Turn Windows features on or off. Disable unnecessary elements of the Windows system to speed it up

Windows 10 has many additional features that you can enable or disable through the Control Panel. Some of them are intended for servers and corporate networks, while some are useful for the average user. In today's article, we'll look at what each function means and how to enable or disable it.

These components take up space on your hard drive even when disabled. But don’t rush to enable them all; perhaps some of them will reduce system performance or cause security problems.

How to view additional components and how to enable or disable them.

In Windows 10, some settings have been moved from the Control Panel to Settings, and some are only available through the panel.

1. Open "Programs and Features": one of the ways is in the search bar or in the "Run" menu (run by pressing the Win+R keys) write appwiz.cp l and press Enter.

2. On the left side, open Turn Windows features on or off.

The "Windows Components" window will open in front of you. You can also launch this window by entering in the search bar or in the menu execute optional features

In Windows components, you will see the available functions, those with a checkmark are enabled, and those without a checkmark are disabled. If there is a square with a plus in front of a component, then it contains additional parameters, and you can enable both the entire component and part of its functions. Click on the plus to see a list of additional component parameters. To install a component, you need to check the box in front of it and click "OK", to remove the component - uncheck it and click "OK".

Additional Windows 10 features

What to turn on and what to turn off from this list? Windows 10 Pro and Home have a different set of components; in today's article we will look at the more complete set provided in the professional version of Windows 10:

.NET Framework 3.5 (includes .NET 2.0 and 3.0): This component is needed to run applications written in these versions of .NET. Windows will automatically install this component if the application requires it;

.NET Framework 4.6 Advanced Services: also a necessary component for running applications. And also this component will be automatically installed as needed;

Hyper-V: Microsoft virtualization tool. It contains the main platform and tools for managing and using virtual machines;

Internet Explorer 11: if you don’t need the outdated Internet Explorer browser, you can disable it completely;

SNMP protocol: an old protocol for managing routers, switches and other network devices. Useful for people who are still working in an environment using this old protocol;

Windows Identity Foundation 3.5: older NET applications may still use this component. If some old application requires this component from you, check the box and install it;

Windows PowerShell 2.0: more advanced command line. It is enabled by default, but if you do not use it you can disable it. For example, with its help you can;

Embedded IIS Web Engine: ordinary users do not need this component. Used by software developers and IT specialists;

Built-in shell launcher: a new feature in Windows 10 that allows applications to run in a secure isolated space if they are programmed to do so. The average user does not need this component;

Telnet client: Telnet commands allow you to remotely connect to the command line interface on computers and devices running a Telnet server. Telnet is not secure, so it is recommended to enable it if you really need it;

TFTP client: allows you to transfer files using the TFTP protocol. This protocol is outdated and insecure; it may be useful on older devices. But it is unnecessary for most users;

Work Folders Client: this component allows you to synchronize folders from the corporate network to your computer;

Components for working with multimedia: if you do not use Windows Media to play video and audio, you can disable it here;

Legacy components: Previously, this component was part of DirectX, and was used to create networks and multiplayer games. Windows 10 will automatically install this component if some old game requests it during installation;

Manager Administration PackRAS connections: This tool allows you to create custom remote access profiles for VPN. Used by IT specialists mainly in corporate networks;

Print to PDF: adds the ability, you can also use it. By default it is enabled, but if for some reason you do not need it, uncheck it and click “OK”;

API support for remote differential compression: algorithm for comparing synchronized files. Sometimes installed applications require this function, although there are not many such applications;

SMB 1.0/CIFS file sharing support: Allows file and printer sharing with older Windows (4.0 to XP). Linux and Mac operating systems can also use the older SMB protocol to share files and printers;

RIP Listener: This service is only useful if you have a router that supports RIPv1. This may be useful on a corporate network, but will not be useful at home;

Simple TCPIP services: This is a set of additional network services to troubleshoot some corporate network problems. But it is unlikely to be useful to the average user;

Microsoft Message Queuing Server: This is an old service for sending messages over untrusted networks. If the connection is lost, the messages are stored in a buffer and sent immediately after it is restored. This feature is needed by some enterprise applications;

