As I mentioned in Vista Beta 1 Service Guide Part 1, Windows Vista Beta 1 has several new services and features that we do not all need. I have gone through the list of services that are running in Windows Vista Beta 1 and compiled a list of services that you can safely disable. Before I get started, it is necessary to understand how to disable services in Windows Vista. Similar to other version of Windows, you will be using the Services MMC. Follow the steps below to get started with the Services applet.

~Click Start and then Run.
~Key in services.msc and press OK. The Services applet will now load.
~To stop and disable a service, just right click on a service and select Properties.
~Then, in the properties box change the Startup type to Disabled and hit OK. The next time that you restart your computer the service will no longer be able to start.

Now that you know the basics of disabling a service, I can begin going over the services that I have found that can be disabled to increase your system performance. Below is a list of services that can be disabled. Some provide value added features, so if you use a feature associated with the service consider if it is really worth the slight performance gain compared to the usefulness of the feature.

Remote Registry - Enables remote users to modify registry settings on this computer. If this service is stopped, the registry can be modified only by users on this computer. I do not understand why Microsoft always decides to have this service started by default in Windows. This service is really only useful for system administrators in enterprise environments. Although my faith in Microsoft security is growing, for home users and most power users this service is just waiting to be exploited by the latest virus/Trojan. It provide no useful functionality to us so just disable it.

Software Licensing Service - This service provides licensing technology APIs in Windows. Don't use any software that needs this? Not many do right now. Disable it.

SSDP Discovery Service - Discovers networked devices and services that use the SSDP discovery protocol, such as UPnP devices. Also announces SSDP devices and services running on the local computer. If this service is stopped, SSDP-based devices will not be discovered. If this service is disabled, any services that explicitly depend on it will fail to start. Do you have any UPnP devices? No, then disable this.
UPnP Device Host - Allows UPnP devices to be hosted on this computer. If this service is stopped, any hosted UPnP devices will stop functioning and no additional hosted devices can be added. If this service is disabled, any services that explicitly depend on it will fail to start. Do you have any UPnP devices? No, then disable this as well.

WebClient - Enables Windows-based programs to create, access, and modify Internet-based files. If this service is stopped, these functions will not be available. If this service is disabled, any services that explicitly depend on it will fail to start. This service is used for things like web folder and WEB DAV. If you are like me and don't use these services, then disable them.

Windows Error Reporting Service - Enables error reporting and solution delivery for application failures (crashes and hangs). If this service is stopped, error reporting might not work correctly. This service has always been a favorite for power users to disable. I'm not going to lie, it will give you a slight performance gain if you disable it since less overhead = more resources for your apps. However, Windows Vista is in Beta! Why wouldn't you want Microsoft to hear about the problems you are having. Don't you want them to have a chance to be fixed?
Windows Image Acquisition (WIA) - Provides image acquisition services for scanners and cameras. Not used? disable it.

Windows Management Instrumentation - Provides a common interface and object model to access management information about operating system, devices, applications and services. If this service is stopped, most Windows-based software will not function properly. If this service is disabled, any services that explicitly depend on it will fail to start. This service is used a lot in the enterprise environment in scripting events on computers. In the home area, there is no use for it and can be disabled. If in the future you ever have any problems with installing programs, try re-enabling this service again since some, not all, tend to use it.