Expired program still running its Service.

I'm on another quest to stop extra programs from running, either startup
programs or scheduled programs, and I noted on the Task Manager that
IndieVolume....svc (or some name like that) was running.

Indie volume is a good program that allows one to turn the sound off for
individual programs, but since it didnt' allow me to control individual
tabs on Firefox, at the time it didn't seem to do enough. So I didn't
pay for it and it expired after 2 weeks.

But it had installed a Service which was still running months later!!
after many Windows restarts!! Who knew?

Even after I stopped the Process in Task Manager, it was still listed as
Running in msconfig. That seems strange. I unchecked it there and
it's still listed as running, but I suppose when i restart Windows, it
won't be, even if it is now.


I wonder what other Services I have running tha shouldn't be running.
It's a long list, even if I look only at the ones labeled Running.

And I'll have to look everyone up in google to see what it does and if
that's important. Is it worth it?

| I wonder what other Services I have running tha shouldn't be running.
| It's a long list, even if I look only at the ones labeled Running.
|
| And I'll have to look everyone up in google to see what it does and if
| that's important. Is it worth it?

This might help:

http://www.jsware.net/jsware/xpfix.php5

Also this:

http://www.blackviper.com/

Once you know what the services are you can stop
most of them, but you need to know what you're
doing. Turn off rpcss and you won't be able to reboot.
But many other default services are security risks.

You can set a service to disabled in the services
applet under adminstrative tools.

For the program you're talking about ....are you
sure you uninstalled it? The uninstall should have
removed the service.

Here's the list of services I have running on XP. You
may have different needs, but this is about it for a
standalone machine, except that most people will
need the DHCP service. I set up a fixed IP for my
computers into the router so that I don't need DHCP.
The reason for that is so that I can entirely block
svchost from going through the firewall. Svchost is
a kind of wrapper process that can hide a lot of
other processes going outbound. The list:

--------------------------------------------
* AcrylicController
Acrylic DNS Proxy Service (Unnecessary. I just choose
to use this program because it provides a HOSTS file
that accepts wildcards.)

* AudioSrv
Windows Audio

* DcomLaunch
* DCOM Server Process Launcher (Not needed by everyone,
but WMI will be disabled without it.)

* dmserver
Logical Disk Manager (Needed to be able to see partitions
in the disk utility.)


* EpsonScanSvc
Epson Scanner Service (my printer)

* Eventlog (self explanatory)

* EventSystem (set to manual)

* Netman
Network Connections (set to manual)

* PlugPlay
Plug and Play (self explanatory)

* ProtectedStorage (Not sure about this one.
I think it's needed.)
Protected Storage

* RpcSs
Remote Procedure Call (RPC) DO NOT DISABLE THIS.
(It's actually a risky service, unnecessary for standalone
systems, but Microsoft has tangled it up with the system.
Windows won't run without it.)

* SamSs
Security Accounts Manager
Stores security information for local user accounts.

* SENS
System Event Notification
Tracks system events such as Windows logon, network, and power events.
Notifies COM+ Event System subscribers of these events.

* ShellHWDetection
Shell Hardware Detection (self explanatory)

* Spooler
Print Spooler (printer functionality)

* stisvc
Windows Image Acquisition (WIA) (scanner functionality library)

* Themes
Themes
Provides user experience theme management.

* winmgmt
Windows Management Instrumentation
(Handy for some things and may be used by some
software, but not strictly necessary. It's mainly
a set of tools for use with Windows scripting.)

* wscsvc
Security Center
Monitors system security settings and configurations.
---------------------------------------------------

Windows Vista/7 is much worse. I haven't sat down to
figure out all the services there, but I do know
that it's far more bloated than XP. (As is everything
with Vista/7. Probably Win8 is even worse, but I've
never checked.)

On Sat, 27 Jun 2015 14:31:46 -0400, "Mayayana"
wrote:

| I wonder what other Services I have running tha shouldn't be running.
| It's a long list, even if I look only at the ones labeled Running.
|
| And I'll have to look everyone up in google to see what it does and if
| that's important. Is it worth it?

This might help:

http://www.jsware.net/jsware/xpfix.php5

Also this:

http://www.blackviper.com/

Hey, thanks a lot.

Once you know what the services are you can stop
most of them, but you need to know what you're
doing. Turn off rpcss and you won't be able to reboot.
But many other default services are security risks.

You can set a service to disabled in the services
applet under adminstrative tools.

For the program you're talking about ....are you
sure you uninstalled it? The uninstall should have
removed the service.

No, I didn't uninstall it. I figured I might change my mind and be
willing to pay for it, but I didn't try to use it anymore.

