys check if removing the driver causes the same problem for you?

@billybully: I didnt touch MMC, coz when I do, I get this additional MMC.exe window asking me to select between 32-bit or 64-bit components for MMC, that I dont get if I leave everything in MMC. Do you get that "popup" when you remove the items your mention in your orginal post?

[billybully]

@theKramer About the Microsoft driver, again, you're wrong. I remove all of the Storage Controller drivers and Virtual Disk is still working. About MMC, yes, removing anything there will make a popup appear every time you try to open it. Post your last session and I'll check what's wrong, OK?

[theKramer]

@theKramer About the Microsoft driver, again, you're wrong. I remove all of the Storage Controller drivers and Virtual Disk is still working. About MMC, yes, removing anything there will make a popup appear every time you try to open it. Post your last session and I'll check what's wrong, OK?

Strange, because when I added back in the Microsoft driver in Storage Controllers, I was able to add VHD's. Maybe with my lastsession, it causes that issue to occur, coz I have removed other stuff...

Anyway, here is my "working" lastsession:

[OS Name= Windows 7 HOMEPREMIUM]
[Date= 9/23/2012 4:01:26 PM]
[Microsoft .NET FrameWork= 3.5]
[Version: Release Candidate 1.7.0]

[Update]

[Driver]

[Language]

[Application]

