Talk:Windows service

Allow service to interace with desktop

"Although typically services do not have a user interface, developers can add forms and other UI components."

The article discourages allowing services to interact with services, however Microsoft says:

"Important Services cannot directly interact with a user as of Windows Vista. Therefore, the techniques mentioned in the section titled Using an Interactive Service should not be used in new code." (quote)

Also this feature won't be in future versions of Microsoft (if it is not gone already) I prefer inserting something regarding that this techniques should not be used in new code. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 213.8.79.137 (talk) 08:38, 5 July 2011 (UTC)

LocalService / LocalSystem

Isn't it the LocalSystem account that has administrative privileges on the system? The LocalService account on the other hand, has minimum privileges much like a restricted user:

http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms686005.aspx

Yeah. Does the article say otherwise? I will take a look. --soum ^talk 11:14, 15 July 2007 (UTC)

Justification

• Windows Services equivalents in the unix operating system are well documented. There appear to be no such articles for Windows Services. A description of main Windows services (for the most recent versions of the OS) along with an explanation of their use are valuable information of encyclopedic nature. This would hopefully drag the interest of other specialists of the OS in order to improve the knowledge base on Windows services (and help a lot of Windows users...)

• The external link to BlackViper.com provides exactly what you are asking for. Perhaps that should, or shouldn't, be within the article itself. But a discussion of each of the many services would make this article far too lengthy. I suppose it's up to the Computing WikiProject to decide whether it's worthwhile to have an article on each service. But pointing people to BlackViper.com (a non-commercial, non-profit site, which avoids the objections expressed by this IP editor) serves the need economically. Unimaginative Username (talk) 04:46, 13 February 2009 (UTC)

External Links

I see a lot of bias in the external link section... Really not much else to say, other than corporate bodies taking advantage of Wikipedia. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 70.69.127.67 (talk) 00:52, 5 January 2007 (UTC).

Update Permissions and Implementation Section?

This section seems to be somewhat out of date with respect to modern Windows operating systems. For example, LocalSystem is much more rarely used, favoring LocalService and NetworkService instead, which do not have administrative rights like LocalSystem does. Also, C:\WINNT is no longer the default path. This section looks to be circa NT or Windows 2000. Anybody have more recent sources to cite for a more up-to-date section here? -- Thx1200 14:43, 20 April 2007 (UTC)

Running on startup

"A Windows service is an application that starts when the Microsoft Windows operating system is booted and runs in the background as long as Windows is running."

Windows services do not necessarily start with the system. If the startup type is set to manual, the service will not start with all the services set to automatic but needs to be started manually. I don't really know enough to edit the article though. Just a thought I had. Geekosaurus 12:46, 28 August 2007 (UTC)

What are services used for?

I think it would be nice if someone adds more information about that. What can a programmer do by writing a service, that cannot be done by other means? And what are the advantages of using services? Can I modify the way the Windows kernel works and write for example a virus scanner... Thanks in advance.--Lefter 10:33, 13 February 2008 (UTC)

There is nothing a service can do what a regular application cannot do. It just provides a better way to do certain tasks. If a task requires to be running in the background for very long times with very limited user interaction needed, it is a very good idea to implement it as a service. If it were an application, an user would have to log-in, then start up the application before it will run (in general). But with a service it can auto-start, as well as run even when no user is logged on. Also, applications run under an user account gets all the privileges the user account has (which is generally quite permissive) but service accounts are more limited. So implications of a security flaw are less severe for a service.

As for doing kernel level stuff, both apps as well as services will need a kernel mode driver, the Windows API provides different interfaces for that. However, patching the kernel is a very bad idea security wise, coz if your app is breached, the kernel is reached. And if the attackers have access to the kernel, its game over. In fact, Vista x64 onwards it is disallowed. --soum ^talk 15:10, 12 March 2008 (UTC)

System services

From what I can tell, there are two kinds of services in Windows. Those already discussed, and the system services, which show up in Device Manager, when hidden devices are shown, and frequently start at boot time (i. e. together with base drivers). KSecDD is an example. Should that be added? --MushroomCloud (talk) 00:09, 25 February 2009 (UTC)

Startup Types

I came here wondering what the difference between "Manual" and "Disabled" startup types might be. I find the former means "...starts only when explicitly summoned.".

Summoned by whom or what? The etymological root of Manual (manus, -ūs) is hand, so does manual mean a human hand must "summon" (start) the service, or does manual mean running code can start it? And if the first (a person must start the service), than how is manual different from disabled (a state that, I suspect, can be manually altered)? (This - the distinction between manual and disabled - is the reason I came here.) Can someone put this in the active voice (to be explicit about the who or what), and perhaps use the verb "start"?

While I'm in complaint mode, the list of startup types is introduced with "...startup types include:". That isn't the same as "...startup types are". So is the list exhaustive, or are there some other, perhaps obscure, startup types? Captain Puget (talk) 02:17, 23 February 2015 (UTC)

Hi.

I'll go over you questions point by point.

• "Summoned by whom or what?" Whoever. Actually, whoever that can do it. Basically, anyone sit behind a computer and tell it to do something.
• "The etymological root of Manual..." That's between you and Microsoft. They called it "manual"; in all the fairness, Wikipedia can do nothing about it.
• "...how is manual different from disabled...?" Imagine a locked door: It doesn't open. You can unlock it. It will then open because it is not locked. Likewise, disabled services can't start. You can enable them; i.e. set them to automatic or manual; they will start then, because they are not disabled. You seem to have grasped the subject perfectly. I can't expand the door analogy to "Automatic" services; that'd need a kind of door that opens as soon as you come home.

You are right about "include". Please be my guest!

Best regards,

Codename Lisa (talk) 14:50, 27 February 2015 (UTC)

P.S. Captain Puget, if you had any other question, please don't hesitate to ask. Codename Lisa (talk) 14:52, 27 February 2015 (UTC)