But I still thought the service woudl stop running, at least after the
next reboot. Actually that's a lie. I didn't know it had a service.

Here's the list of services I have running on XP. You
may have different needs, but this is about it for a
standalone machine, except that most people will
need the DHCP service. I set up a fixed IP for my

I have that, and it's running.

computers into the router so that I don't need DHCP.
The reason for that is so that I can entirely block
svchost from going through the firewall. Svchost is
a kind of wrapper process that can hide a lot of
other processes going outbound. The list:

--------------------------------------------
* AcrylicController
Acrylic DNS Proxy Service (Unnecessary. I just choose
to use this program because it provides a HOSTS file
that accepts wildcards.)

I don't have this. If I started using the HOSTS file more, which I
probably should do, I might want it.

* AudioSrv
Windows Audio

I have that, and it's running.

* DcomLaunch
* DCOM Server Process Launcher (Not needed by everyone,
but WMI will be disabled without it.)

WMI? I have this and it's running and the computer has labeled it
essential.

* dmserver
Logical Disk Manager (Needed to be able to see partitions
in the disk utility.)

I have two services named Logical Disk Manager, which is running
and Logical Disk Manager Adminstrative services, which is stopped.

* EpsonScanSvc
Epson Scanner Service (my printer)

I don't have this or anything like it even though I have an Epson
scanner. B it's relatively new.

* Eventlog (self explanatory)

I have that

* EventSystem (set to manual)

I have Com+ Event System and it's running. Should I make it manual?

* Netman
Network Connections (set to manual)

I have that and it's running.

* PlugPlay
Plug and Play (self explanatory)

I have that and it's running.

* ProtectedStorage (Not sure about this one.
I think it's needed.)
Protected Storage

I have that and it's running.

* RpcSs
Remote Procedure Call (RPC) DO NOT DISABLE THIS.
(It's actually a risky service, unnecessary for standalone
systems, but Microsoft has tangled it up with the system.
Windows won't run without it.)

I have two versions of Remote Procedure Call (RPC) , plain and locator,
and both are labeled essential adn the first is running and the second
stopped.

* SamSs
Security Accounts Manager
Stores security information for local user accounts.

I have that and it's running.

* SENS
System Event Notification
Tracks system events such as Windows logon, network, and power events.
Notifies COM+ Event System subscribers of these events.

I have that and it's running. We are COM+ Event System subscribers if
we want to be able to look in the Events Log, right?

* ShellHWDetection
Shell Hardware Detection (self explanatory)

I have that and it's running.

* Spooler
Print Spooler (printer functionality)

I have that and it's running.

* stisvc
Windows Image Acquisition (WIA) (scanner functionality library)

I don't think I have that. Again, I have an Epson all-in-one Workforce
8?45 printer/copier/fax/scanner.


* Themes
Themes
Provides user experience theme management.

I have that and it's running.

* winmgmt
Windows Management Instrumentation
(Handy for some things and may be used by some
software, but not strictly necessary. It's mainly
a set of tools for use with Windows scripting.)

I have that and it's stopped. Almost certain I didnt' stop it.

* wscsvc
Security Center
Monitors system security settings and configurations.

I have that and it's running.



Just 19. I have about 105!!!!! About 64 are running. I unchecked
9 of them today, but I think they remain running until I stop them in
process manager (which doesn't notify msconfig/services) or I reboot.

When I hide all the MS, I have 20 services that are not Microsoft, 8 of
which are running.

I'm going to have to get rid of some of these.

Do you think they are slowing down the computer?

Not the ones that are stopped, I assume.

---------------------------------------------------
Windows Vista/7 is much worse. I haven't sat down to
figure out all the services there, but I do know
that it's far more bloated than XP. (As is everything
with Vista/7. Probably Win8 is even worse, but I've
never checked.)

So I have something nice to look forward to.

Wow. After all Processes I closed, and all the the fiddling I did with
the Services, the task bar at the bottom stopped working (it did
nothing), Alt-Tab no longer brought up an array of icons. and even task
manager wouldn't let me get to another program.

I had I had stopped an important program and ruined windows.

But it was really the keyboard. One of the cntl or alt keys must have
been stuck down, even though it didn't look like it. I hit each of
them a bunch of times and things are finally working okay again
(although before that happened, because the key was stuck, I closed
every open window in Eudora and I don't know what they were, emails that
needed to be replied to etc. etc. )

micky wrote:

I noted on the Task Manager that IndieVolume....svc (or some name like
that) was running. Indie volume is a good program that allows one to
turn the sound off for individual programs, but since it didnt' allow
me to control individual tabs on Firefox, at the time it didn't seem
to do enough. So I didn't pay for it and it expired after 2 weeks.
But it had installed a Service which was still running months later!!

