Turn Windows features on/off (W7)

[dlf]

Anyone here know exactly what all the 'features' in the Turn Windows features on and off do exactly? From top (games) to bottom (XPS viewer) . . . . . I've always wondered.  Running Windows 7 Ult if it matters.      And yes I want to know what each and everything does . . . .

[GoodBytes]

Ok I am on Win8, and I don't recall the list of WIn7, but should be similar.

When you roll over these items, you have a description of each of them. But here goes

 

.NET Framework 3.5 - Framework version for programs using .NET. .NET is a a series of API code, and abilities like doing a native graphical user interface with greater ease. For more information, beside my ultra brief explanation: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/.NET_Framework. It is needed to run legacy .NET framework designed programs

 

.NET Framework 4.5 Advance Services - Well, it's self explanatory. .NET 4.5 is the latest version, and it's a feature that could be needed by some of your programs.

 

Active Directory Lightweight Directory Service - Independent mode of Active Directory that provides dedicated directory services for applications. This is specif stuff for specific programs, mostly targeted at enterprises. You'll never use this, hence why it's not installed by default. It's a lightweight version of Active Directory. Active Directory is a domain based directory service. It's what company uses for accounts. Where your personal folders are sync with the company servers, so that you can log-in to any computer and access your files. Some specific programs are designed specifically with Active Directory in mind, and uses their special abilities, and this feature provides a lightweight infrastructure for them to use.

 

Hyper-V - Windows Server and Windows 8 powerful virtualization environment. You need supported hardware to use this.

This is like VirtualBox, or VMWare or Virtual PC, but more powerful, in the sense, that while it still doesn't give you DirectX and OpenGL support, it gives great CPU performance available for applications running on such environment,

 

Internet Explorer  - Install/Uninstall Internet Explorer web browser. But the ActiveX is kept installed on the system as many software and help document viewer of Windows and programs uses it embedded in itself.

 

Internet Information Services - FTP service - Web Management Tool - World Wide Web Service. Self explanatory. It's needed if you do a server with your computer.

 

Media Features - Media Center - Media Player - Like IE.

 

Microsoft Message Queue Server - http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc723250.aspx

 

Network Projection - Connect to a supported projector via Ethernet, accessing it's settings, and output what you see on the screen on the projector. This allows the computer to be anywhere and display content on the projector, and as nearly every laptop has Ethernet port, you don't have the "I don't have DVI only VGA on my laptop", or "I only have displayPort no VGA", etc.. problems.

 

Print and Document Services -  Some printers drivers installs a web base interface that communicates with the printer. These features are for that. Except for Scan Management and Windows Fax and Scan, which are both self explanatory. Scan Management is for scanning stuff if you have a scanner, and Windows Fax and Scan is the Windows Fax and Scan program which you can find somewhere in your Start Menu.

 

RAS Connection Manager  - It's for VPN's

 

Remote Differential Compression API Support - It's complicated to explain... I'll let Microsoft do it's best: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/windows/desktop/aa372948%28v=vs.85%29.aspx

 

RIP Listener - Routing Information Protocol Listener waits for updates sent by routers. It's for enterprise routers. Definitely not for home router :)

 

ok I'll skip some as you have the description of them when you roll over these items. If you need clearing up, just ask.

 

Windows PowerShell - Command Prompt... but far more powerful.

 

Windows Process Activation Service - Has nothing to do with Windows Activation System. :) It's for special needs of applications that require tools for managing worker processes that contain applications that host Windows Communication Foundation services. It's for Web servers and such.. again.. very special. Hence why it's disabled by default.

 

Windows Search - Well.. the search engine in Windows. Removing it, will remove the Search bar on folders, Search folder, and Search bar on the Start Menu. You won't be able to search anything on your system. It's there mostly in the case you need to re-install it for some reason.

 

Windows TIFF IFilter - Search for Tagged Image File Format and optical text recognition on images.

 

XPS Service / Viewer - XPS is Microsoft PDF like file format. It doesn't have the features of PDF, like doing forms, adding comments, highlight, share, etc.. But it is fully GPU rendered, making it ultra fast to load and process large documents.

The Service is the what allows you to make an XPS file. It's a virtual printer (File > Print > Microsoft XPS Document Writer). Give it a spin! The Viewer, is well the viewer (light weight), to view them. The file format is also open. Print a large document in XPS, and when you open it, do Ctrl+H, and use the scroll wheel. :D

[dlf]

What would be needed to run modern games, .NetFramework I think, probably about it.

[GoodBytes]

None.

But .Net might be needed if your game has a setting panel. Oh and if you remove .NET, you'll encounter many (most) program crash at startup.