Hey Hey,

Here's my general rule of thumb.... It's a 3 point Rule

Point 1 - If you know you don't need it... disable it.
Point 2 - If you know you need it... enable it.
Point 3 - If you don't know if you need it... leave it alone.

However some nice people have put some sites together to assist you with disabling services.... Use these guides at your own risk.

It seems that BlackViper.com (the past leader in service configs) no longer exists... but the page has been mirrored @ http://www.codecavalier.com/blackvip...servicecfg.htm

You can also check out a slightly modified version of the original BlackViper.com list @ http://www.dead-eye.net/WinXP%20Services.htm

The Elder Geek also has a good list @ http://www.theeldergeek.com/services_guide.htm

Basically you should leave it alone if you don't know if you need the service or not... or google each service on it's own and see if you require it based on the description...

Examples: I don't have wireless so I Know I can disable Wireless Zero Configuration... I also know I don't use ICS or the Firewall so I disable that service... However I use Audio on my desktop but not in my VMs so in my VMs I'd also disable Windows Audio...

As I stated previously you should go and learn what they do yourself... hit and miss is a bad idea and relying on others to tell you what your system needs is a bad idea.. For Example... from personal experience I'd tell you to disable all the Norton services... but I'd also tell you to uninstall it and go with something that's less of a resource hog... I might also tell you norton should be disabled because I'm a dick... You can't trust me because you really don't know me...

Besides... we're not here to help you configure every service on your PC... google a little and learn... it's the only real way to accomplish anything..

Peace,
HT

PS... Moved to Operating Systems because I don't think this is specific enough to be Microsoft Security...