what are those windows features that you can add or remove
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7/21/2014 What Are Those Windows Features That You Can Add or Remove?
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By Codrut Neagu on 07/17/2014
A couple of days ago, one of our readers asked us to explain what are all those
Windows features that can be added or removed from your Windows installation.
Even though all of them have some description, the information offered by Windows
is either too little or too hard to understand. That's why we decided to publish this article and
walk you through every Windows feature that's available in Windows 8.1 Pro. We will describe
each Windows feature in a lot more detail than Windows does, so that you can decide for
yourself whether to keep it or remove it.
Where To Find All the Windows Features That Can Be Added
or Removed
In this guide we will describe all the features that are found in the Windows Features window.
Read this guide to learn how to access it: How to Add or Remove (Un)Wanted Windows
Features, Programs or Apps.
What Are Those Windows Features That You
Can Add or Remove?
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For this tutorial we have used a Windows 8.1 Pro installation. Other editions of Windows will
have a slightly different number of features available.
Explaining All Windows Features, One by One
Once you've opened the Windows Features window, you should see a long list of features that
can be added or removed. Let's walk through each of these features and see what each of
them does:
.NET Framework 3.5 (includes .NET 2.0 and 3.0) – is a software development framework
created by Microsoft. It is commonly used by many desktop programs and games.
Windows 8.1 includes by default .NET Framework 4.5 and this version is not backwards
compatible with version 3.5 or older versions. Therefore, older programs will need this
version installed in order to run. Our recommendation is to keep it installed.
.NET Framework 4.5 Advanced Services – these advanced services include ASP.NET 4.5 (a
server-side web application framework) and WCF Services - they are used to implement
and deploy service-oriented architectures and distributed computing services. Does all of
this sound like gibberish to you? That's because these services are relevant only to
developers and business environments with complicated infrastructures and services.
Casual users won't need to install all these services and should keep only the defaults
that come with Windows (WCF Services, TCP Port sharing).
Active Directory Lightweight Directory Services - a basic version of Active Directory
Domain Services. This feature's purpose is to provide only the directory services. A
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scenario in which it can be used is when you have applications that need to have access
to a directory service but they do not need to access an Active Directory database. This
feature can be used even in environments where no Active Directory domains exist. As
you can imagine, this feature is not needed for casual Windows users. It is useful only to
developers and for businesses that use applications which require this feature.
Hyper-V - is a Windows feature that lets you create and run virtual machines. It is similar
to other popular software like VirtualBox or VMware. However, Microsoft went for the
next level in terms of performance: Hyper-V is faster than other similar technologies, as
its processes are run at a lower level in the operating system. This means the virtual
machines are closer to the physical layer (the actual hardware) and thus operate faster. If
you are interested in working with virtual machines, you should consider installing this
feature. Otherwise you don't need it.
Internet Explorer 11 - Microsoft's default Internet browser. You should keep it only if you
are interested in using it. Before removing it, please make sure that you have another
browser installed. When you turn off this feature, its shortcuts are removed from the
system and it can no longer be used.
Internet Information Services - this feature is also known as IIS. It enables your Windows
computer to act as a web server. This is useful only to software developers and to IT
professionals. Once you install these services, you can access the IIS Manager from the
Apps view and you can use any browser to access the sites you host. Go to
http://localhost in your favorite browser to see an example.
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Internet Information Services Hostable Web Core - another web server feature that is a
lighter version of IIS. It includes only the core IIS web engine components and it requires
less resources to run. You can use it to host only one website and it is useful for enabling
basic Web server capabilities for custom applications or for debugging applications. This
feature is required only by software developers and IT professionals. Casual users should
not install it.
Legacy Components (DirectPlay) - DirectPlay was a part of the DirectX application
programming interface. It used to be a library designed for network communication.
Unless you are playing old games which were developed prior to 2008 and require this
library, you should be OK with removing it.
Media Features (Windows Media Player) - Windows Media Player is the default media
player that's bundled in Windows. If you don't use it to play music or videos, you can
remove it. Third-party media players are generally a better option.
Microsoft Message Queue (MSMQ) Server - MSMQ is an old service that has only one
purpose: to improve communications when working with unreliable networks. This
service stores messages in a buffer so whenever a connection drops it can resend them
when it becomes available again. This feature is useful only for businesses which have
applications requiring this service.
Network Projection - is a feature that allows Windows users to remotely use projectors
that are connected to the network. With this feature you can use any network projector
to deliver a presentation. It also means that you do not need additional software in order
to use a wide range of network projectors. That is, of course, if you or your company use
Windows 8 or 8.1 as well as projectors that can connect themselves to the network.
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Print and Document Services - several services that make it possible to use and manage
printing, faxing and scanning devices. By default, the Internet Printing Client and
Windows Fax and Scan services are enabled in Windows. Windows Fax and Scan allows
you to use faxes and scanners. If you don't use such devices, you can disable this service.
The Internet Printing Client enables you to connect and print to a printer that's
connected to the local network or the Internet. Other services like LPD Print Service and
LPR Port Monitor are alternate printing technologies that became deprecated and are no
longer used on a large scale. Scan Management is used for monitoring and managing
network connected scanners.
RAS Connection Manager Administration Kit (CMAK) - this feature enables you to create
custom connections to remote servers and networks, protected by VPN. After enabling
this feature, you will find the shortcut for its wizard at this location: “Control Panel ->
System and Security -> Administrative Tools -> Connection Manager Administration
Kit".
