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Re-enabling unneeded services in Windows (until they are needed)

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  Re-enabling unneeded services in Windows (until they are needed) Marion <marion@facts.com> - 2025-01-16 12:48 +0000
    Re: Re-enabling unneeded services in Windows (until they are needed) Andy Burns <usenet@andyburns.uk> - 2025-01-16 13:29 +0000
      Re: Re-enabling unneeded services in Windows (until they are needed) ant@zimage.comANT (Ant) - 2025-01-16 23:18 +0000

#181414 — Re-enabling unneeded services in Windows (until they are needed)

Following up on this excellent thread posted today by "John C"
 *Disabling unneeded services in Windows 10*
 <https://www.novabbs.com/computers/article-flat.php?id=84265&group=alt.comp.os.windows-10#84265>

I first want to admit openly that I never understood Windows services.
Nobody teaches us this stuff. So we let Microsoft define the defaults.

I don't even know what most of the services do that are on in Windows.
But one service I know what it does, is the print spooler.

a. I do not print much (maybe once every few months)
b. So why should I have printer services running all the time, right?
c. My philosophy is I should run the spooler - only when I want to print

Is that logical to assume services should be off until needed?
And then, is it logical to assume it should be easy to turn them on?

If so, the way I've re-enabled the print spooler is shown in this graphic:
 <https://i.postimg.cc/kgMz8Kh1/printspooler.jpg>

To clarify that graphic, here's what I do for print services, which I 
openly ask the Windows & printer teams at large whether this procedure 
shown above and below can't be extended to all (or most/many?) services?

1. Win+R > services.msc > Print Spooler > Stopped (Startup type = Manual)
2. When I want to print, I cascade "menu > hardware > printer > spooler"
3. Which is simply a shortcut whose target uses the task scheduler
   TARGET=C:\Windows\System32\schtasks.exe /run /TN "task spooler"
4. Where the task scheduler takes care of eliminating UAC prompts
   %comspec% /c start "" c:\sys\batch\spooler.bat

Below is the spooler.bat file which was written by others on this ng, 
specifically Andy Burns & VanguardLH whose help has been invaluable.

 @echo off
 REM spooler.bat starts & stops the Windows print spooler
 call sc query | findstr /i spooler
 if %ERRORLEVEL% == 0 goto :Stop?
 :Start?
 set /p user_input="Spooler is not running. Start it?"
 if %user_input%==y net start spooler
 goto :Icon
 
 :Stop?
 set /p user_input="Spooler is running. Stop it?"
 if %user_input%==y net stop spooler
 
 :Icon
 echo "Change shortcut icon color (red/green) depending on outcome"
 exit 0

The use model is that the print spooler is set to OFF/MANUAL by default.
A. When I need the print spooler, I exercise the taskbar cascade menu
    "menu > hardware > printer > spooler"
B. I enter "y" when it asks me if I want to enable the printer spooler
    "Spooler is not running. Start it?"
C. Then I print.

NOTE: There is no UAC required, which is why we used the task scheduler.

After I print, if desired, I can disable the printer spooler by running
the exact same process over again (which is the beauty of this method)!

A. When I do not need the print spooler, I reverse the process 
   by exercising the cascade pullout menu that Windows 10 provides
    "menu > hardware > printer > spooler"
B. I enter "y" when it asks me if I want to stop the printer spooler
    "SERVICE_NAME: Spooler"
    "DISPLAY_NAME: Print Spooler"
    "Spooler is running. Stop it?"
C. This is intended to run services only when they're actually needed.

My question to the team of Windows & printer experts is...
Q: *What other rarely-used services can this approach be applied to?*

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#181417

Marion wrote:

> I don't even know what most of the services do that are on in Windows.
> But one service I know what it does, is the print spooler.
> 
> a. I do not print much (maybe once every few months)

If your machine gets tight on virtual memory, the spooler process will 
soon get shoved out to your pagefile

> b. So why should I have printer services running all the time, right?

If the spooler isn't running, programs will believe you have no printer 
at all, that might upset e.g. word-processors trying to edit a document 
to fit paper margins, even if you never intend to print it, or never 
save it to PDF.

> c. My philosophy is I should run the spooler - only when I want to print
> 
> Is that logical to assume services should be off until needed?
> And then, is it logical to assume it should be easy to turn them on?

No harm for you as you're aware of what is/could be running, but the 
number of services has mushroomed in the last decade, there are plenty 
of services which I don't know what the ramification are of stopping 
them ...

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#181457

In alt.comp.os.windows-10 Andy Burns <usenet@andyburns.uk> wrote:
...
> > c. My philosophy is I should run the spooler - only when I want to print
> > 
> > Is that logical to assume services should be off until needed?
> > And then, is it logical to assume it should be easy to turn them on?

> No harm for you as you're aware of what is/could be running, but the 
> number of services has mushroomed in the last decade, there are plenty 
> of services which I don't know what the ramification are of stopping 
> them ...

For me, I only disable the services I know for sure like BlueTooth and 
wireless when my custom built PC don't even ahve them.

-- 
"For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations." --Psalm 100:5. Slammy Jan. & still not fully recovered from New Yr.'s Day eve(ning) Norovirus. :(
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