Can't start Windows service with WiX

Question

I have the following WiX project to install my service:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<Wix xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/wix/2006/wi">
  <Product Id="GUID" Name="SetupWinService" Language="1049"
           Version="1.0.0.0" Manufacturer="SetupWinService"
           UpgradeCode="GUID">
    <Package InstallerVersion="200" Compressed="yes"
             Languages="1049" SummaryCodepage="1251"
             InstallPrivileges="elevated"/>

    <Media Id="1" Cabinet="media1.cab" EmbedCab="yes" />

    <Directory Id="TARGETDIR" Name="SourceDir">
      <Directory Id="ProgramFilesFolder">
        <Directory Id="WinService" Name="My Windows Service">
        </Directory>
      </Directory>
    </Directory>

    <DirectoryRef Id="WinService">
      <Component Id="WinServiceInstallation" Guid="GUID">
        <File Id="ClientService.exe"
              Name="ClientService.exe"
              Source="...\ClientService.exe"
              Vital="yes" KeyPath="yes" DiskId="1"/>
        <File Id="App.config"
              Name="App.config"
              Source="...\App.config"
              Vital="yes" KeyPath="no" DiskId="1"/>

            <!--And some DLLs here-->

        <ServiceInstall Id="ServiceInstaller"
                        Type="ownProcess"
                        Vital="yes"
                        Name="WcfServiceHost"
                        DisplayName="WcfServiceHost"
                        Description="Hosts Wcf Service"
                        Start="auto"
                        Account="LocalSystem"
                        ErrorControl="ignore"
                        Interactive="no">
        </ServiceInstall>
        <ServiceControl Id="StartService" Name="WcfServiceHost"
                        Start="install" Stop="uninstall" Remove="uninstall"
                        Wait="yes" />
      </Component>
    </DirectoryRef>

    <Feature Id="Complete" Title="SetupWinService" Level="1">
      <ComponentRef Id="WinServiceInstallation" />
      <ComponentGroupRef Id="Product.Generated" />
    </Feature>
  </Product>
</Wix>

I can install my service, but I can't start it after installing. It tells:

Service failed to start. Verify that you have sufficient privileges to start system services.

But I run my installer as administrator (Windows 7 Professional) and also disable UAC. Furthermore, I can install and run the service with instalutil.exe through command prompt (my service project includes realization of Installer class and in general is marked up according to this article), and all works fine with the service in that case.

If I replace Wait="yes" of the ServiceControl element to "no", the service installs without errors, but it does not start. I also can't start the service manually in that case, because the service starts and immediately stops with message "service on Local Computer started and then stopped. Some services stop automatically if they have no work to do".

I searched about this problem on the Internet, but I didn't find any solutions.

How do I fix it?

That is the code of my Installer class:

[RunInstaller(true)]
public class ProjectInstaller : Installer
{
    private ServiceProcessInstaller serviceProcessInstaller;
    private ServiceInstaller serviceInstaller;

    public ProjectInstaller()
    {
        this.serviceProcessInstaller = new ServiceProcessInstaller();
        this.serviceProcessInstaller.Account = ServiceAccount.LocalSystem;
        this.serviceProcessInstaller.Username = null;
        this.serviceProcessInstaller.Password = null;
        this.serviceInstaller = new ServiceInstaller();
        this.serviceInstaller.ServiceName = "ClientServicesHost";
        this.serviceInstaller.StartType = ServiceStartMode.Automatic;
        this.Installers.Add(serviceProcessInstaller);
        this.Installers.Add(serviceInstaller);
        this.AfterInstall +=
                new InstallEventHandler(ProjectInstaller_AfterInstall);
    }

    void ProjectInstaller_AfterInstall(object sender, InstallEventArgs e)
    {
        ServiceController sc = new ServiceController("ClientServicesHost");
        sc.Start();
    }
}

And my Windows service:

class WindowsClientService : ServiceBase
{
    public ServiceHost serviceHost = null;

    public WindowsClientService()
    {
        this.ServiceName = "WcfServiceHost";
    }

    public static void Main()
    {
        ServiceBase.Run(new WindowsClientService());
    }

    protected override void OnStart(string[] args)
    {
        if (serviceHost != null)
        {
            serviceHost.Close();
        }

        // Create a ServiceHost for WcfClientService type
        // and provide the base address.
        serviceHost = new ServiceHost(typeof(WcfClientService));

        // Open the ServiceHost to create listeners
        // and start listening for messages.
        serviceHost.Open();
    }

    protected override void OnStop()
    {
        if (serviceHost != null)
        {
            serviceHost.Close();
            serviceHost = null;
        }
    }
}

I was pointed out that the reason of my service automatically stops - it does nothing after start. Can it be? My service creates listeners and starts listening - is that "does nothing"?

Answer 1

I had the same issue using WiX 3.7.821.0 and my service. It installed for a while and the same annoying "Service failed to start. Verify that you have sufficient privileges to start system services" appeared.

I tried a lot, but the final thing was to use two sections for <ServiceControl> instead of trying to cram all in a single one. One for Start and one for Stop. Now the service starts fine.

This does not work:

<ServiceControl Id="StartService" 
                Start="install" 
                Stop="both" 
                Remove="uninstall" 
                Name="MyService" 
                Wait="yes" />

This works:

<ServiceControl Id="ServiceControl_Start"
                Name="MyService"
                Start="install"
                Wait="no" />
<ServiceControl Id="ServiceControl_Stop"
                Name="MyService"
                Stop="both"
                Remove="uninstall"
                Wait="yes" />