How To Check Windows Service Event Log

A windows service, designed to run "headless" and unattended in the groundwork, cannot easily utilize conventional popup windows to written report its activities as a user may not fifty-fifty be logged on. Instead, a service is encouraged to send important advice to the Windows Event Log – an authoritative utility that collects and stores messages and events. Once recorded, these messages tin be very helpful in troubleshooting issues, for example when a service stops unexpectedly or when information technology fails to commencement at all.

Viewing Events from Windows Services

Employ Microsoft's Event Viewer to see messages written to the Upshot Log. Commencement the awarding by clicking on the Start push button and typing in Event Viewer, or from the Control Console (search for it by name). The somewhat cluttered window should come up upward after a few seconds:

The left hand side shows a tree group the diverse logs captured on your machine. The events from Windows Services (and other applications running on your PC) are filed under Windows Logs > Application . Navigate to that section to load the events in the center of the window, with the entire list in the top and details of the highlighted event underneath:

Messages from your windows service volition accept the display name of the service in the Source column.

Important Components of an Event

The Event Viewer shows over x pieces of information associated with each event, including:

Level – How important is this event?
Each consequence is classified into i of iii categories:

Data: An informative yet unimportant upshot. Y'all will probably see a lot of these, and they tin be safely ignored unless you lot are digging into a specific issue from an awarding or service.

Warning: A moderately of import effect. These don't necessarily signify a failure, and your software will probably limp along, but they should be reviewed regularly to see if anything mentioned tin exist resolved.

Error: Indicates a critical problem or failure that may deserve your immediate attention!
Date and Time – When did this event occur?
Source – Which application reported this effect?
Every bit mentioned earlier, an event written past a Windows Service will contain the service's display name as the Source.
Description – Which happened?
The total description shown prominently in the lower pane will (hopefully) provide the relevant details of the event.

For case, this information event is from the Interactive Services detection service ("UI0Detect") reporting that Notepad is showing itself in Session 0:

**Viewing Events nigh Windows Services**

While the Application log keeps rail of events from a running service, the Windows Logs > System area records when services are started, stopped, crash or neglect to start. Wait for events with the Source set to Service Control Manager (SCM). For instance, hither is the SCM telling u.s.a. that the Windows Print Spooler service has crashed:

Viewing Events from AlwaysUp and Service Protector

Both AlwaysUp and Service Protector write messages to the Application section of the upshot logs ( Windows Logs > Application ).

For AlwaysUp, events from your application named "My Awarding" will exist logged with Source set to My Application (managed by AlwaysUpService). The Upshot Log Messages Folio lists and explains the events reported.

For Service Protector, events related to your service named "MyService" will have a Source of ServiceProtector: MyService.

And for both applications, events related to the starting and stopping of the underlying services themselves announced in the Windows Logs > Organisation section. Look there if you lot have a problem with AlwaysUp itself failing to start at kick.