Even after I stopped the Process in Task Manager, it was still listed as
Running in msconfig. That seems strange. I unchecked it there and
it's still listed as running, but I suppose when i restart Windows, it
won't be, even if it is now.

Expiration usually means the product stops working or it cripples
itself. Expiration does NOT mean the product automatically uninstalls
itself. YOU will have to perform the uninstallation.

msconfig.exe does not list whether or not a program is running. It only
lists if the program is listed in one of the startup locations that it
monitors. Stopping a process does nothing to remove its startup entry.
Again, you will need to uninstall the program.

| * dmserver
| Logical Disk Manager (Needed to be able to see partitions
| in the disk utility.)
|
| I have two services named Logical Disk Manager, which is running
| and Logical Disk Manager Adminstrative services, which is stopped.

Actually it may be the latter that's only needed to
view partitions. I don't remember for sure.

| * EventSystem (set to manual)
|
| I have Com+ Event System and it's running. Should I make it manual?

No. Actually I think EventSystem needs that.

| I have two versions of Remote Procedure Call (RPC) , plain and locator,
| and both are labeled essential adn the first is running and the second
| stopped.
|
That's typical. You can't disable RPCSS, but it's
actually there for networked computers. (remote
procedure call)

| * SENS
| System Event Notification
| Tracks system events such as Windows logon, network, and power events.
| Notifies COM+ Event System subscribers of these events.
|
| I have that and it's running. We are COM+ Event System subscribers if
| we want to be able to look in the Events Log, right?
|

COM+ is cOM across machines. An event subscriber
is at software level -- something that's registered
with the system to get notification of events.

|
| * winmgmt
| Windows Management Instrumentation
| (Handy for some things and may be used by some
| software, but not strictly necessary. It's mainly
| a set of tools for use with Windows scripting.)
|
| I have that and it's stopped. Almost certain I didnt' stop it.
|

That's OK. It's safer stopped. I only enable WMI because
I use it in scripting. The other common use for it is for
unsophisticated system info utilities. Other than that it's
pretty much a useless security risk. (I say unsophisticated
because most system info utilities will have their own custom
..sys files to read hardware data. When Microsoft came out
with WMI they included such functionality. So now it's
fairly easy for anyone to write a graphical front-end to
WMI and call it Ace and Acme Super Duper System Wizard.

|
| Just 19. I have about 105!!!!! About 64 are running. I unchecked
| 9 of them today, but I think they remain running until I stop them in
| process manager (which doesn't notify msconfig/services) or I reboot.

Having them is not a problem. It's more an issue of how
many are set to automatic and therefore run at boot. Many
things, like Server and Workstation, have nothing to do
with a standalone computer. Microsoft sets 60-odd services
to run automatic because that's convenient for network
admins. You have to remember that despite having a monopoly
on computers, business is the real customer of Microsoft.
They make shockingly little by comparison from retail PCs.
So what you buy is basically a corporate workstation
meant to be used by a lackey employee on a corporate
intranet.

I'd strongly recommend that you download the help
file(s) from blackviper. His stuff is very good and it's clear.
You really shouldn't change anything if you're not
sure exactly what it is. Some things, like Messenger
service (not the same as Windows Messenger) are
silly junk that should never run. Other things, like RPC,
must run. Then there are things like Windows Time
or Task Scheduler which are a matter of preference. I
keep both disable. Some people view both as critically
important.

|
| When I hide all the MS, I have 20 services that are not Microsoft, 8 of
| which are running.
|
| I'm going to have to get rid of some of these.
|
It's not so much an MS vs not-MS thing. You may
have non-MS firewall or AV services that need to run.
You may have MS remote access services that should be
shut off for security unless you run remote desktop
software. (Which you probably shouldn't, but some
people do so that their tech person can work on
their computer from home.)

| Do you think they are slowing down the computer?
|
| Not the ones that are stopped, I assume.
|
If they're not set to auto-start they're fine. I don't
know about how much juice they actually take. That
would depend on the service. But there are a lot of them.
All those extra processes running certainly doesn't help.
Also, as noted, many are security risks ... Remote
Registry, Remote Desktop, etc... On a standalone computer,
in most cases, there should not be cross-network
functionality happening. That's why so many attacks
come through DCOM ports. They take advantage of
vulnerable cross-network communication that belongs
only inside a safe intranet.


| ---------------------------------------------------
| Windows Vista/7 is much worse. I haven't sat down to
| figure out all the services there, but I do know
| that it's far more bloated than XP. (As is everything
| with Vista/7. Probably Win8 is even worse, but I've
| never checked.)
|
| So I have something nice to look forward to.
|

Yes sir! Did you have something better to do with
your weekends than to translate Microsoft's voluminous,
manufactured abstruseness?

micky wrote:
On Sat, 27 Jun 2015 14:31:46 -0400, "Mayayana"
wrote:

| I wonder what other Services I have running tha shouldn't be running.