Windows Activation Service: This feature is only useful to software developers. This component is associated with Internet Information Services (IIS);

Active Directory Services for lightweight directory access: provides an LDAP (Lightweight Directory Access Protocol) server. It runs as a Windows service and provides a directory for authenticating users on the network. This is a lightweight alternative to a full Active Directory server, and will only be useful on some corporate networks;

Internet Information Services: provides web and FTP IIS servers from Microsoft along with tools for server management;

XPS Services: Allows you to print XPS documents. Microsoft created this document format in Windows Vista, although printing to PDF is already a better option. Here you can disable printing in XPS, thereby deleting this printer. Although you can go into printers and use the right-click menu to delete a given printer;

Document printing services: Internet and Windows print client, fax and scanning functions are enabled by default. They allow you to print over the network, send faxes and scan. You can also add support for the LPD and LPR network printing protocols, although these are older and not often needed, only if you have a connection to a network printer that requires them;

MultiPoint Connector: Allows your computer to be monitored and controlled using MultiPoint Manager and the application bar. This is only useful on corporate networks, and only if those networks use these management tools;

XPS Viewer: the application allows you to view XPS documents;

Windows TIFF IFilter: The feature allows Windows Indexing Services to parse .TIFF files and perform optical character recognition (OCR). It is disabled by default as it is an intensive process and creates a load. But, if you use a lot of TIFF files - for example, if you regularly scan paper documents into TIFF - this can be a useful feature that allows you to search for those scanned documents more easily.

Most users won't need the Windows Features window, because Windows 10 will install everything you need automatically when needed. But still, you may need to add something yourself or disable it. We can talk more extensively about these functions, but is it worth it? If you have any additions, write comments! Good luck to you :)

Friends, in one of my previous articles we talked about optimizing the operation of the operating system by disabling unnecessary services.

Today we will continue this conversation and add to it. We will talk about disabling Windows components.

When the OS boots, many services and additional components are launched, which, although they work in the background (invisible) mode, load our system, taking away processor and memory resources from other more necessary programs.

All this, of course, affects the performance of the system. There are components that we absolutely do not need; we do not use them. So let's set up the system so that it works efficiently - it takes the resource from those who don't need it and gives it to those who need it.

Disabling Windows 7 Features

• 1. Go to the menu “ Start” –> select “ Control Panel"–> find the section “ Programs and components”.

• 2. Click on the item “ Turn Windows features on or off" A window will open with a list of installed components. Here you need to check the box to determine which components we need and which should be disabled.

When you hover over a component, help appears in Russian. When you disable some components, a warning prompt appears, do not pay attention to it.

1. Internet Explorer (of course, if you use another browser);
2. Telnet server;
3. Telnet client;
4. Tablet PC components (if you use a desktop PC);
5. Windows gadget platform (if you don't clutter up your Desktop);
6. Subsystem for Unix applications;
7. Microsoft Message Queuing Server;
8. Windows Activation Service;
9. XPS Service and XPS Viewer (if you don't work with XPS documents);
10. If you do not use the printer, you can safely disable the corresponding service.

• 3. Don’t forget to restart your computer at the end of the settings for the changes to take effect.

We have taken another step to optimize and speed up the operating system.

Optimizing the system involves, in particular, disabling functions that we never use and do not intend to use in the future. In Windows you can find many things that can be excluded, both among functions and system services. This time we will deal with some features that can be disabled without any problems.

Click the Start button and go to Control Panel. Then select the Uninstall a Program tool from the Programs section.

In the window that opens, you will find the “Turn Windows features on or off” function on the left. Launch it.

