windows service with GUI

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Hi,
I have created a windows service. In this windows service I have done Process.Start() for my windows form based GUI application. When i start the service after installation, I can see the process running in my windows task manager but can't see the GUI of the windows form application.

Please help!

Posted 15-Aug-11 21:48pm

Member 7797800

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5 solutions

Solution 1

That's because the service is running as LocalService, NetworkService or LocalSystem and neither of those has an interactive desktop or can access the user desktop. A service also isn't supposed to have a user interface. You could create another process that can be executed by the active user and communicates with the service and provides a GUI interface for the service.

As side note, you can create an interactive service but it is not without warning. You can look at the link below for more info on this but it would be better to communicate with the service instead of adding a user interface to it.
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms683502%28v=vs.85%29.aspx[^]

Communicate with windows services:
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa288037%28v=vs.71%29.aspx[^]

Good luck!

Posted 15-Aug-11 21:55pm

E.F. Nijboer

Updated 15-Aug-11 21:59pm

v2

Solution 4

Hi. What version of Windows are you running? It is relatively easy to see the GUI of a service (on the "console" session) on Windows 2000, XP and Server 2003, but the situation changed dramatically in Windows Vista (and beyond). Microsoft's "Session Zero Isolation"[^] security enhancements have relegated any GUI elements from a Windows Service to a special desktop that no user is allowed to log in to, making it a giant pain for Windows Services to show windows and tray icons.

BTW, we will be discussing this point in our recently-started Windows FAQ so check back for some more discussion in the coming weeks:
http://www.coretechnologies.com/WindowsServices/FAQ.html[^]

Good luck.

Posted 16-Aug-11 6:24am

Howard Robinson

Solution 3

You can not use an interface for the service. They are just the DLL files running in the background, and performing some task..

Posted 16-Aug-11 5:21am

Harmanjeet Singh

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Member 7797800 · Accepted Answer · 2011-08-17T23:58:00

hi,
i know we can't have a GUI for windows service.
and so I have created my GUI based windows application.
then i have called this exe file of the windows app in my windows service.
when i start my service after deploying i was unable to see the GUI of window app running. but now i have set the properties of service in administrative tools -> services -> right click -> goto properties -> under Log On tab check allow to interact with desktop.

So my problem is solved now . I can see the GUI of windows app running through service.

thanks for your responses :)

Member 7797800 · Accepted Answer · 2011-08-15T23:26:00

Solution 2

this can be done by setting the properties of service in administrative tools -> services -> right click your service -> goto properties -> under Log On tab check allow to interact with desktop.

Posted 15-Aug-11 23:26pm

Member 7797800