What is the "Hyper-V Heartbeat Service (vmicheartbeat)" system service on Windows Server 2008? Can I disable "Hyper-V Heartbeat Service"?

"Hyper-V Heartbeat Service (vmicheartbeat)" is a Windows Server 2008 service that monitors the state of this virtual machine by reporting a heartbeat at regular intervals. This service helps you identify running virtual machines that have stopped responding.

Detailed information on "Hyper-V Heartbeat Service" service:

Service name: vmicheartbeat
Display name: Hyper-V Heartbeat Service
Execution command: 
   C:\Windows\System32\svchost.exe -k ICService
Dependencies: None

"Hyper-V Heartbeat Service" service is provided by the svchost.exe program, see "svchost.exe Executable Program on Windows Server 2008" for details.

Disabling "Hyper-V Heartbeat Service" service should not cause any issues on running Windows Server 2008. If you are not running Windows 2012 Server on a virtual machine, you can disable "Hyper-V Heartbeat Service" to improve system performance and security.

⇒List of Services on Windows Server 2008

⇒⇒Windows Server 2008 Tutorials