[Components]
Ease of Access Center=True
Action Center=True
Aero Cursors=True
Clear Type Tuner=True
Default Computer Program Access=True
Diagnostics Troubleshooting Wizard=True
Disk CleanUp=True
InboxGames=True
Chess=True
FreeCell=True
Hearts=True
Shanghai=True
Minesweeper=True
More Games=True
Internet Games=True
Internet Backgammon=True
Internet Checkers=True
Internet Spades=True
PurblePlace=True
Solitaire=True
SpiderSolitaire=True
Infrared File Transfer Application=True
Mobility Center=True
On-Screen Magnifier=True
People Near Me=True
Projector Connectivity=True
Speech Recognition=True
Sticky Notes=True
Welcome Center=True
Windows Contacts=True
FaxServicesClientPackage=True
Windows Repair Disc=True
WindowsGadgetPlatform=True
WindowsSideShow=True
Wordpad=True
Write=True
1394 Driver=True
D_ATI Technologies=True
D_Intel Corporation=True
D_NVIDIA=True
Creative Technology=True
1394 Desktop Camera=True
M_AFA Technologies=True
M_ATI Technologies=True
M_Aver Media Technologies=True
M_Conexant=True
M_Hauppauge=True
IEEE 1394 DV Camera=True
M_IEEE 1394 Tape Subunit Devices=True
M_Luminate-Angel Devices=True
M_ViXS=True
M_Windows SideShow Driver=True
Modem=True
MO_Agere Systems=True
MO_AIWA=True
MO_Anchor Datacom BV=True
MO_Archtek Telecom=True
MO_ARN=True
MO_Askey and Cardinal=True
MO_ATI Technologies=True
MO_Banksia,Meastro=True
MO_Boca Research=True
MO_Brother=True
MO_BSB Datentechnik=True
MO_Compaq=True
MO_Conexant=True
MO_Creative Labs=True
MO_Creatix Polymedia=True
MO_CPV-Stollmann Datensysteme=True
MO_Digicom=True
MO_Dynalinks and Todos=True
MO_Eiger Labs=True
MO_E-Tech=True
MO_ELSA=True
MO_Fujtisu=True
MO_Gateway 2000=True
MO_GSM Cellular=True
MO_Haeussler DK & NO=True
MO_Hayes Accura=True
MO_Hayes=True
MO_Hot Line Export AB=True
MO_I-O DATA DEVICE=True
MO_Infotel=True
MO_Intertex=True
MO_Ke Kommunikations Elektronic=True
MO_KORTEX=True
MO_LASAT COMMUNICATIONS=True
MO_Lucent=True
MO_Megasoft=True
MO_Megahertz Corporation=True
MO_Metricom=True
MO_Microcom=True
MO_MICRO Research=True
MO_Motorola=True
MO_Modular Technology=True
MO_Multitech Systems=True
MO_NEC=True
MO_Neuhaus Telekommunikation=True
MO_NISSEI=True
MO_Nokia=True
MO_Novalink Technologies=True
MO_NTT Docomo=True
MO_OLITEC=True
MO_OMRON=True
MO_OPTION International=True
MO_Ositech Communications=True
MO_Pace=True
MO_Panasonic=True
MO_Penril Datability Networks=True
MO_Practical Peripherals=True
MO_Psion Dacom=True
MO_Racal-Airtech=True
MO_Rockwell & Cirrus=True
MO_Sierra Semiconductor=True
MO_SONY=True
MO_Sony Ericsson=True
MO_Sony Ericsson and Motorola-Bluetooth Modem=True
MO_Standard Modem Drivers=True
MO_Suntac=True
MO_Supra Corporation=True
MO_TDK Corporation=True
MO_TOSHIBA=True
MO_Texas Instrument=True
MO_TKR=True
MO_TRON B.V. Datacommunicatie=True
MO_U.S. Robotics-France=True
MO_U.S. Robotics-Europe=True
MO_U.S. Robotics-Sportster=True
MO_U.S. Robotics,Telepath,IBM=True
MO_V.DOT=True
MO_Xircom=True
MO_Zoom Telephonics=True
MO_Zypcom=True
MO_ZYXEL=True
N_ATI Technologies=True
N_Atheros=True
N_Atheros and Gigabyte=True
N_AVM=True
N_Broadcom=True
N_IBM=True
N_Marvell Yukon=True
N_Realtek=True
N_SiS=True
N_VIA Technologies=True
Printers=True
P_Brother=True
P_Canon=True
P_Epson=True
P_Fuji Xerox=True
P_Gestetner=True
P_Hewlett-Packard=True
P_Infotec=True
P_KONICA MINOLTA=True
P_Kyocera=True
P_Lanier=True
P_Lexmark International=True
P_Microsoft=True
P_Okidata=True
P_Ricoh=True
P_Samsung=True
P_Savin=True
P_Sharp=True
P_Sony=True
P_TOSHIBA=True
P_Xerox=True
P_XPS Document Writer=True
S_Brother=True
S_Canon=True
S_Epson=True
S_Hewlett-Packard=True
S_Kyocera Mita=True
S_Lexmark=True
S_Ricoh=True
S_Samsung=True
S_Xerox Corporation=True
SC_Adaptec=True
SC_ATI Technologies=True
SC_Emulex=True
SC_Hewlett-Packard=True
SC_ICP Vortex=True
