Tweak Windows XP services. Stop unwanted services -- Make your machine faster and consume lesser memory!

Tweak Windows XP services

Stop unwanted services -- Make your machine faster and consume lesser memory!
Here's a link which suggests a whole lotta tweaks (some of which I have listed below): http://www.tweakxp.com/internet_tweaks.aspx.
Or you could check out http://www.blackviper.com/WinXP/strangeservice.htm. Windows XP services/processes are explained here (very good link).

If you don't have the patience to go through the links, then may be you can try the following suggestions: (I've done the dirty work already and a bit more!):

Go to ``Services" control panel applet:

 Start -> Settings -> Control Panel -> Administrative Tools -> Services

Once you are in the services window -- use your mouse to double-click on a particular service and then select an appropriate service startup type (Automatic/Manual/Disabled). Don't forget to click 'Apply'!

Service name	Suggested state	How do I have it?
Computer Browser	Disabled (Manual for the paranoid)	Disabled
Distr Link Tracking Client	Disabled unless you have some funky network.	Disabled
Help and Support	Manual if you use 'Help' everynow n then/Disabled o/w	Disabled
Portable Media serial Number	Disabled^*	Disabled
Task Scheduler	Disabled (unless you use it schedule disk scans and stuff like that	Disabled
Themes	Manual/Disabled²	Disabled
Wireless Zero Config	Disabled on desktops (you don't use wireless, do you?	Disabled on desktop. Automatic on my laptop
Fast user Switching	Disabled. Manual if you do use multiple users	Disabled (the only user for me is 'a')
Network Connections	Disabled if you do NOT have a ethernet network. Automatic if you do!	Automatic
Alerter	Manual. Disabled if you are not paranoid	Disabled
Auto Update	Umm no suggestions ¹	Manual
Messenger	Disabled^{* again}	Disabled
Secondary Logon	Disabled (Manual if you plan to have multiple users login in funky ways)	Disabled
Error reporting service	Manual. Disabled if you wish	Disabled
Symantec Antivirus Client	Automatic if you get lot of attachments/downloads. Manual o/w	Manual
Added 2005/01/24
WMDM PMSP	Disabled; Manual if Windows Media player causes problems for you	Disabled
Application Layer Gateway	Disabled if using SP2; Manual if using SP1	Disabled
Network Location Awareness (NLA)	Disabled if SP2; Or manual just in case	Manual
TCP/IP NetBIOS Helper...	Disabled	Diabled

^* WTF ??? Well that was the reaction I had when I saw this the first time. My favorite. Disable with your eyes closed. My other favorite is 'Messenger' -- what a misleading name?!
¹ I like to have this under my control, manual... No more automatic cure-all patches. I know how SP4 screwed up Win2K.
² I dont like to decorate my desktop with pink background, yellow font and scary sounds when I log on. I just have a default sound DING.

Locking workstations running XP

As it turns out it's as easy as "Windows key + L" !! (Here is the source of this information.)