background services

Windows 11 ships with a surprising amount of background activity by default — indexing, telemetry, peer-to-peer update sharing, legacy printing infrastructure, and a prefetching service that dates back to the Vista era — and turning off a handful of these services can, in many setups, quietly...

Hi everyone — I’m looking to improve my Windows PC’s performance specifically for gaming. Lately I’ve noticed some slowdowns and stutters in games, and I want to make sure my system is running as smoothly as possible. I’d love tips on: • Best settings in Windows for gaming • Background...

Windows 11’s interface decisions—minimalist tooling, a simplified taskbar, and a File Explorer that often feels like it’s one step behind what users need—have left a large and vocal group of power users frustrated. The good news is that the open‑source community has produced practical...

Windows ships with a surprising number of background services enabled by default, and several of them can quietly consume CPU, RAM, disk I/O, or network bandwidth without delivering any benefit for most users; turning the right ones off can noticeably improve Windows performance and free...

The first time you boot the Xbox full‑screen experience on an OG ROG Ally, it feels like someone quietly unhooked Windows from the device and slid a console‑style launcher in its place — but the reality is more pragmatic and far more interesting: Microsoft has layered a controller‑first Xbox...

Microsoft's new handheld-focused, full‑screen Xbox interface for Windows 11 can already be unlocked on many in‑market Windows handhelds thanks to a Release Preview of the Windows 11 25H2 update and a handful of community-discovered switches — meaning you don't have to wait for the ROG Xbox...

Windows handheld owners who’ve been frustrated by Windows’ desktop baggage can try Microsoft’s new Xbox‑focused, controller‑first “Xbox mode” today — without waiting for the retail 25H2 release — by enrolling in the Xbox Insider previews and switching on the compact/full‑screen Xbox UX in the...

I have uninstalled Acronis True Image 2021 and installed version 2025. The Acronis True Image agent no longer appears in the system tray. I have checked the settings and am unable to find a seetting.

Microsoft’s move to carve a dedicated, controller-first path through Windows 11 has finally surfaced in a hands-on preview: a new Handheld Gaming Mode (sometimes referred to as a gamepad‑optimized UI) is being shown in early footage running on the ASUS‑branded Xbox Ally family, and the changes...

Here's a clear summary based on your source and Windows community/engineer explanations: Why You See a Blank or Unnamed Program Blocking Windows Shutdown When you shut down your PC, Windows sends a message to all running programs and background services asking them to close safely. Sometimes...

Windows laptops have long faced criticism for their battery life, especially compared to the often optimized experience seen on competing platforms. Digging into the heart of the problem, a significant factor emerges: an abundance of background services operating silently, draining precious...

Windows 11, the latest iteration of Microsoft’s flagship operating system, promises both enhanced productivity and a modern, visually appealing interface. But for many users—especially those who prioritize privacy, performance, or minimalism—Windows 11’s out-of-the-box experience is far from...

It’s easy to be skeptical of Microsoft’s Copilot integration in Windows 11—many users remain wary of AI features that seem, at first glance, superfluous or intrusive. Yet beneath the surface, a quietly emerging capability could deliver a practical benefit that even Copilot’s fiercest critics...

The sluggishness that seems to creep into many Windows PCs over time is not solely the result of aging hardware or a bloated software stack. Deep within the operating system, numerous background services steadily consume CPU cycles, draining performance and — at times — severely impacting...

Unleashing your Windows 11 machine’s true potential requires more than simply toggling a few visual settings or disabling animations. While Microsoft has made major strides in system performance and efficiency compared to past Windows editions, the default out-of-box experience arguably caters...

Windows 11’s layered architecture is a marvel of modern OS design, but beneath its glossy surface lies a dense world of background services—many running quietly and persistently, often unnoticed by everyday users. These services underpin features ranging from network connectivity and device...

It’s no secret that Windows is packed with a multitude of features designed to bolster its famed versatility and user-friendliness. Yet, in the constant quest for performance, one particular “hidden” feature has split opinion among Windows enthusiasts, system builders, and even IT professionals...

5 Windows Services I Disabled to Make My PC Run Smoother: A Geek’s Guide to Reckless System Tweaking No one loves a sluggish computer—except perhaps hardware sales reps. For the rest of us, a slow PC is less “retro cool” and more “why is my fancy device crawling like it’s running Windows Vista...

Unlocking Windows Performance: The Art of Disabling Unnecessary Services Windows is a complex beast, brimming with countless background services that often run automatically without much consideration for their necessity on a typical user's system. Many of these services were designed to support...

Hello everyone! While adjusting startup services in msconfig I came across some odd entries in my services tab (screenshot below). The title "bba0e" seems quite unusual. The search engine did not provide any results, so I became suspicious. I can not deactivate any of those, the checkmarks just...