A small window will appear containing a list of system functions. To disable a specific feature, clear the corresponding checkbox. In the window that appears, we can safely disable the following functions:

• Multimedia capabilities
  Here you will find Windows DVD Maker, Windows Media Center and Windows Media Player. It seems to me that rarely does anyone use any of these programs, because third-party applications turn out to be more functional and convenient. If you're working with Windows Media Player, for example, you can only disable DVD Maker and Media Center.
• Games
  I don't play the games offered by Windows 7, so I turned everything off, including also the "Internet Games" policy. If you get bored and need to play Solitaire, you can turn it back on, this will be discussed below
• Internet Explorer 8
  If you don't use the built-in browser, then IE8 is not what I need. In practice, many experienced users use third-party browsers from the following trinity Opera, Firefox Mozilla,
• Windows Widgets Platform
  I don't use gadgets, so I can safely turn it off.
• Tablet PC components
  I have a regular laptop, without a touch screen. Features designed for tablets are redundant.

Disabling the function does not result in them being deleted from the disk and, thus, we will not free up free space on the computer. The features are turned off and can be turned back on later. The system, in principle, cannot remove them completely. However, you can disable it and this will free up some system resources - they will not run in the background like processes. We get a slightly more optimized and productive system, as they say, a small thing, but a nice one. Next step

Operating systems of the Windows family, strictly speaking, are not homogeneous - each third-party or system element is its component. The generally accepted definition of a Windows component is an add-on, installed update, or third-party solution that affects the functionality of the system. Some of them are disabled by default, so this element will need to be activated to use it. In addition, some components that are active by default can be disabled without harm to the OS. Next, we will introduce you to a description of the procedure for manipulating Windows 7 components.

Operations with Windows 7 components

This kind of action, as well as other manipulations related to setting up the OS, is performed through "Control Panel". The procedure looks like this:

1. Call "Start" and click LMB according to option "Control Panel".



2. To access OS add-on management, find and go to "Programs and Features".



3. On the left side of the window "Programs and components" menu is located. The item you are looking for is located there and is called "Turn Windows features on or off". Pay attention to the icon next to the option name - it means that you must have administrator rights to use it. If you don’t have them, the article at the link below is at your service. If you have rights, click on the option name.
   
   
4. When you first launch this feature, the system builds a list of available components - the process takes some time, so you need to wait. If instead of a list of elements you see a white list, after the main instructions there is a solution to your problem. Use it and continue with the guide.
5. The components are formed in the form of a directory tree, with nested directories, to access which you should use the button with the plus icon. To enable an element, check the box next to its name; to disable it, uncheck it. When finished, press "OK".



6. Close the Item Operations window and restart your computer.

This concludes the guide to manipulating system components.

Instead of a list of components I see a white screen

A fairly common problem for Windows 7 and Vista users is that the component management window appears empty and the list of functions is not displayed. A message may also be displayed "Please wait", when an attempt is made to compile a list, but then it disappears. The simplest, but also the most unreliable solution to the problem is a system file checker.

The next option is to enter a special command in "Command line".

However, this option does not always work. The most radical and most reliable way is to use a special utility, the System Update Readiness Tool, which can either fix the problem on its own or point to the faulty component. Entries associated with the last category must be removed from the registry manually, which is the solution to the problem.

Download System Update Readiness Tool for Windows 7 /

1. When the file is downloaded, close all running programs and run the resulting installer. For the user, this looks like manual installation of updates, but in fact, instead of installation, it checks and corrects any faults that the utility finds in the system. Click "Yes" to start the procedure.
   
   
   The procedure will take some time, from 15 minutes to several hours, so be patient and let the software finish its work.



2. When the operation is complete, press "Close" and restart your computer.
   
   
   Once Windows boots up, try calling the Component Manager again and see if the list loads into the window or not. If the problem is not resolved, continue to follow the guide.
3. Go to the C:\Windows\Logs\CBS\ directory and open the file CheckSUR.log by using "Notepad".



4. The next steps may be a little complicated because different results will appear in the log file for each individual case. You need to pay attention to the section "Checking Package Manifests and Catalogs" in file CheckSUR.log. If there are errors, you will see a line starting with "f", followed by the error code and path. If you see "fix" on the next line, then it means that the tool was able to fix that particular error. If there is no message about a fix, you will have to act on your own.



