›› Windows Services FAQ

Below is a list of some of the most frequently asked questions about Windows Services. Just click on any one of the links below to see the response.

• What in the heck is a Windows Service anyway?
• How are services and programs different since some programs I use, like spyware protection software, begin running as soon as I boot up my computer?
• Why should I care about my Windows Services if I never see them?
• Should I change my services from the default for security or performance sake?
• Which Windows Services are unneccessary?
• How do I access my Windows Services?
• What do all of the heading columns mean in the services control panel?
• How do I find specific information about each individual service?
• What do the values under the General tab of the service properties dialog mean?
• What do the values under the Log On tab of the service properties dialog mean?
• What do the values under the Recovery tab of the service properties dialog mean?
• What do the values under the Dependencies tab of the service properties dialog mean?
• How do I disable a service that Windows has turned on by default?
• What are differences among the various startup types: Automatic, Manual, and Disabled?
• What should I do if my services keep crashing?
• Why do I see svchost.exe show up so often as the executable file name for multiple services?
• How do I manually control my Windows Services outside of the Service Control Panel?
• What if I uninstall a Windows Service-based application, but it still shows up in the Service Control Panel?

Please feel free to contact us if you have additional questions that have not been answered here, and we'll do our best to try and get you an answer.

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