The standard interface for the Windows 7 services is
the Services snap-in, which you can load by using any of the following
techniques:
Select Start, type services.msc, and press Enter.
Select Start, Control Panel, All Control Panel Items, Administrative Tools, Services.
Select Start, right-click Computer, click Manage, and then select the Services and Applications, Services branch.
The
Services snap-in that appears displays a list of the installed
services, and for each service, it displays the name of the service and
a brief description, the current status of the service (Started,
Paused, or blank for a stopped service), the service’s startup type
(such as Automatic or Manual), and the name of the system account that
the service uses to logs on at startup. When you select a service, the
Extended tab of the taskpad view shows the service name and description
and offers links to control the service status (such as Start, Stop, or
Restart). Figure 1 shows an example.
To change the status of a service, select it and then use one of the following techniques:
To start a stopped service, either click the Start link in the taskpad or click the Start Service toolbar button.
To stop a running service, either click the Stop link in the taskpad or click the Stop Service toolbar button.
To
pause a running service, either click the Pause link in the taskpad or
click the Start Service toolbar button. (Note that only a few services
support the Pause task.)
To resume a paused service, either click the Restart link in the taskpad or click the Restart Service toolbar button.
Note
If
a service is started but it has no Stop link and the Stop toolbar
button is disabled, it means the service is essential to Windows 7 and
can’t be stopped. Examples of essential services include DCOM Server
Process Launcher, Group Policy Client, Plug and Play, Remote Procedure
Call (RPC), and Security Accounts Manager.
Caution
It’s
possible that a service might be dependent on one or more other
services, and if those services aren’t running, the dependent service
will not work properly. If you stop a service that has dependent
services, Windows 7 also stops the dependents. However, when you
restart the main service, Windows 7 may not start the dependent
services as well. You need to start those services by hand. To see
which services depend on a particular service, double-click that
service to open its property sheet, and then display the Dependencies
tab.
To change the way a service starts when you boot Windows 7, follow these steps:
1. | Double-click the service you want to work with to open its property sheet. Figure 2 shows an example.
|
2. | In the General tab, use the Startup Type list to select one of the following types:
- Automatic— The service starts automatically when Windows 7 boots. The service is started before the logon screen appears.
- Automatic (Delayed Start)— The service starts automatically when Windows 7 boots. The service does not start until you log on.
- Manual— The service does not start when Windows 7 boots. You must start the service yourself.
- Disabled— The service does not start when Windows 7 boots, and you can’t start the service manually.
|
3. | Click OK.
|
Note
If
the Startup Type list is disabled, it means the service is essential to
Windows 7 and must be started automatically when the system boots.
Tip
If
you make changes to service startup types and you find your system is
unstable or causing problems, the best thing to do is return each
service to its default startup type.
