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When you’re troubleshooting a problem in Windows XP, it can be useful to know which services are running. While most of the services running on a Windows XP system relate to the operating system, this is not the case for all of them.

You can use the Services tool, which you can launch via Control Panel’s Administrative Tools, to view the running services. But if you use this tool, you must be able to recognize which services relate to the operating system and which do not.

However, there’s a little-known feature in the System Configuration Utility that can quickly identify non-operating system services for you.

Follow these steps:

Press [Windows]R to open the Run dialog box.

In the Open text box, type msconfig, and click OK.

When the System Configuration Utility launches, select the Services tab.

At the bottom of the Services tab, select the Hide All Microsoft Services check box.

The System Configuration Utility will then display only non-Microsoft services that are running. Deselect the check box to return to the full list.