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Obviously, this feature is used very rarely, in business networks, mostly by IT
professionals.
Remote Differential Compression API Support - is a synchronization algorithm that
allows fast comparisons between synchronized files, which detects the data removed or
added from their contents. You can find more information about the RDC algorithm
here. This feature is used by a small number of Windows programs and apps so it is best
to keep it enabled.
RIP Listener - this service will listen for RIP announcements sent by routers and modify
the routing table based on the information gathered. However, the routers your
computer communicates with must support the RIPv1 protocol. This feature is used in
corporate environments and it is not required by casual users.
Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) - this is a legacy protocol created for
administering devices that are connected to a network. Using this rather old protocol
you can manage devices like routers, printers, computers etc. More information about it
is available here. This feature is not required unless you are an IT professional in a
business network with a rather old setup.
Simple TCP/IP services (i.e. echo, daytime, etc) - a collection of “oldies but goldies"
command line tools that include character generator, daytime, discard, echo, and quote
of the day. You should not need to use them.
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SMB 1.0/CIFS File Sharing Support - this feature enables the sharing of files and printers
with computers running older versions of Windows, ranging from Windows NT 4.0 up to
Windows XP and Windows Server 2003 R2. The Server Message Block (SMB) protocol
may be used by other operating systems like Linux or OS X to communicate with
Windows devices. If that's the case in your network, it is safer not to disable it.
Telnet Client - a legacy command line client that uses the Telnet network protocol to
provide a bidirectional text-oriented communications with a Telnet server. Most users
will never need to use it.
Telnet Server - this feature creates a Telnet server that's using the Telnet protocol to
accept incoming connections. This is a legacy type of server that should not be used.
TFTP Client - a simple command line tool that can be used to transfer files via the Trivial
File Transfer Protocol. Most users will never need to use it.
Windows Identity Foundation 3.5 - this is a software framework for building identity-
aware applications. The .NET Framework 4.5 that's included in Windows 8.1 includes a
newer version of this framework. You should install the 3.5 version only if you are using
older applications that don't work without it. Most users will never need to install it.
Windows Location Provider - this feature can use GPS sensors, IP address resolution, Wi-
Fi triangulation or cell phone tower triangulation methods to establish your
geographical location. This data can be used by desktop programs, apps and websites. If
you feel the need for a higher level of privacy, you can choose to disable this feature.
However, location-based apps and programs will no longer work as you expect them to.
Windows Powershell 2.0 - a command-line tool that focuses on task automation and
configuration management. If you want to gain a better understanding about it, we
recommend you to read this tutorial: Simple Questions: What is PowerShell & What Can
You Do With It?.
Windows Process Activation Service - a service for message-based applications and
components that's related to Internet Information Services (IIS). It allows software
developers to choose the most appropriate protocol for their needs. This feature is useful
only to software developers.
Windows TIFF IFilter - with this feature turned on, Windows can recognize text inside
.TIFF image files. It is disabled by default, as optical character recognition has a big
impact on performance.
Work Folders Client - allows users to sync a folder and its content, from the corporate
network to their personal devices. Files created locally will sync back to the file server in
the corporate environment. You can find detailed information on this feature and how it
works, in this tutorial: How to Set Up and Use Work Folders in Windows 8.1.
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XPS Services - these services provide support for Microsoft's ".XPS" file format which
aims to be an alternative to Adobe's ".PDF" format. This service provides functionality
such as printing and saving of XPS files. If you don't use such files, you will never need
this feature.
XPS Viewer - a small application that allows you to view and use ".XPS" files. You can
learn more about it from here: How to Handle XPS Files with the XPS Viewer in Windows
7 or Windows 8. If you don't use this type of files, you will never need this viewer.
Conclusion
Phew… this was a lengthy guide! It took us a lot of time and work to make it. We hope that it
will prove useful to you and that it has answered your questions related to the different
Windows features that are available. If you are looking for other interesting tutorials, don't
hesitate to take a look at our recommendations below.
Discover more: Tutorials Programs System and Security Windows 8 Windows 7
Comments
Related articles:
How to Add or Remove (Un)Wanted Windows Features, Programs or Apps
Which Windows Services Are Safe to Disable & When?
Roundup of Software Uninstallers - Reviewing IObit vs Ashampoo vs Revo
by OberstDanjeje on 07/17/2014 - 15:33
Thanks, very usefull.
I must admit I was very courious about many thingh in the add/remove features but I never
dig too much ;)
reply
by Ciprian Adrian Rusen on 07/17/2014 - 17:40
I'm glad you enjoyed this article.
reply
by Eric on 07/18/2014 - 15:19
Nice, how about a guide for Windows 7 pro please.
reply
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by Ciprian Adrian Rusen on 07/18/2014 - 15:26
Most of the features mentioned in this guide are also found in Windows 7 Professional.
There are only a few that are different.
reply
by David on 07/18/2014 - 17:26
Telnet and TFTP are very different and not at all related.
reply
by Ciprian Adrian Rusen on 07/18/2014 - 18:15
You are right. The article has been updated. Thank you!
reply
by Rick on 07/18/2014 - 21:00
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
reply
by Davin Peterson on 07/19/2014 - 05:01
I have Windows 8.1 on my home computer and 4 of those features are not listed:
Active Directory Lightweight Directory Services
Hyper-V
Network Projection
RAS Connection Manager Administration Kit (CMAK)
I don't really need them and assume the feature is only available in the Pro versions of
Windows
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