Windows 10 has many advanced features that you can enable or disable through the Control Panel. Some of them are intended for servers and corporate networks, while some are useful for the average user. In today’s article, we’ll take a look at what each feature means and how to enable or disable it.

These components take up hard disk space even when disabled. But do not rush to include all of them, perhaps some of them will reduce the performance of the system, or there will be security problems.

How to view additional components, and how to enable or disable them.

In Windows 10, some of the settings have been moved from the Control Panel to Settings, and some are accessible only through the panel.

1. Open “Programs and Features”: one of the ways – in the search bar or in the “Run” menu (run by pressing the Win + R keys) write appwiz.cpl and press Enter.

2. On the left side, open “Turn Windows features on or off”.

A window “Windows Components” will open in front of you. Also, this window can be launched by entering in the search bar or in the menu execute optionalfeatures 

In Windows components, you will see the available functions, those with checkmarks – enabled, and those without checkmarks – disabled. If there is a square with a plus in front of a component, then it contains additional parameters, and you can include both the entire component and part of its functions. Click on the plus to see a list of additional component parameters. To install a component – you need to put a check mark in front of it and click “OK”; to remove a component – uncheck the box and click “OK”.

Additional Windows 10 components

Which of this list to enable and what to disable? Windows 10 Pro and Home have a different set of components, in today’s article we will take a look at a more complete set provided in the professional version of Windows 10:

.NET Framework 3.5 (includes .NET 2.0 and 3.0):  this component is needed to run applications written in these versions of .NET. Windows will automatically install this component if the application needs it;

.NET Framework 4.6 Advanced Services: also a necessary component for launching applications. And also this component will be automatically installed as needed;

Hyper-V: virtualization tool from Microsoft. It contains the basic platform and tools for managing and using virtual machines;

Internet Explorer 11:  if you do not need the outdated Internet Explorer browser, you can disable it completely;

SNMP protocol: an old protocol for managing routers, switches, and other network devices. Useful for people who are still working in an environment using this old protocol;

Windows Identity Foundation 3.5: older NET applications may still use this component. If some old application requires this component from you, check the box and install it;

Windows PowerShell 2.0: more advanced command line. It is enabled by default, but if you are not using it you can disable it. For example, you can use it to remove or reinstall standard applications in Windows 10;

IIS Web Core to be injected: ordinary users do not need this component. Used by software developers and IT professionals;

Built-in shell launcher: a new feature in Windows 10. Allows applications to run in a safe, isolated space if programmed to do so. An ordinary user does not need this component;

Telnet client: Telnet commands allow you to remotely connect to the command line interface on computers and devices running a Telnet server. Telnet is not secure, therefore it is recommended to enable it if there really is a need for it;

TFTP client:  Allows using TFTP to transfer files. This protocol is outdated and insecure, and may be useful on older devices. But unnecessary for most users;

Work Folders Client: this component allows you to synchronize folders from the corporate network to your computer;

Components for working with multimedia: if you do not use Windows Media to play video and audio – here you can disable it;

Legacy components: this component was previously part of DirectX, and was used to create networking and multiplayer games. Windows 10 will automatically install this component if some old game asks for it during installation;

Manager Administration Kit RAS connections: This tool allows you to create custom VPN remote access profiles. Used by IT specialists mainly in corporate networks;

Print to PDF: adds the ability to print any document to a PDF file, you can also use it to combine images into one PDF file. By default it is enabled, but if for some reason you do not need it, uncheck the box and click “OK”;

Remote Differential Compression API Support: algorithm for comparing synchronized files. Sometimes installed applications require this feature, although there are not many such applications;

SMB 1.0 / CIFS File Sharing Support: Allows sharing of files and printers with older Windows (4.0 to XP). Linux and Mac operating systems can also use the older SMB protocol for file and printer sharing;

RIP Listener: this service is only useful if you have a router that supports the RIPv1 protocol. This can be useful on a corporate network, but not at home;

Simple TCPIP Services: it is a collection of additional network services for troubleshooting some corporate network problems. But it is unlikely to be useful to the average user;

Microsoft Message Queuing Server: it is an old service for sending messages on unreliable networks. If the connection is lost, then the messages are stored in a buffer and sent immediately after it is restored. This function is needed for some corporate applications;

Windows Activation Service: this feature is only useful for software developers. This component is associated with Internet Information Services (IIS);

Active Directory Services for Lightweight Directory Access: provides a Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) server. It runs as a Windows service and provides a directory for authenticating users on the network. It is a lightweight alternative to a full Active Directory server, and will only be useful on some corporate networks;

Internet Information Services (IIS): provides web and FTP servers IIS from Microsoft along with server management tools;

XPS Services: allows you to print XPS documents. Microsoft created this document format in Windows Vista, although it’s better to use Print to PDF already. Here you can disable printing in XPS, thereby deleting this printer. Although you can go to printers and use the right-click menu to delete this printer;

Document Printing Services: Web and Windows print client, fax and scan features are enabled by default. They allow you to print over the network, send faxes, and scan. You can also add support for the network LPD and LPR printing protocols, although they are older and not so often needed, only if you have a network printer connection that requires them;

MultiPoint connector: Allows the computer to be monitored and controlled using MultiPoint Manager, and the application bar. This is only useful on corporate networks, and only if those networks use these management tools;

XPS Viewer: the application allows you to view XPS documents;

Windows TIFF IFilter: the feature allows Windows Indexing Services to parse .TIFF files and perform optical character recognition (OCR). It is disabled by default as it is an intensive process and creates a load. But, if you use a lot of TIFF files, for example if you regularly scan paper documents to TIFF, this can be a useful feature that allows you to search for those scanned documents more easily.

Most users won’t need the Windows Components window because Windows 10 will install everything automatically when needed. But still, you may need to add something yourself or disable it. We can talk about these functions more extensively, but is it worth it? If there are additions – write comments! Good luck ?