SC_LSI Corporation=True
SC_Promise Technology=True
SC_QLogic Corporation=True
SC_SIS Technologies=True
SC_VIA Technologies=True
SYS_AGP Filter=True
SYS_BLB Drive=True
SYS_CIR Class Enumerator=True
SYS_Intel Quick Data Technology Device=True
SYS_LSI Raid Virtual Device=True
SYS_MSDSM Driver=True
SYS_PCMCIA Controller=True
SYS_QLogic Null=True
SYS_RDP Device Redirector=True
SYS_SCSI Device=True
SYS_Virtual AVC Device=True
TV Tuners=True
TV_ADS Technologies=True
TV_ASUSTEK Computer=True
TV_Aver Media Technologies=True
TV_Bitland=True
TV_Creatix=True
TV_Compro Technology=True
TV_Hauppauge=True
TV_KNC ONE GMBH=True
TV_KWorld=True
TV_NXP Semiconductors=True
TV_Philips Semi-Conductors=True
TV_Pinnacle Systems=True
TV_Terratec Electronic GmbH=True
TV_VidZ Media=True
D_Bluetooth=True
Digital Media Devices=True
Diva Client=True
D_Fax=True
Floppy Drive=True
Smart Card Drivers=True
Language Packs=True
ar-SA=True
bg-BG=True
zh-CN=True
zh-TW=True
zh-HK=True
hr-HR=True
cs-CZ=True
da-DK=True
nl-NL=True
et-EE=True
fi-FI=True
fr-FR=True
de-DE=True
el-GR=True
he-IL=True
hu-HU=True
it-IT=True
ja-JP=True
ko-KR=True
lt-LT=True
lv-LV=True
nb-NO=True
pl-PL=True
es-ES=True
pt-BR=True
pt-PT=True
ro-RO=True
ru-RU=True
sr-Latn-CS=True
sk-SK=True
sl-SI=True
sv-SE=True
th-TH=True
tr-TR=True
uk-UA=True
Autoplay=True
Sample Music and Videos=True
Sample Pictures=True
Screensavers=True
Sound Recorder=True
Windows Codec Packages=True
OpticalMediaDisc=True
Windows ISO Burn=True
MediaCenter=True
Windows Media Encoders and Decoders=True
WindowsMediaPlayer=True
Windows Picture Acquisition Wizard=True
Windows Sounds=True
Windows wallpapers=True
Internet Explorer=True
IIS-WebServerRole=True
Network Explorer=True
Windows Remote Assistance=True
Remote Desktop Connection=True
TCP/IP Applications=True
TelnetClient=True
TelnetServer=True
Windows Mail=True
AxInstSV=True
SensrSvc=True
AeLookupSvc=True
ALG=True
BDESVC=True
wbengine=True
bthserv=True
CertPropSvc=True
Browser=True
EapHost=True
Fax=True
fdPHost=True
FDResPub=True
hkmsvc=True
HomeGroupListener=True
HomeGroupProvider=True
SharedAccess=True
KtmRm=True
Mcx2Svc=True
MSiSCSI=True
swprv=True
NetTcpPortSharing=True
Netlogon=True
napagent=True
WPCSvc=True
PNRPsvc=True
p2psvc=True
p2pimsvc=True
IPBusEnum=True
PNRPAutoReg=True
WPDBusEnum=True
Spooler=True
PcaSvc=True
ProtectedStorage=True
QWAVE=True
RasAuto=True
RasMan=True
SessionEnv=True
TermService=True
RpcLocator=True
RemoteRegistry=True
RemoteAccess=True
seclogon=True
SstpSvc=True
wscsvc=True
SCardSvr=True
SCPolicySvc=True
SNMPTRAP=True
SSDPSRV=True
TabletInputService=True
TBS=True
VSS=True
WebClient=True
SDRSVC=True
WbioSrvc=True
idsvc=True
wcncsvc=True
WinDefend=True
WerSvc=True
MpsSvc=True
ehRecvr=True
ehSched=True
WMPNetworkSvc=True
TapiSrv=True
WinRM=True
W32Time=True
WinHttpAutoProxySvc=True
Wlansvc=True
LanmanWorkstation=True
WwanSvc=True
Adapter Troubleshooter=True
Advanced UAC=True
Auto File System Converter=True
Corrupted File Recovery=True
Disk Quotta=True
Display Color Calibration=True
DPI Scaling=True
IMAPIv2 Burning Support=True
Location and Mobile PC Sensor=True
Manual windows setup=True
Microsoft Custom Dictionary=True
Microsoft Sync Center=True
Natural Language=True
Narrator=True
On-Screen Keyboard=True
Optional Features=True
Recovery=True
SQL Client Configuration Utility=True
Windows System Restore=True
TabletPCOC=True
Windows Anytime Upgrade=True
Windows Cabinet Maker=True
Windows Cache (winsxs)=True
Windows Easy Transfer=True
Windows Font Viewer=True
Windows Help=True
Windows Logon Reminder=True
Windows Memory Diagnostic=True
Windows Portable Device=True
Windows PowerShell=True
Windows SQM Consolidater=True
Windows System Assessment Tool(WINSAT)=True
Workspace Runtime=True
Xps-Foundation-Xps-Viewer=True
Zip Folder=True

