Stop and Start a service via batch or cmd file?

Windows Problem Overview

How can I script a bat or cmd to stop and start a service reliably with error checking (or let me know that it wasn't successful for whatever reason)?

Windows Solutions

Solution 1 - Windows

Use the SC (service control) command, it gives you a lot more options than just start & stop.

DESCRIPTION:
SC is a command line program used for communicating with the
NT Service Controller and services.
USAGE:
sc <server> [command] [service name]  ...
  The option &lt;server&gt; has the form "\\ServerName"
  Further help on commands can be obtained by typing: "sc [command]"
  Commands:
    query-----------Queries the status for a service, or
                    enumerates the status for types of services.
    queryex---------Queries the extended status for a service, or
                    enumerates the status for types of services.
    start-----------Starts a service.
    pause-----------Sends a PAUSE control request to a service.
    interrogate-----Sends an INTERROGATE control request to a service.
    continue--------Sends a CONTINUE control request to a service.
    stop------------Sends a STOP request to a service.
    config----------Changes the configuration of a service (persistant).
    description-----Changes the description of a service.
    failure---------Changes the actions taken by a service upon failure.
    qc--------------Queries the configuration information for a service.
    qdescription----Queries the description for a service.
    qfailure--------Queries the actions taken by a service upon failure.
    delete----------Deletes a service (from the registry).
    create----------Creates a service. (adds it to the registry).
    control---------Sends a control to a service.
    sdshow----------Displays a service's security descriptor.
    sdset-----------Sets a service's security descriptor.
    GetDisplayName--Gets the DisplayName for a service.
    GetKeyName------Gets the ServiceKeyName for a service.
    EnumDepend------Enumerates Service Dependencies.

  The following commands don't require a service name:
  sc &lt;server&gt; &lt;command&gt; &lt;option&gt;
    boot------------(ok | bad) Indicates whether the last boot should
                    be saved as the last-known-good boot configuration
    Lock------------Locks the Service Database
    QueryLock-------Queries the LockStatus for the SCManager Database

EXAMPLE:
sc start MyService

Solution 2 - Windows

net start [serviceName]

and

net stop [serviceName]

tell you whether they have succeeded or failed pretty clearly. For example

U:\>net stop alerter
The Alerter service is not started.

More help is available by typing NET HELPMSG 3521.

If running from a batch file, you have access to the ERRORLEVEL of the return code. 0 indicates success. Anything higher indicates failure.

As a bat file, error.bat:

@echo off
net stop alerter
if ERRORLEVEL 1 goto error
exit
:error
echo There was a problem
pause

The output looks like this:

U:\>error.bat
The Alerter service is not started.

More help is available by typing NET HELPMSG 3521.

There was a problem
Press any key to continue . . .

Return Codes

 - 0 = Success
 - 1 = Not Supported
 - 2 = Access Denied
 - 3 = Dependent Services Running
 - 4 = Invalid Service Control
 - 5 = Service Cannot Accept Control
 - 6 = Service Not Active
 - 7 = Service Request Timeout
 - 8 = Unknown Failure
 - 9 = Path Not Found
 - 10 = Service Already Running
 - 11 = Service Database Locked
 - 12 = Service Dependency Deleted
 - 13 = Service Dependency Failure
 - 14 = Service Disabled
 - 15 = Service Logon Failure
 - 16 = Service Marked For Deletion
 - 17 = Service No Thread
 - 18 = Status Circular Dependency
 - 19 = Status Duplicate Name
 - 20 = Status Invalid Name
 - 21 = Status Invalid Parameter 
 - 22 = Status Invalid Service Account
 - 23 = Status Service Exists
 - 24 = Service Already Paused

Edit 20.04.2015

Return Codes:
> The NET command does not return the documented Win32_Service class return codes (Service Not Active,Service Request Timeout, etc) and for many errors will simply return Errorlevel 2.

Look here: http://ss64.com/nt/net_service.html

Solution 3 - Windows

You can use the NET START command and then check the ERRORLEVEL environment variable, e.g.

net start [your service]
if %errorlevel% == 2 echo Could not start service.
if %errorlevel% == 0 echo Service started successfully.
echo Errorlevel: %errorlevel%

Disclaimer: I've written this from the top of my head, but I think it'll work.

