What is the timeout for starting a windows service?

Question

I have deployed my windows service (using independently installer class and SC.EXE), but I get an error when I try to start it:

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Services
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Could not start the MyName service on Local Computer.



Error 1053: The service did not respond to the start or control request in a timely fashion.

What is the timeout? It felt like around 3 secs. What do I need to do if my service takes longer?

Answer 1

In your service class, use ServiceBase.RequestAdditionalTime() in your OnStart/OnStop method:

// request an additional 4 seconds to complete the operation
RequestAdditionalTime(4000);  

Answer 2

The normal way of creating a service is to have the startup code create a new thread, and run your service in that thread.

The service startup should be nearly instantaneous - nothing more than spawning a new thread with your "real" work in it.

If you're taking more than three seconds, that's a sign that you're doing the real work in your main thread, and not creating a separate one for your service.

Answer 3

In regards to the specific question, the exact timeout varies, but is less than 30 seconds. You can control the default startup timeout for a service via a registry key, you can see how to do this here.

However, I will agree with many others that I would look at two possible options.

1. Get your service started ASAP, spawn a thread, etc..
2. If you cannot go with option one, you can use RequestAdditionalTime(). Just be sure to make this call early on.