When I configure a minimal Server (unselecting any role in SCW) I still have quite a number of (obscure) services running or set up as manual.
Requirements in my project say that the Server shall only run well-motivated services, i.e. services that are essential to the custom application running on the server.
I have been looking for official Microsoft documents saying Don't mess with the default services or else you have an unstable system. But the best I found was the STIG listing baseline services. Old rumour has it that it is not a good idea to randomly disable seemingly unneeded services (Disabled Print hindered Update, problems when disabling RPC service) and see if the system still works. Also, given that there are 30+ services, fully testing the system, including software update scenarios, would be a daunting task.
How can I achieve a minimal working system with only services that are truly needed?