Solution 4 - Windows

Instead of checking codes, this works too

net start "Apache tomcat" || goto ExitError

:End  
exit 0  

:ExitError  
echo An error has occurred while starting the tomcat services  
exit 1

Solution 5 - Windows

I have created my personal batch file for this, mine is a little different but feel free to modify as you see fit. I created this a little while ago because I was bored and wanted to make a simple way for people to be able to input ending, starting, stopping, or setting to auto. This BAT file simply requests that you input the service name and it will do the rest for you. I didn't realize that he was looking for something that stated any error, I must have misread that part. Though typically this can be done by inputting >> output.txt on the end of the line.

The %var% is just a way for the user to be able to input their own service into this, instead of having to go modify the bat file every time that you want to start/stop a different service.

If I am wrong, anyone can feel free to correct me on this.

@echo off
set /p c= Would you like to start a service [Y/N]?
  if /I "%c%" EQU "Y" goto :1
  if /I "%c%" EQU "N" goto :2
    :1	
	set /p var= Service name: 
:2 
set /p c= Would you like to stop a service [Y/N]?
  if /I "%c%" EQU "Y" goto :3
  if /I "%c%" EQU "N" goto :4
	:3	
	set /p var1= Service name:
:4
set /p c= Would you like to disable a service [Y/N]?
  if /I "%c%" EQU "Y" goto :5
  if /I "%c%" EQU "N" goto :6
	:5	
	set /p var2= Service name:
:6 
set /p c= Would you like to set a service to auto [Y/N]?
  if /I "%c%" EQU "Y" goto :7
  if /I "%c%" EQU "N" goto :10
    :7	
	set /p var3= Service name:
:10
sc start %var%
sc stop %var1%
sc config %var2% start=disabled
sc config %var3% start=auto

Solution 6 - Windows

Using the return codes from net start and net stop seems like the best method to me. Try a look at this: Net Start return codes.

Solution 7 - Windows

Syntax always gets me.... so...

Here is explicitly how to add a line to a batch file that will kill a remote service (on another machine) if you are an admin on both machines, run the .bat as an administrator, and the machines are on the same domain. The machine name follows the UNC format \myserver

sc \\ip.ip.ip.ip stop p4_1

In this case... p4_1 was both the Service Name and the Display Name, when you view the Properties for the service in Service Manager. You must use the Service Name.

For your Service Ops junkies... be sure to append your reason code and comment! i.e. '4' which equals 'Planned' and comment 'Stopping server for maintenance'

sc \\ip.ip.ip.ip stop p4_1 4 Stopping server for maintenance

Solution 8 - Windows

We'd like to think that "net stop " will stop the service. Sadly, reality isn't that black and white. If the service takes a long time to stop, the command will return before the service has stopped. You won't know, though, unless you check errorlevel.

The solution seems to be to loop round looking for the state of the service until it is stopped, with a pause each time round the loop.

But then again...

I'm seeing the first service take a long time to stop, then the "net stop" for a subsequent service just appears to do nothing. Look at the service in the services manager, and its state is still "Started" - no change to "Stopping". Yet I can stop this second service manually using the SCM, and it stops in 3 or 4 seconds.

Solution 9 - Windows

or you can start remote service with this cmd : sc \\<computer> start <service>

Solution 10 - Windows

I just used Jonas' example above and created full list of 0 to 24 errorlevels. Other post is correct that net start and net stop only use errorlevel 0 for success and 2 for failure.

But this is what worked for me:

net stop postgresql-9.1
if %errorlevel% == 2 echo Access Denied - Could not stop service
if %errorlevel% == 0 echo Service stopped successfully
echo Errorlevel: %errorlevel%

Change stop to start and works in reverse.

Solution 11 - Windows

Manual service restart is ok - services.msc has "Restart" button, but in command line both sc and net commands lacks a "restart" switch and if restart is scheduled in cmd/bat file, service is stopped and started immediately, sometimes it gets an error because service is not stopped yet, it needs some time to shut things down.

This may generate an error: sc stop sc start

It is a good idea to insert timeout, I use ping (it pings every 1 second): sc stop ping localhost -n 60 sc start

Solution 12 - Windows

Here is the Windows 10 command to start System Restore using batch :

sc config swprv start= Auto

Solution 13 - Windows

SC can do everything with services... start, stop, check, configure, and more...

Solution 14 - Windows

Sometimes you can find the stop does not work..

