XP services that can be safely turned off

I have a system I have dedicated to just run Sonar 7PE.
It won't be connected to the Internet or even my local ethernet.
I am experiencing random clicks and pops in playback and I would like to
turn off as many of the windows services that I won't be using anyway.
Does anybody have a list of services that can safely be turned off to try
and stop random things from interrupting smooth playback on a DAW?

http://www.blackviper.com/WinXP/servicecfg.htm

See this article by Martin Walker from Sound On Sound, especially the last two paragraphs.

XP Tweaks For Music

You can always check out the task manager and see what's running. Most services that are required run very light in background. AV, Adobe's auto=updater and a few others are to look out for and you can close those out.

Also turn everything off in the start-up menu (Run - msconfig - start up tab)

ORIGINAL: Oaf_Topik

Also turn everything off in the start-up menu (Run - msconfig - start up tab)

Be carefull about this though. You do want some things enabled here just make sure you know what they do.

Take care!

Be carefull about this though. You do want some things enabled here just make sure you know what they do.

You really don't need anything running on start up, if you're only using your computer to record.

Maybe Battery Backup software, if you want your system to be backed up when your not there, but not necessary if you are in front of your DAW.

If you use the computer for the Internet you might want Virus Protection software running, but you could always enable/disable that manually.

I have nothing in my start up folder and my machine works great.

I have nothing in my start up folder and my machine works great.

In fact, most start-up items run from places other than the Start Up folder - mainly, registry entries are used. MSCONFIG is the best tool to use to see what is starting up and it can also be used selectively to disable any item.

That's because you don't have a Fireface and Total Mix, nor an Alpha Track. They all run in the background while I'm using Sonar and they are all needed for DAW work .

Live and learn.

In fact, most start-up items run from places other than the Start Up folder - mainly, registry entries are used. MSCONFIG is the best tool to use to see what is starting up and it can also be used selectively to disable any item.

Not really. It is OK if thats all you got but MS has a neat utility called Autorun. This can deal with everything. It is not a tool that one uses indiscriminately but it will stop stuff you don't need running.

It and other such tools can be found Here BTW they are all free and they are written by Microsoft people.

I don't recommend this. Setting the sheduling to background for "better performance" with drivers is a myth. At best this is masking a real problem with the driver. All this does is change the quanta for the timeslice assigned by the windows scheduler. By making the time slice longer you are potentially setting up a scenario where the high priority audio threads in the host application might be denied frequent enough servicing by the scheduler! This might actually result in more dropouts or clicks.

Here is a quote from an MSDN article http://support.microsoft.com/kb/308417

• If you click Programs, the foreground program runs more smoothly and responds more quickly. If you want a background task such as a Backup utility to run faster, click Background services.
• The Programs option allocates short, variable time slices (quanta) to running programs, and the Background services option assigns long, fixed quanta.


Contrarary to the SOS article that says "this is the most essential tweak of all, because ASIO drivers run as background services in Windows." An ASIO driver is just another a dll running in the process memory space, its NOT a background service - at least not typically. I've never seen an ASIO driver that installs an actual Windows service (you would see that in the services view otherwise). Its just a DLL running a user mode thread to service the audio device and asio callbacks. The thread is no different from the threads that run in the host application itself. If the driver is coded to have the thread priority set to time critical and its thread is not being blocked by something else there should be no need to change this setting. i.e. for the few people this "helps" its likely that all its doing is masking another more fundamental problem.
Additionally setting the sheduling to background is allowing ALL other background tasks on your computer to get a longer timeslice - i.e some other windows service or background application is now more likely might to start interfering with the host task.

ORIGINAL: epillarbox

Interesting. I also spotted this bit which was news to me:

Change Processor Scheduling to 'Background Services'

Navigate to the Advanced page of the System applet. Click on the Performance Settings button, select its Advanced tab and click on 'Background Services' for Processor Scheduling (see top pair of screens).
pcmusician 2
This is one of the few essential Windows XP tweaks, since it benefits the performance of ASIO drivers, which run as background tasks.

For anyone using ASIO drivers (and nowadays that includes just about every PC musician), this is the most essential tweak of all, because ASIO drivers run as background services in Windows. Music software and hardware developers Steinberg rely on this setting to ensure low latency without dropouts, and you may be able to run your audio interface at a significantly lower latency after this tweak.


So I did this. Result was ghastly on my system (my profile for details if you're interested) so I suppose the moral is to try out tweaks one by one and test their impact one at a time.

Thanks for the link, though.

Laurence


edited for typo

Wow, and all this time I thought this was a major tweak. Thanks so much for clearing that one up Noel!

Take care!


EDIT: This merits a run through the Sonar Benchmark test. Hopefully I'll see some improvements.

ORIGINAL: Jose7822

Wow, and all this time I thought this was a major tweak. Thanks so much for clearing that one up Noel!

Take care!


EDIT: This merits a run through the Sonar Benchmark test. Hopefully I'll see some improvements.

Jose,

Done any benchmarks with and without this tweak?

ORIGINAL: Noel Borthwick [Cakewalk]
I don't recommend this. Setting the sheduling to background for "better performance" with drivers is a myth. At best this is masking a real problem with the driver. All this does is change the quanta for the timeslice assigned by the windows scheduler. By making the time slice longer you are potentially setting up a scenario where the high priority audio threads in the host application might be denied frequent enough servicing by the scheduler! This might actually result in more dropouts or clicks.

