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Display Name (?):

IMAPI CD-Burning COM Service

Short Name (?):

IMAPIService

Executable (?):

imapi.exe

Library (?):

None.

Depends On (?):

None.

Supports (?):

None.

Description (?):

Manages CD recording using Image Mastering Applications Programming Interface (IMAPI). If this service is stopped, this computer will be unable to record CDs. If this service is disabled, any services that explicitly depend on it will fail to start.

OS (?):

XP Home/Professional, Vista Home/Business, Server 2003, Vista Server

Startup (?):

Default	Home	Workstation	Server	Minimal	Tweaked	Automatic
Manual	Manual	Disabled	Disabled	Disabled	Disabled	Disabled

Explanation (?):

The IMAPI CD-burning COM service is used to provide OS specific support for CD creation and modification. Using the image mastering applications programming interface (IMAPI) Windows will be able to drag and drop files to CDs natively without the need for 3rd party applications. This feature set can be extended with the use of the WinXP PowerToy ISO Burner that you can download from Microsoft's website.

Normally most people will want to use 3rd party software for CD burning, such as Ahead's Nero or Roxio's Easy CD Creator. If this is the case then the IMAPI service is not needed. However, it is possible for even a 3rd party application to interface with this service so it is possible you need it even when not using Microsoft's standard support. If you do wish to use this service though make sure to apply all the patches from Microsoft to ensure proper compatability with your CD burner.

If you do not wish to use this service it can safely be set to disabled. This is especially true if you do not own a CDR, CDRW, DVD-R/RW, DVD-RAM or DVD+R/RW drive. But, the automatic state for this service is manual which means it will only be started when needed, so it makes the most sense to leave this service as is to ensure proper Windows compliance at no loss of resources.