Make a backup before going on any Services ninja missions.

If you make a serious mistake, or you have regrets six hours
from now, you'll have an "escape hatch".

Some people come here with the weirdest problems, and
you try the obvious things, and nothing is working. And
after a few posts they'll admit "oh ya, I turned off a
bunch of services yesterday". For example, a guy with
Windows 7 had a loss of audio, and it turned out that
something called Power service, was actually a dependency
of one of the two audio services. And that stopped his sound.
He didn't tell me he turned it off - I uncovered a reference
to it by accident and suggested it as one not listed in
the Dependency tab. So if you go on one of those Ninja
missions, weird things can happen later. And if you break
RPCSS, the neat thing is, Windows will shut down on you,
right after login :-) There are some services which are
considered "critical" to Windows, and the OS shuts down
if they're not running. There was one piece of malware
that used to trigger that (don't remember the name).

If for some reason, you could not keep the OS running,
that would make it a bit more difficult to repair. And
a backup is your friend.

Paul

On Sat, 27 Jun 2015 21:43:20 -0400, micky wrote:
* dmserver
Logical Disk Manager (Needed to be able to see partitions
in the disk utility.)

I have two services named Logical Disk Manager, which is running
and Logical Disk Manager Adminstrative services, which is stopped.

Set both to manual. They'll will run automatically when repartitioning a HDD
or new a drive is attached. i.e. new or changed disk partition.

* EventSystem (set to manual)

I have Com+ Event System and it's running. Should I make it manual?

Leave this and DCOM to auto. They won't run automatically when required
(I've tried). DCOM and COM+ are related to each other. But you can safely
set COM+ System Application to manual.

* ProtectedStorage (Not sure about this one.
I think it's needed.)
Protected Storage

I have that and it's running.

It's for storing credentials (e.g. Outlook Express user name & pasword)
including certificate keys (used when installing signed driver). This is
safe to set to manual. It'll run itself when needed.

* RpcSs
Remote Procedure Call (RPC) DO NOT DISABLE THIS.
(It's actually a risky service, unnecessary for standalone
systems, but Microsoft has tangled it up with the system.
Windows won't run without it.)

I have two versions of Remote Procedure Call (RPC) , plain and locator,
and both are labeled essential adn the first is running and the second
stopped.

Same here. I never seen it run. My guess is that it's used by Active
Directory (in a domain network).

* SamSs
Security Accounts Manager
Stores security information for local user accounts.

I have that and it's running.

I left it to manual. It's used by DTC, which is rarely used. It's autorun
when needed anyway.

* SENS
System Event Notification
Tracks system events such as Windows logon, network, and power events.
Notifies COM+ Event System subscribers of these events.

I have that and it's running. We are COM+ Event System subscribers if
we want to be able to look in the Events Log, right?

No. This is strictly for COM+ use. You don't need it to see the event logs.
Event logs are provided and maintained by the Event Log service.

* Themes
Themes
Provides user experience theme management.

I have that and it's running.

I have that and I've set it to manual. I don't like bloated UI.

* winmgmt
Windows Management Instrumentation
(Handy for some things and may be used by some
software, but not strictly necessary. It's mainly
a set of tools for use with Windows scripting.)

I have that and it's stopped. Almost certain I didnt' stop it.

It's autorun when and auto-shutdown when nolonger in use after a while. I've
set it to auto since it takes noticable time to start. WMI is slooow...

* wscsvc
Security Center
Monitors system security settings and configurations.

I have that and it's running.

Every firewall and anti virus softwares nowadays have their own tray icon
which can be easily checked. I don't see a good enough reason to rely
another program for that, so I disabled it.

Just 19. I have about 105!!!!! About 64 are running. I unchecked
9 of them today, but I think they remain running until I stop them in
process manager (which doesn't notify msconfig/services) or I reboot.

When I hide all the MS, I have 20 services that are not Microsoft, 8 of
which are running.

s I'm going to have to get rid of some of these.

Do you think they are slowing down the computer?

Not the ones that are stopped, I assume.

Most services do actual tasks based on events, so most of the time they're
idle. However, there are services for distributed computing like BOINC and
Bitcoin. They do tasks most of the time but in lower prority.

Since most softwares are smart enough to run an offline service, you might
want to set some service to manual instead of disable them. If you need to
disable a service, *never* do it from MSCONFIG, because it can't be
re-enabled from the Recovery Console.