SC.exe (Resource Kit)

Service Control - Create, Create remotely, Start, Stop, Query, Delete.

syntax
      SC [\\server] [command] [service name] [OptionName=OptionValue...]

key
   server       : The machine where the service is running

   service name : The KeyName of the service, this is often but not always
                  the same as the DisplayName shown in Control Panel, Services.
                  You can get the KeyName by running: 
                     SC GetKeyName <DisplayName>

   command (display service info)

	  query          : Show status
	  queryEx        : Show extended status information.##
	  GetDisplayName : Show the DisplayName
	  GetKeyName     : Show the ServiceKeyName
	  EnumDepend     : Show Dependencies
	  qc             : Show configuration information

   command (requests to change a service)

	  start          : START a service.
	  stop           : STOP a service

	  pause          : PAUSE a service.
	  continue       : CONTINUE a service.

	  create         : Create a service. (add it to the registry)
	  config         : permanently change the service configuration
	  delete         : Delete a service (from the registry)

          control        : Send a control to a service.##
          interrogate    : Send an INTERROGATE control request to a service.##
          Qdescription   : Query the description of a service.##
          description    : Change the description of a service.##
          Qfailure       : Query the actions taken by a service upon failure.##
          failure        : Change the actions taken by a service upon failure.##
          sdShow         : Display a service's security descriptor using SDDL.##
          SdSet          : Sets a service's security descriptor using SDDL.##

   misc commands (don't require a service name)

      SC  QueryLock      : Query the LockStatus for the ServiceManager Database.
                           This will show if a service request is running

      SC  Lock           : Lock the Service Database

      SC  BOOT           : Values are {ok | bad} Indicates whether to save  
                           the last restart configuration as the `last-known-good`
                           restart configuration. ##

## Option requires Windows 2K or above

The create and config commands have several additional options
for full details just enter:
SC create
SC config

The SC command duplicates some aspects of the NET command but adds the ability to create a service and can run a query to see if a service is running, giving output something like this:

        SERVICE_NAME       : messenger
        TYPE               : 20  WIN32_SHARE_PROCESS
        STATE              : 4  RUNNING
                                (STOPPABLE,NOT_PAUSABLE,ACCEPTS_SHUTDOWN)
        WIN32_EXIT_CODE    : 0  (0x0)
        SERVICE_EXIT_CODE  : 0  (0x0)
        CHECKPOINT         : 0x0
        WAIT_HINT          : 0x0

You can pipe the output into FIND in order to retrieve specific sections of the above output e.g.

   SC query messenger | FIND "RUNNING"

In the statement above the FIND command will set the ERRORLEVEL as follows

ERRORLEVEL 0 = Running
ERRORLEVEL 1 = Stopped or Paused

The NET START command can be used in a similar way to check if a service is running:

   NET START | FIND "Service name" > nul
   IF errorlevel 1 GOTO :s_not_running

Examples:

SC GetKeyName "task scheduler"

SC GetDisplayName schedule

SC start schedule

SC query schedule

SC \\myServer CONFIG myService obj= LocalSystem password= mypassword

"There is always room at the top" - Daniel Webster

Related Commands:

NET - manage network resources
SCLIST - Display NT Services
NETSVC - Command-line Service Controller (Win 2K ResKit)
START /HIGH - Start a specified program or command.
INSTSRV - Install an NT service (run under a specific account)
DELSRV - Delete NT service
Svcmon - Monitor services and raise an alert if they stop. (Win 2K ResKit)
Svcacls - Service ACL Editor (Win 2K ResKit)
WMIC SERVICE - WMI access to services.
List of Windows Services

Q251192 - Create a Windows Service using SC
Q166819 - Control Services Remotely
Q170738 - Debugging a Windows NT Service
TechNet - Using SC.EXE to develop Windows NT Services

Equivalent Linux BASH commands:

nice - Change job scheduling priority