level 1
These results allowed us to draw several conclusions about the performance of the tested configurations:
Suspending/Terminating the Desktop Windows Manager reduces the noise. However, it also spoils the UX so it should probably be avoided unless the scenario uses no GUI at all.
Tetrane’s sample Windows VM lightening script and disabling the graphic effects is a 2/3 performance win on both instruction count and execution time.
A 1/5 to 1/4 win is further obtained by disabling memory compression, suspending/disabling some more executables and services.
more in the post.
level 1
The biggest performance win I have had, in a vmware fusion windows 10 vm, is disabling Defenders realtime engine.
While this isn’t something I could just recommend to the casual user, it does make my life more enjoyable when doing RE or Dev on my vm.
I have a desktop icon to disable it I run when I login...
level 2
You can also no longer disable defender in 2004 without resorting to extreme hackery 😔