Just like Windows XP, Vista ships with all kinds of services enabled that load at startup and may never be used by most users.
To see what loads at startup and disable the ones you likely won't be needing (they can always be started manually later):

Click Start then Control Panel
Select Administrative Tools
Choose System Configuration
Click the Services Tab
You can safely deselect:
Offline Files (unless you're using Offline File Sync)
Tablet PC Input Service (unless you have a tablet PC)
Terminal Services
Windows Search (If you have already disabled indexing)
Fax (unless you're using a fax modem)
*You can also control Windows Vista strartup programs very easily with RegCure: Download Now

10. Disable Excess Windows Features

Windows ships with other features that are listed separately in the Vista operating system from the startup services.
You can view and disable these features by:

Clicking Start then Control Panel
Select Program Features
On the left panel, select Turn Windows Features on or off
You can safely deselect:
Indexing Service
Remote Differential Compression
Tablet PC Optional Components
Windows DFS Replication Service
Windows Fax & Scan (unless you use a modem for faxing)
Windows Meeting Space (unless you use the Live Meeting Service)