5. Now you need to manually delete the associated registry keys according to the errors that are marked as unfixed in the recovery utility log. Launch the registry editor - the easiest way to do this is through the window "Run": press combination Win+R, write regedit in the line and click "OK".
   
   

   Follow this path:

   HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Component Based Servicing\Packages

6. Further actions depend on which packages are marked in CheckSUR.log– you need to find directories in the registry with the names of these packages and delete them through the context menu.



7. Restart your computer.

After removing all damaged registry keys, the list of Windows components should be displayed. Additionally, the System Update Readiness Tool may also fix some other problems that you may not be aware of.

We introduced you to the method of enabling and disabling Windows 7 components, and also told you what to do if the list of components is not displayed. We hope you found this guide useful.

Hello all blog readers. Let's figure out today how to disable unused Windows components.
Removing unused applications can free up space on your hard drive and slightly increase the performance of your computer by clearing registry keys, created by programs. In addition, some software runs its own services, which also use system resources and are disabled when the program is uninstalled. For example, consider the operating system Windows 7 Ultimate. Please keep in mind that the composition of the components various editorial staff Windows 7may vary , but nothing there is no harm in this, since the purpose components of the same name in all editions the same.

Disable Windows 7 features and services

To view the list of system components, you need to go to the menu "Start" open "Control Panel", choose "Programsand components"

IN window that opens you will see a list of all available components, in which
enabled ones are ticked.
Table elements that are next to plus sign, represent a list of programs, drop-down when you click on this one plus sign.
Review the list carefully, and then uncheck items you don't use.

Inexperienced users always have a question: which of these components can be disabled without compromising the performance of the system? As a guide, I provide a list of elements of this table that I have disabled on my computer.
Internet Explorer(if you do not use this browser)
Telnet server
Games- (if you don't play these games)
Telnet client -(potentially dangerous service)
Tablet PC Components- (if you are using a desktop PC)
Windows gadget platform- (if not used)
Subsystem for UNIX applications
Microsoft Message Queuing Server -(MSMQ)
Windows Activation Service
Print and Document Services- (if you are not using a printer)


Windows Search Component(Windows Search) is very convenient and allows you to index data on your computer, thereby speeding up the search process. However, on weaker computers, performance issues may occur due to the indexing process.
Group Games(Games) contains a list of all the small games that are installed with
Windows. If you don't need some or even all of the games, feel free to uncheck the boxes
opposite the names of applications or the entire group at once.
Tablet PC Components(Tablet PC Components) provide connection to
computer device called Tablet PC. If you do not have such a device, this
the component can be disabled.
Component Windows gadget platform(Windows Gadget Platform) allows the use of gadgets on the Windows desktop. If there is no need to host such applications, you can disable the component.
Components of the Print and Document Services group(Print and Document Services) manage
printing, scanning and faxing processes. Perhaps some or all at once
You don't need these features. In this case, uncheck the boxes next to the names
unnecessary components. Other components can be enabled or disabled depending on your needs

After disabling unused components, click "OK" and then reboot the system. Just keep in mind that disabled components OS don't disappear anywhere and for To re-enable them, just check the previously unchecked box.
That's all about disabling unnecessary components. Now you know how to disable components Windows 7, and you can optimize your PC yourself.
How to disable telemetry and tracking in Windows 10, read

Now about Windows XP


Default in Windows XP includes a number of programs that you are unlikely to ever use, since their functionality leaves much to be desired. Unfortunately, Microsoft developers do not provide users with full control over the operating system.
And if components like "Special abilities" And " Games", you can still remove without special procedures, then Windows Messenger or let's say Automatic Windows Update- hardly. To do this, you first need manually edit one of the system files.
Consider removing both easily accessible and hidden components at the same time to avoid doing the same job twice.
Team Sfc /cachesize=0 must be dialed in order to disable mechanism Windows XP, at each boot updating these files. If this is not done, in the next session the system recovery files will again appear in the directory Dllcache.
Before you deposit changes to file Sysoc.inf, be sure to back it up!
1. Open Windows Explorer (Explorer) in display mode hidden and
system files.