Here is a quote from an MSDN article http://support.microsoft.com/kb/308417

• If you click Programs, the foreground program runs more smoothly and responds more quickly. If you want a background task such as a Backup utility to run faster, click Background services.
• The Programs option allocates short, variable time slices (quanta) to running programs, and the Background services option assigns long, fixed quanta.


Contrarary to the SOS article that says "this is the most essential tweak of all, because ASIO drivers run as background services in Windows." An ASIO driver is just another a dll running in the process memory space, its NOT a background service - at least not typically. I've never seen an ASIO driver that installs an actual Windows service (you would see that in the services view otherwise). Its just a DLL running a user mode thread to service the audio device and asio callbacks. The thread is no different from the threads that run in the host application itself. If the driver is coded to have the thread priority set to time critical and its thread is not being blocked by something else there should be no need to change this setting. i.e. for the few people this "helps" its likely that all its doing is masking another more fundamental problem.
Additionally setting the sheduling to background is allowing ALL other background tasks on your computer to get a longer timeslice - i.e some other windows service or background application is now more likely might to start interfering with the host task.

I just had to bump this, since EQ mag just repeated the background services myth that Noel busted here.

Original:Noel Borthwick [Cakewalk]

I don't recommend this. Setting the sheduling to background for "better performance" with drivers is a myth. At best this is masking a real problem with the driver. All this does is change the quanta for the timeslice assigned by the windows scheduler. By making the time slice longer you are potentially setting up a scenario where the high priority audio threads in the host application might be denied frequent enough servicing by the scheduler! This might actually result in more dropouts or clicks.

Here is a quote from an MSDN article http://support.microsoft.com/kb/308417

• If you click Programs, the foreground program runs more smoothly and responds more quickly. If you want a background task such as a Backup utility to run faster, click Background services.
• The Programs option allocates short, variable time slices (quanta) to running programs, and the Background services option assigns long, fixed quanta.


Contrarary to the SOS article that says "this is the most essential tweak of all, because ASIO drivers run as background services in Windows." An ASIO driver is just another a dll running in the process memory space, its NOT a background service - at least not typically. I've never seen an ASIO driver that installs an actual Windows service (you would see that in the services view otherwise). Its just a DLL running a user mode thread to service the audio device and asio callbacks. The thread is no different from the threads that run in the host application itself. If the driver is coded to have the thread priority set to time critical and its thread is not being blocked by something else there should be no need to change this setting. i.e. for the few people this "helps" its likely that all its doing is masking another more fundamental problem.
Additionally setting the sheduling to background is allowing ALL other background tasks on your computer to get a longer timeslice - i.e some other windows service or background application is now more likely might to start interfering with the host task.

quote:

ORIGINAL: epillarbox

Interesting. I also spotted this bit which was news to me:

Change Processor Scheduling to 'Background Services'

Navigate to the Advanced page of the System applet. Click on the Performance Settings button, select its Advanced tab and click on 'Background Services' for Processor Scheduling (see top pair of screens).
pcmusician 2
This is one of the few essential Windows XP tweaks, since it benefits the performance of ASIO drivers, which run as background tasks.

For anyone using ASIO drivers (and nowadays that includes just about every PC musician), this is the most essential tweak of all, because ASIO drivers run as background services in Windows. Music software and hardware developers Steinberg rely on this setting to ensure low latency without dropouts, and you may be able to run your audio interface at a significantly lower latency after this tweak.


So I did this. Result was ghastly on my system (my profile for details if you're interested) so I suppose the moral is to try out tweaks one by one and test their impact one at a time.

Thanks for the link, though.

Laurence

edited for typo



< Message edited by Noel Borthwick [Cakewalk] -- 12/13/2007 8:38:44 AM >

_____________________________

Noel Borthwick
CTO, Cakewalk
CD - A New Leaf

OK, here's where things gets confusing. The following text in bold italics was copied directly from the instructions for setting up the Edirol FA-66 provided by Edirol included in the download file for the drivers from Edirol website ( http://www.rolandus.com/products/productdetails.aspx?dsection=d_downloads&ObjectId=731 ). I'm using the FA-66 Driver Version 1.0.2 for Windows XP 32-Bit Edition. Extract all and click the Readme_E.htm.


Before you begin
"Performance Options" settings of System Properties
Our tests show that occasional disruptions in the sound may occur if the following setting is not made. By making this setting, you may be able to alleviate the problem. Please be sure to make the setting before using the unit.

Open the "Control Panel," and double-click "System." * If the above icon cannot be found, click the "Performance and Maintenance," and click the "System."

Click the "Advanced" tab, and then click [Settings] in "Performance."
Click the "Advanced" tab.
Select "Background services," and click [OK].

Click [OK] to close "System Properties."

I believe this is exactly the same unit as Cakewalks SPS-66 sold with SONAR POWER STUDIO 660. Also note that Edirol is part of Roland just as Cakewalk is now a part of Roland. I'm not trying to dismiss what Noel is saying. In fact I never set my processor scheduling for background services. However, it can be really confusing seeing two sources saying completely different things.

Perhaps I'm not understanding the issue? Or perhaps it's interface dependent?