I’m sorry you don’t believe that service “optimizations” are a myth. It’s been proven as a myth, there are plenty of sources stating and showing how they are myths.
Key example: Disabled Universal Plug’n’Play. Service. Person has a new digital camera or other device where you simply plug it in and can extract media from it. Oh wait, it doesn’t work because the service is disabled. All to save a few KB of RAM. When we have GB worth of RAM and SSDs, disabling services is not worth it. Remember, idle RAM is wasted RAM.
And here’s where someone discusses in detail why to not disable the Superfetch service:
https://np.reddit.com/r/ProgrammerHumor/comments/8ar59l/oof_my_jvm/dx1huhu/?context=2
https://forums.anandtech.com/threads/performance-oriented-windows-tweaking.1685606/ This link (as I posted before) goes into detail and fully debunks the service “optimization” myth.
Even the reasons you list are not real world benefits. Real and measurable, in KB or even a few MB at best. As I said above, with SSDs and GB worth of RAM, it’s not worth it.
Telemetry is not an issue either. All data is private and anonymous, it allows them to track problems and fix them faster. It’s the same as back on Windows XP when a program would crash and people wouldn’t send the report, saying it did nothing. When in fact it did help and fixes would occur because of this.
What about the telemetry and privacy concerns I keep hearing about? Should I use third party software which disable telemetry?
For an exact listing of what is collected on every level, see the Microsoft Technet article here. This is also applicable for companies using Windows to hold sensitive data with various laws attached, so for this to be untrue would be both massively illegal and massively unlikely.
In the opinion of many, the “concerns” are largely the result of low quality, clickbait websites trying to make some easy money. It’s worth remembering that not everything you read on the internet is true, even if the author assures you it is. Healthy scepticism never goes amiss!
It’s also worth noting that Microsoft backported the improved telemetry to Windows 7/8/8.1 some time ago, it was always present on older versions of Windows but with Windows 10 it provides slightly more information about usage of apps and OS elements so Windows can be improved with the help of the data that Microsoft gather.
The telemetry can be brought down to a very low level by going to Settings - Privacy - Feedback and Diagnostics - Basic.
Nothing collected is even remotely identifying, regardless of feedback and diagnostic level.
Using scripts/software to disable “tracking” components disables and in some cases removes Windows components that more often than not cannot be reinstated, so we do not recommend this.
Registry cleaners have been more problems than they are worth. They can easily and often cause a system to be rendered unbootable. CCleaner and others have done this quite often.
Why is CCleaner not recommended anymore? I thought registry cleaners were a part of essential maintenance?
Registry cleaners have been non- essential since Windows Vista, as Windows is now capable of maintaining its registry and require programs to better clean up.
CCleaner, for whatever reason, likes to “clean” (i.e. delete) Windows components, which can lead to lots of issues, such as broken search indexing, broken Windows update and other major problems.
A good proportion of frequent issues on /r/windows10 relates to CCleaner usage. A trip to the developer, Piriform’s forums may give you some indication into the issues it can cause.
For clearing up disc space, it is instead recommended to use Microsoft’s own built in clean up utility. To access, press start, type ‘disc clean up’ (without quotations) and open the utility. From here you can delete temp files, cache files, upgrade logs and previous updates without fear of damaging your install.
https://np.reddit.com/r/Windows10/comments/7ub909/is_ccleaner_registry_cleaner_known_to_fuck_people/ (if the forum software censors that URL, it’s the four letter f word between to and people.)
https://np.reddit.com/r/sysadmin/comments/8pzu0s/how_do_you_clear_windows_10_registry_without/
Source for both quotes: https://www.reddit.com/r/Windows10/comments/4vrr27/windows_10_anniversary_update_megathread/
I hope this helps you and others get a better understanding of why service “optimizations” have no real benefit, and why registry cleaners do more harm than good, essentially snake oil.