Are there any threads on MDL where folks discuss configuring Windows 10 to run with a minimal number of processes?
My VM for online purchases is pretty minimal, removed everything I wont ever use but left defender since updates reinstall it anyway. After letting it sit for a few minutes it looks like it settles out at 63. This is 19042.610.
I'm just getting started so I don't have a number to report yet. Thanks for providing a target to start us off with. Another point of reference is Gandalf's Win10PE x64 Redstone 3 boot disc. This is 16299.15 and shortly after boot there are 46 processes running. For my purposes, boot discs based on PE don't count. It's just a useful data point. I'm initially focusing on Windows 10 Pro. And that reminds me, let's also specify the edition of Windows we are reporting on.
Ripping out security stuff reduces things a lot but all of that comes back when you update so I don't bother.