VDI optimization script (part 1)
In the summer of 2010 Erik wrote an article about “How to: Optimize guests for VMware View” in which he describes all sorts of changes he makes for a Windows XP or Windows 7 virtual desktop in a VDI environment. The changes that are suggested in the article are still valid, but after reading them I was wondering if there are new additions, specifically with Windows 8 now on the market. During my search I quickly came across a Visual Basic script that was released by Microsoft on their Technet site for optimization of a Windows 8 virtual desktop.
At the beginning of the script there is a disclaimer that you should have knowledge of the vb scripting language and that you should proceed with caution. Since the script is fairly long and a lot of changes are being made I decided to break the script down and put this in a table to give an overview of the services and settings being changed. As the title of the article indicates this is part 1 of the article, in part 2 I will try to explain the different pieces of the script in such a way that more people might understand what is happening inside the script.
While putting everything into a table I also looked if these changes could be made for a Windows 7 desktop too. The table is divided in several parts (and one bullet list) to provide some more overview to the whole.
Services:
Services name | Change | Win8 | Win7 |
Application Layer Gateway | Disable start | X | X |
Background Intelligent Transfer | Disable start | X | X |
Bitlocker Drive Encryption | Disable start | X | X |
Block Level Backup Engine | Disable start | X | X |
Bluetooth Support | Disable start | X | X |
BranchCache | Disable start | X | X |
Computer Browser | Disable start | X | X |
Device Association | Disable start | X | |
Device Setup Manager | Disable start | X | |
Diagnostic Policy | Disable start | X | X |
Distributed Link Tracking Client | Disable start | X | X |
Encrypting File System | Disable start | X | X |
Family Safety | Disable start | X | |
Fax | Disable start | X | |
Function Discovery Resource Publication | Disable start | X | X |
HomeGroup Listener | Disable start | X | X |
HomeGroup Provider | Disable start | X | X |
Microsoft iSCSI Initiator | Disable start | X | X |
Microsoft Software Shadow Copy Provider | Disable start | X | X |
Network List Service | Auto start | X | X |
Optimize Drives | Disable start | X | |
Secure Socket Tunneling Protocol | Disable start | X | X |
Sensor Monitoring | Disable start | X | |
Shell Hardware Detection | Disable start | X | X |
SNMP Trap | Disable start | X | X |
SSDP Discovery | Disable start | X | X |
Telephony | Disable start | X | X |
Themes | Disable start | X | X |
UPnP Device Host | Disable start | X | X |
Volume Shadow Copy | Disable start | X | X |
Windows Backup | Disable start | X | X |
Windows Color System | Disable start | X | X |
Windows Connect Now – Config Registrar | Disable start | X | X |
Windows Defender | Disable start | X | X |
Windows Error Reporting | Disable start | X | X |
Windows Media Player Network Sharing | Disable start | X | X |
Windows Search | Disable start | X | X |
WLAN AutoConfig | Disable start | X | X |
WWAN AutoConfig | Disable start | X | X |
Machine settings:
Setting | Change | Win8 | Win7 |
Hard disk timeouts | Disable | X | X |
TCP/IP / Large Send Offload | Disable | X | X |
Hibernate | Disable | X | X |
System Restore | Disable | X | X |
NTFS Last Access Timestamps | Disable | X | X |
Machine Account Password Changes | Disable | X | X |
Memory dumps | Disable | X | X |
Default system screensaver | Disable | X | X |
Service startup | Increase timeouts | X | X |
Disk I/O | Increase timeout | X | X |
Event logs | Log size 1028KB
Retention to “overwrite” |
X | X |
PopUp Error Mode | Set to “Neither” | X | X |
Bootlog | Disable | X | X |
Boot animation | Disable | X | X |
UAC secure desktop prompt | Disable | X | X |
New Network dialog | Disable | X | X |
AutoUpdate of drivers from Windows Update | Disable | X | X |
Windows SideShow | Disable | X | |
NetFX3 | Install | X | |
IE First Run Wizard | Disable | X | X |
Ability to clear the paging file during shutdown |
Disable | X | X |
Disk cleanup | Run with adjusted settings | X | X |
Scheduled tasks to disable:
– Application Experience\AitAgent
– Application Experience\ProgramDataUpdater
– Application Experience\StartupAppTask
– Autochk\Proxy
– Bluetooth\UninstallDeviceTask
– Customer Experience Improvement Program\BthSQM
– Customer Experience Improvement Program\Consolidator
– Customer Experience Improvement Program\KernelCeipTask
– Customer Experience Improvement Program\Uploader
– Customer Experience Improvement Program\UsbCeip
– Diagnosis\Scheduled
– DiskDiagnostic\Microsoft-Windows-DiskDiagnosticDataCollector
– DiskDiagnostic\Microsoft-Windows-DiskDiagnosticResolver
– Maintenance\WinSAT
– MobilePC\HotStart
– Power Efficiency Diagnostic\AnalyzeSystem
– RAC\RacTask
– Ras\MobilityManager
– Registry\RegIdleBackup
– Shell\FamilySafetyMonitor
– Shell\FamilySafetyRefresh
– SideShow\AutoWake
– SideShow\GadgetManager
– SideShow\SessionAgent
– SideShow\SystemDataProviders
– UPnP\UPnPHostConfig
– WDI\ResolutionHost
– Windows Filtering Platform\BfeOnServiceStartTypeChange
– Windows Media Sharing\UpdateLibrary
– WindowsBackup\ConfigNotification
User settings:
Setting | Change | Win8 | Win7 |
Menu show delay | Reduced | X | X |
Cursor blink | Disable | X | X |
Composition in IE | Force off-screen | X | X |
Screensavers | Disable | X | X |
Window contents when dragging | Don’t show | X | X |
Window minimize/maximize animations | Don’t show | X | X |
Font smoothing | Disable | X | X |
Show translucent selection rectangle | Disable | X | X |
Slide taskbar buttons | Disable | X | X |
Use background image for each folder type | Disable | X | X |
Use drop shadows for icon labels on the desktop |
Disable | X | X |
Active window tracking | Disable | X | X |
Menu animation | Disable | X | X |
Combo box animation | Disable | X | X |
List box smooth scrolling | Disable | X | X |
Gradient captions | Disable | X | X |
Keyboard cues | Disable | X | X |
Active windows tracking Z order | Enable | X | X |
Menu fade | Disable | X | X |
Selection fade | Disable | X | X |
Tool tip animation | Disable | X | X |
Tool tip fade | Disable | X | X |
Cursor shadow | Disable | X | X |
Action Center | Disable | X | X |
IE Persistent Cache | Disable | X | X |
Hopefully the tables provide you with an overview that can help determine which settings might be useful for your VDI environment. In the next part I can hopefully explain the script in some more detail so that you can use it yourself.
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Does it works for Windows 7 as well? If not, any equivalent script for Win7?
As far as I can tell it should work for Windows 7 aswell, minus the parts that don’t have an X behind them. Later this week I hope to post some more indept view of the script so you can find the parts you need more easely.
If you’re using VMware View 5.x there is a Windows 7 optimization script included from VMware. See this link for the script – http://www.vmware.com/files/pdf/VMware-View-OptimizationGuideWindows7-EN.pdf