Windows 8
Default Description
Provides content indexing, property caching, and search results for files, e-mail, and other content.
Additional Information
This service is not installed by default. You can add or remove this service by heading to:
- Head to Start
- Select Control Panel
- Select Programs
- Select Programs and Features
- Select Turn Windows Features on or off
I have always had the Indexing Service as well as <strong >Windows Search disabled on all of my systems. Searching for a file does not take “that” long to justify always having this service taking up resources. If, however, you do many file searches, you could benefit from keeping this default service on Automatic. You decide.
If, however, you decide to completely uninstall Windows Search, you will not be able to use the search feature at all (located in the upper right hand corner of the Explorer window). As such, disabling the service would be advisable over complete uninstall.
Default Startup Type
| OS | SP0 |
|---|---|
| Windows 8 x86 | Automatic (Delayed Start, Started) |
| Windows 8 x64 | Automatic (Delayed Start, Started) |
| Windows 8 Pro x86 | Automatic (Delayed Start, Started) |
| Windows 8 Pro x64 | Automatic (Delayed Start, Started) |
| Windows 8 Enterprise x86 | Automatic (Delayed Start, Started) |
| Windows 8 Enterprise x64 | Automatic (Delayed Start, Started) |
Service Names
Service Name (registry): WSearch
Display Name: Windows Search
Default Path and Command Line Options
C:\Windows\system32\SearchIndexer.exe /Embedding
Log On As
Account: Local System account
Dependencies
Note: No dependencies are listed for any service in the WDP build I used to draft this information.
Windows 7
Default Description
Provides content indexing, property caching, and search results for files, e-mail, and other content.
Additional Information
I have always had the Indexing Service as well as <strong >Windows Search disabled on all of my systems. Searching for a file does not take “that” long to justify always having this service taking up resources. If, however, you do many file searches, you could benefit from keeping this default service on Automatic. You decide.
If, however, you decide to completely uninstall Windows Search, you will not be able to use the search feature at all (located in the upper right hand corner of the Explorer window). As such, disabling the service would be advisable over complete uninstall.
Default Startup Type
| OS | SP0 | SP1 |
|---|---|---|
| Windows 7 Starter | Automatic (Delayed Start, Started) | Automatic (Delayed Start, Started) |
| Windows 7 Home Basic | Automatic (Delayed Start, Started) | Automatic (Delayed Start, Started) |
| Windows 7 Home Premium | Automatic (Delayed Start, Started) | Automatic (Delayed Start, Started) |
| Windows 7 Professional | Automatic (Delayed Start, Started) | Automatic (Delayed Start, Started) |
| Windows 7 Ultimate | Automatic (Delayed Start, Started) | Automatic (Delayed Start, Started) |
| Windows 7 Enterprise | Automatic (Delayed Start, Started) | Automatic (Delayed Start, Started) |
Service Names
Service Name (registry): WSearch
Display Name: Windows Search
Default Path and Command Line Options
C:\Windows\system32\SearchIndexer.exe /Embedding
Log On As
Account: Local System account
Dependencies
What service Windows Search needs to function properly:
-
Remote Procedure Call (RPC)(S, HB, HP, P, U, E)
- DCOM Server Process Launcher (S, HB, HP, P, U, E)
- RPC Endpoint Mapper (S, HB, HP, P, U, E)
What other service require Windows Search to function properly:
- None (S, HB, HP, P, U, E)
Windows Vista
Default Description
Provides content indexing and property caching for file, email and other content (via extensibility APIs). The service responds to file and email notifications to index modified content. If the service is stopped or disabled, the Explorer will not be able to display virtual folder views of items, and search in the Explorer will fall back to item-by-item slow search.
Additional Information
I have always had the Indexing Service as well as <strong >Windows Search disabled on all of my systems. Searching for a file does not take “that” long to justify always having this service taking up resources. If, however, you do many file searches, you could benefit from keeping this default service on Automatic. You decide.
Default Startup Type
| OS | SP0 | SP1 | SP2 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vista Home Basic | Automatic (Started) | Automatic (Started) | Automatic (Started) |
| Vista Home Premium | Automatic (Started) | Automatic (Started) | Automatic (Started) |
| Vista Business | Automatic (Started) | Automatic (Started) | Automatic (Started) |
| Vista Ultimate | Automatic (Started) | Automatic (Started) | Automatic (Started) |
| Vista Enterprise | Automatic (Started) | Automatic (Started) | Automatic (Started) |
Service Names
Service Name (registry): WSearch
Display Name: Windows Search
Default Path and Command Line Options
C:\Windows\system32\SearchIndexer.exe /Embedding
Log On As
Account: Local System Account
Dependencies
What service Windows Search needs to function properly:
-
Remote Procedure Call (RPC)(HB, HP, B, U)
- DCOM Server Process Launcher (HB, HP, B, U)
What other service require Windows Search to function properly:
- None (HB, HP, B, U)
Additional Reading
None at this time.