installing windows service with SC.exe or InstallUtil.exe - there is difference but which?

Question

SC.exe and InstallUtil both install/uninstall windows services. But they don't seem to work the same way.

What is the difference?

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For instance InstallUtil fails (some file or dependency not found error) while Sc create happily installs the service. Too add to the strangeness; the service doesn't show up if I run net start in the console. But it does show up in the services GUI. Variants of this happen when I try to uninstall.

I have written the service myself and earlier versions work. Dotnet3.5.

Answer 1

Yes, installing a service isn't particularly complicated. It just takes writing a handful of registry keys. You can have a look-see with Regedit.exe, navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\services.

Sc.exe can write these keys too, using the supplied command line arguments. Nevertheless, this is not the right way to do it. The point of InstallUtil.exe is that it can activate custom installation code. Code that the service author wrote. Which is not that uncommon, services tend to stuff config info in their registration keys for their own use. You'll see plenty of evidence for that when you have a look with Regedit.

Answer 2

I prefer sc.exe over installutil.exe.

InstallUtil forces you to add the dreadful ProjectInstaller class (I believe) and hardcode there the service name and service description.

InstallUtil makes it very hard to put two versions of the same service running in the same machine at the same time.

That's why I just don't use InstallUtil.exe at all. Also because of previous responses: you need it to be in your deploy package. sc.exe is already in any Windows Xp and above (I believe).