Windows

Hardware Profiles In Vista

Posted by on Dec 5, 2006 | 20 Comments

Windows XP allows you to create multiple hardware profiles. When you start working in Vista, you may notice that this option is no longer available. It appears that Vista will automatically create hardware profiles depending on the type of computer you are using. For example, if you are using a laptop, Vista will automatically create a profile called “Undocked.”

You can still work with these hardware profiles as you could in Windows XP. For example, you can disable specific services for a specific hardware profile. This can be accomplished using the steps listed below.

  1. Click Start, All Programs, Accessories then Administrative Tools.
  2. Click the Services option.
  3. Right click a service that you want to disable and click Properties.
  4. Click the Log On tab.
  5. The available hardware profiles will be listed at the bottom of the window.
  6. Select the appropriate profile from the list and click the Disable button.
  7. Click OK.

Now when Vista starts using the hardware profile, the specific service you selected above will not be started.

[tags]Diana Huggins, Microsoft, Windows, Vista, hardware profile[/tags]

  • http://www.kewllynx.com Paul D Pearl

    That’s fine and dandy for services.. but what if you want to disable HARDWARE?

    I have dual monitors but when I’m gaming.. I want to only use one monitor to save resources for my game experience… now I’m going to have to write my own boot file by hand… BOO!

  • Dennis Ducey

    What you outlined has not changed from Windows XP, what has changed is how do you create a “Hardware Profile”. Could you please explain how you do that in Vista ?

  • przemoc

    Try to run in vmware vista not installed in vmware, but on real hardware. Yes, there is bsod. Lack of real hardware profiles is microsoft’s stupidity (in all likelihood intentional).

  • Jason

    So what does one do if they need to have (and tweak) hardware profiles in Vista like was possible in XP. I am willing to copy and edit by hand but could the previous poster say where these files are located?

  • dbc

    I can’t find where to add a hardware profile to this

  • Kent Hanners

    That is all well and good, but does not answer how to set up HARDWARE profiles in Vista. From what is said, it would appear that this is no longer possible in this iteration of Windows. That is truely sad since it was a very useful feature on a laptop. Looks like it is time to find XP drivers for this new laptop. Vista continues to be completely unimpressive.

  • UKSamo

    I’ve 2 x sound cards in my PC, one for surround sound gaming, and a high quality one for stereo audio production. With both enabled Windows BSOD on boot-up so I need hardware profiles to choose which Sound Card to load at boot-up. As I understand it, hardware profiles was the only way I could accomplish this set-up? Any idea’s as Vista doesn’t seem to have an option to configure this scenario like in XP?

  • eddie moffett

    I think I can finally say it out loud… I’m going mac.

  • dennis

    Diana, why you say the profile “undocked” will be created for a laptop ? I have a desktop and my profile is “undocked”

  • BJammer

    This article is useless since the main question everyone ask when reading it is not answered at all:
    How to make multiple hardware profiles in Vista???

  • Jordan Becker

    So is there a way to delete a Vista hardware profile and have it rebuild when you reboot?

  • Mathew

    This doesn’t address the actual issue of creating another hardware profile. It only addresses managing services in one profile. If you are going to write a post regarding hardware profiles you should at least talk about them instead of redirecting the topic to something unrelated.

  • Josh

    This article really should be renamed. Services != Hardware

  • http://webzley.com Brandon

    I agree with the frustrated replies. The author begins writing about hardware profiles in Vista. This is what got me excited, but then as I read the entire article, the author switches tracks and tells me how to disable services. Unless there is some mystical way to stop a device driver from running as a service, and I don’t think there is, then the article conflicts with itself. Kind of like Microsoft or Windows.

    If Microsoft really wants to dazzle the consumer, they will hire me as a consultant, and I will advise them on how not to offend the techies who have found ways to make working systems out of Windows machines. I will do this while advising Microsoft how to continue catering to the general public, and avoid a major catastrophe like Vista.

    Hardware profiles are the best thing since sliced bread. They are essential with a laptop and a docking station in a business environment. I bought my personal laptop since it was almost identical to my work laptop and I could use it on the docking station that my employer provides.

    Well on the work laptop, which runs XP, I can choose between a docked profile right after the bios screen and before windows even boots. This tells XP to turn off the wireless card and use the wired network connection instead. Well on my personal laptop this feature, apparently isn’t available under Vista, where IT USED TO BE. Apparently Microsoft yanked it, or put it somewhere else, or made my wireless network card “automatically” turn off when docked. Now you won’t see anything about it’s relocation, re-adaptation, or demise in any Microsoft marketing materials or “upgrade compatibility” verification programs. You simply must learn the hard way. Though by this time, you’ve owned the software well past the return date, if there ever was one.

  • Trevor Bonney

    Diana, are you still there? You seem to have gone quiet about all this.

  • Jordan Becker

    Diana disappeared presumably because we all figured out she was answering a question that nobody asked. It sounds like there is no answer to the real question “how do you edit/delete hardware profiles in Vista?”

    Too bad, its a bug and Microsoft wont comment on it.

  • Oppfinnar Jocke

    I can only agree with the others. The real question is HOW TO CREATE HARDWARE PROFILES, not how to disable services once you have HW profiles. I’m running Win 7, and HW profiles seem as non-existent there as in Vista. However, the key combination Windows key + Pause brings up a window with the titrle “Create Hardware Profiles – Developer Tool”. I’ve no idea to use it, though, the contents seem to have with html and css to do, rather than HW… But here

  • Ben Oshman

    Of all the useless articles out there, this is the most useless one I’ve come across in ages. The title is “Hardware Profiles in Vista”, but the author dodges the main point by looking at services. Imagine a travel article “Fly First Class for Free to New Zealand!” that explains how to board the plane once you have your free first class ticket. Any numbskull can board a plane / change the hardware profile a service is associated to. The important bit is how to get the free first class ticket / setup a new hardware profile.

    Here are some other article ideas:

    “Free internet access for life!”

    “Legally hide investment income from the IRS”

    “You don’t have to pay alimony in the divorce settlement after you’re caught in bed with your wife’s makeup consultant!”

  • Jacoblorensen

    Is this true for Windows 7 too?

    How do I use this feature to run my Windows 7 partition natively and inside a vmware or VirtualBox virtual machine?

  • Loungelizard

    Or let’s say we have a laptop with an external monitor positioned to it’s left. We can set up the external monitor to be the primary and the laptop’s own monitor to be secondary so the left screen contains the “Start” button in default configuration and the mouse can move from the left monitor to the right monitor properly. Upon reboot, though, the monitor settings do not persist and the laptop monitor becomes primary and the hooked-up external monitor is secondary. How would this be made persistent using hardware profiles?