Must Do Security Settings

Start > Run > Type – services.msc

Security Settings

1. Messenger – Home/Pro = Disable

  Have you ever been surfing the net and all of the sudden you get a pop-up with a “Messenger Service” listing in the title bar? If so, disable this service.

2. NetMeeting Remote Desktop Sharing – Home/Pro = Disable

  This creates the ability for someone to remotely access your computer through NetMeeting. This is not good! If you don’t use NetMeeting or not that often, disable this service.

3. Protected Storage – Home/Pro = Disable

  This service will store your passwords as well as enable the auto-complete function within Internet Explorer (auto-complete is where you type – for e.g. – tweakxp and then hit Ctrl + Enter to allow IE to fill in the WWW and .Com for you). 

4. Remote Desktop Help Session Manager – Home/Pro = Disable

  This service provides support for Remote Assistance sessions. Again, if this service is not something you use or use rarely, disable until required.

5. Remote Registry Service – Pro = Disable

  If you don’t require the assistance of someone to remotely have access to editing your registry settings, then disable this service. Your systems registry isn’t something you want to surrender easily to a remote computer. 

6. Routing and Remote Access – Home/Pro = Disable

  This service enables remote computers dial-in routing to your computer. That surely doesn’t sound like something I would want set to “automatic”.

7. Security Accounts Manager – Home/Pro = Disable

  This service works just as Protected Storage collecting secure user information. For XP Pro users, you will not be able to run the Group Policy Editor with this service disabled (the Group Policy Editor is unavailable for XP Home users).

As with anything that may be questionable, create a system restore or backup your system with an image utility such as DriveImage 2002. As a precautionary measure, you may as well, take note of the default state of the service before you adjust it. It wouldn’t take up too much storage place for a simple Note Pad file holding the defaults for 7 services.