My SQlServer sometimes does this. Using the following commandline kills it. If you really really need your script to kill stuff that doesn't stop. I would have it do this as a last resort

taskkill /pid [pid number] /f

Solution 15 - Windows

SC
NET STOP/START
PsService
WMIC
Powershell is also easy for use option

SC and NET are already given as an anwests. PsService add some neat features but requires a download from Microsoft.

But my favorite way is with WMIC as the WQL syntax gives a powerful way to manage more than one service with one line (WMI objects can be also used through powershell/vbscript/jscript/c#).

The easiest way to use it:

wmic service MyService call StartService
wmic service MyService  call StopService

And example with WQL

wmic service where "name like '%%32Time%%' and ErrorControl='Normal'" call StartService

This will start all services that have a name containing 32Time and have normal error control.

Here are the methods you can use.

With :

wmic service get /FORMAT:VALUE

you can see the available information about the services.

Solution 16 - Windows

I am writing a windows service in C#, the stop/uninstall/build/install/start loop got too tiring. Wrote a mini script, called it reploy.bat and dropped in my Visual Studio output directory (one that has the built service executable) to automate the loop.

Just set these 3 vars

servicename : this shows up on the Windows Service control panel (services.msc)

slndir : folder (not the full path) containing your solution (.sln) file

binpath : full path (not the folder path) to the service executable from the build

NOTE: This needs to be run from the Visual Studio Developer Command Line for the msbuild command to work.

SET servicename="My Amazing Service"
SET slndir="C:dir\that\contains\sln\file"
SET binpath="C:path\to\service.exe"
SET currdir=%cd%

call net stop %servicename%
call sc delete %servicename%
cd %slndir%
call msbuild 
cd %bindir%
call sc create %servicename% binpath=%binpath%
call net start %servicename%
cd %currdir%

Maybe this helps someone :)

Solution 17 - Windows

I didn't find any of the answers above to offer a satisfactory solution so I wrote the following batch script...

:loop
net stop tomcat8 
sc query tomcat8 | find "STOPPED"
if errorlevel 1 (
  timeout 1
  goto loop
)
:loop2
net start tomcat8
sc query tomcat8 | find "RUNNING"
if errorlevel 1 (
  timeout 1
  goto loop2
)

It keeps running net stop until the service status is STOPPED, only after the status is stopped does it run net start. If a service takes a long time to stop, net stop can terminate unsuccessfully. If for some reason the service does not start successfully, it will keep attempting to start the service until the state is RUNNING.

Solution 18 - Windows

With this can start a service or program that need a service

@echo
taskkill /im service.exe /f
taskkill /im service.exe /f
set "reply=y"
set /p "reply=Restart service? [y|n]: "
if /i not "%reply%" == "y" goto :eof
cd "C:\Users\user\Desktop"
start service.lnk
sc start service
eof
exit

Content Type	Original Author	Original Content on Stackoverflow
Question	Keng	View Question on Stackoverflow
Solution 1 - Windows	Ferruccio	View Answer on Stackoverflow
Solution 2 - Windows	Bill Michell	View Answer on Stackoverflow
Solution 3 - Windows	Jonas Engström	View Answer on Stackoverflow
Solution 4 - Windows	vanval	View Answer on Stackoverflow
Solution 5 - Windows	Nathanial Wilson	View Answer on Stackoverflow
Solution 6 - Windows	ZombieSheep	View Answer on Stackoverflow
Solution 7 - Windows	ATSiem	View Answer on Stackoverflow
Solution 8 - Windows	DaveH	View Answer on Stackoverflow
Solution 9 - Windows	onionpsy	View Answer on Stackoverflow
Solution 10 - Windows	Clinton	View Answer on Stackoverflow
Solution 11 - Windows	Kuleris	View Answer on Stackoverflow
Solution 12 - Windows	djibe	View Answer on Stackoverflow
Solution 13 - Windows	Axeman	View Answer on Stackoverflow
Solution 14 - Windows	andrew pate	View Answer on Stackoverflow
Solution 15 - Windows	npocmaka	View Answer on Stackoverflow
Solution 16 - Windows	sh87	View Answer on Stackoverflow
Solution 17 - Windows	Mick	View Answer on Stackoverflow
Solution 18 - Windows	jlberlanga	View Answer on Stackoverflow