Accelerate Windows 2000

Microsoft's Windows 2000 is a beautiful, stable, and fast system platform, and with the implementation of the Microsoft .NET strategy, users are also growing. It is well known that Windows consumes a lot of system resources, and there is less memory. This is evident from the popularity of various memory consolidation and system optimization tools. This article optimizes Windows 2000 from another approach and perspective. The aim is to inspire others and hope to provide a more method for everyone to apply. I also hope that you can carefully apply the methods provided in this article, and the author is not responsible for any adverse consequences that may result. But don't worry too much. The changes mentioned in the article basically won't cause too much trouble, just be careful. The next thing to talk about is to release the memory occupied by the system by closing some unnecessary background running services to improve the efficiency of the system.

About Service Programs

The system services covered in this article refer to some Windows 2000 applications running in the background, some of which run automatically with Windows startup to provide system service support when needed ( Windows 2000 is based on the NT architecture). They are very similar to other background applications, such as virus firewalls. The main difference is that they are installed with Windows 2000 and provide stand-alone or network services as part of the system. Usually, even after we have done some system optimization or cleanup work, there are still many system services that are running in the background by default. Let's first take a look at Microsoft's "computer management" and then see which service programs are running in the background.

Computer Management

W2K brings a tool that provides access to all important system performances, called the Microsoft Management Console (MMC). You can launch the management tools in a variety of ways:

1. You can start from "Start - Settings - Control Panel - Administrative Tools - Computer Management - Services and Applications - Services";
2. or Right click on the desktop "I have a computer" icon and select "Manage". Next, select the "Services and Applications - Services" drop-down menu to see the list of system services;
3. You can also view it through "Start - Settings - Control Panel - Administrative Tools - Services".

By starting the system service management by the method described above, you can see a long list of system services. A closer look reveals that not all of these services have been started. In the "Startup category" you can see if the service has been activated, whether it is "manually" started or "automatically" when entering Windows 2000. Double click the mouse on any service (or right click, select "Properties"), you can see the service properties window, there are more details about this service, such as "name", "description", "login Type", "dependency", "execution path", and so on.

If you don't want a service to run, you have two options: disable it completely so that it can't be accessed again, or you can set it to "manual" in the "Startup Type" of the property. It will not automatically start each time you enter Windows and can be activated manually by hand when you need it. This way, we can simply use MMC to manage the service and change the "automatic" to "manual" mode. Now let's take a look at the service items that are usually there, and we should let it start automatically when you enter Windows.

If you look at the list and find that some of the services mentioned do not appear in the list, don't worry, because the different versions, installation methods, the results will be slightly different. Similarly, if the services in the list are not mentioned here, you can double click and view more information through the properties window. But be careful! We don't want to break the function or stability of the system. If you are not sure or think the system may still need this service, put it aside. It is not worthwhile to take risks for a little extra memory. At the same time, if you find that you have disabled a service you need, you can reactivate the service at any time by following the same steps.

Some of these system services are listed below:

Alerter: Notifies selected users and computers about system management level alerts. If your computer is a separate platform (not used online), you can turn it off; if your machine is on a LAN, ask the system or network administrator if it should be used or turned off.

DHCP Client: Manage network configuration by registering and changing IP addresses and DNS names. If your machine does not need to connect to a local LAN DNS server, such as a Cable Modem or an office LAN, you can turn it off. It seems that if you can't get online, you can't go online...?

Indexing Service: Indexed content and attributes of files on local and remote computers; provides quick access to files through a flexible query language. This service is not activated by default, you can activate it. This will create index files for files and folders on your hard drive, especially when the files on your hard drive are messy and can speed up each search. If you don't use search often, you can leave it as it is.

IPSEC Policy Agent: Manage IP security policies and launch ISAKMP/Oakley (IKE) and IP security drivers. This service is about IP security. Unless you plan to set up a virtual private network (VPN, Virtual Private Network) on your computer, you can turn it off.

Messenger: Send and receive messages delivered by the system administrator or the "alarm" service. If you turn off the Alerter service mentioned earlier, you can also turn off the Messenger service.

Print Spooler: Loads files into memory for later printing. If you don't have a printer and don't print files from this machine at all, don't hesitate to close it. Maybe, some applications need it, then you will make it automatically activated.

Remote Registry Service: Allows remote registry operations. If you don't want to access or modify the registry remotely, just turn it off.

Removable Storage (Manager): Manage removable media, drivers, and libraries. If you don't use a tape, Jaz, Zip, SyQuest or other removable drive, you can turn it off.

RunAs Service: Enable the boot process under different credentials. If you don't use an alias (such as a different user) to run the program, you can turn it off.

Telephony: Provides TAPI support for programs to control local computers, servers, and telephone devices and IP-based voice connections on the LAN. If you don't use any program to establish a voice connection, such as Netmeeting, or a VoIP call, you can turn it off.

Summary:

On my own machine, I changed all the above services to "manual" and then restarted the computer test separately, recording the memory changes before and after the change, probably more than 5- 6MB of RAM (Note: Using the System Task Manager to observe available memory, the results may not be accurate). Be careful when you disable a service. If you are not sure, don't move it. It is best to be able to record each change for a smooth recovery. At the same time, it is best to change only one service at a time, and run the system for a while to see if it is the same as before, which will help to find and solve problems early.