[Features]

[Control Panel Remove]

[Control Panel Add]

Control panel view=Large icon

[Desktop]
Show Hidden Wallpapers and Themes=Enable
Show Desktop Icons=Enable

[Desktop Taskbar]
Show run on start menu=Enable
Start menu power button action=Shut down

[Explorer Shortcuts]

[Explorer Context]
God Mode=Enable
Registry Editor=Enable
Copy To=Enable
Move To=Enable
Grant Admin Permission=Enable
Open With Notepad=Enable

[Explorer Views]

[Security]
Anti spyware=Default
UAC=Enable
Windows Firewall=Default

[Services]

[System]
Beep Sound=Disable
UXTheme patch=Enable
Get rid of splash windows mail=Enable
Number of recent items to display in jump list=10
Low disk space warning=Disable

[Visual Effects]
Transparent Glass=Enable

[Internet Explorer]

[Media Center]

CustomReg=D:\[Win_7]\Add Take Ownership Option\Add Take Ownership Option.reg
CustomBat=
[Un-Attended]
Skip product key=True
Skip Auto Activation=True
Accept EULA=True
Select this version on install=True
Setup Language=en-US
Fullname=Xxxxx Xxxxx
Computername=Xxxxxx
organization=Xxxxxx
Logon count=1
Network location=Home
Protect your computer=Recommended Settings
Hide EULA page=True
Hide Wireless setup in OOBE=True
Specify=True
Keyboard=Irish
Currency and date format=English (Ireland)
UI Language=en-US
Timezone=(UTC+01:00) Brussels, Copenhagen, Madrid, Paris

[Screen Saver]

Wallpaper position=Stretch
[Themes]

Theme frame=Sky
[WallPaper]

W_Set as default=D:\[Document Backups]\Wallpaper\Blossom.jpg
[Gadgets]

[Documents]

[Sample Musics]

[Sound]
Windows Ding=Default=
Windows Logoff Sound=Default=
Windows Exclamation=Default=
Windows Hardware Fail=Default=
Windows Notify=Default=
Windows Restore=Default=
Windows Recycle=Default=
Windows Battery Critical=Default=
Windows Balloon=Default=
Windows Minimize=Default=
Windows Startup=Default=
Windows Hardware Remove=Default=
Windows Critical Stop=Default=
Windows Default=Default=
Windows Feed Discovered=Default=
Windows Logon Sound=Default=
Windows Error=Default=
Windows Information Bar=Default=
Windows Hardware Insert=Default=
Windows Battery Low=Default=
Windows Shutdown=Default=

AppInstallationMode=0
DriverForceIntegration=False

This lastsession has helped me to get a sysprepped image of 3.7GB down to 1.7GB, before using RT7B.

Edited September 25, 2012 by theKramer

[billybully]

To create a Virtual Hard Drive, you need that Microsoft driver... I thought you were talking about things like formatting a drive or create a partition, y'know xd

[spreiii]

Removing Disk Defragmenter breaks Disk Management -> Shrink Volume.

Just in case someone needs it.

[billybully]

Applying WinReducer for Windows 7 will make my ISO lighter than 1GB.

[videobruce]

Old thread, but still usable.

1. Removing the Microsoft 'core' drivers for Scanners & Printers will cause the driver package to fail. Also, removing the Canon drivers will cause older canon printers (eg. i560 and others in that series) that have to get the driver using Microsoft's auto update search to fail. Error message: "Can not find the core driver package." That "core driver package" Is whatever is in the MS entry and the Canon entry even though there is no i560 (and others) printer listed.

2. Removing "Personalization" from the Control Panel will cause a Explorer error message if you try to use it from the Desktop context menu (right click) making the function completely unavailable which is a huge problem.

3. I have found another problem with removing another CP entry, but I haven't found which one is responsible yet. It removes the Pictures & Music tabs ability to be changed (removed) in the Start menu.