Question

How can I start and stop a windows service from a c# Form application?

Answer 1

Add a reference to System.ServiceProcess.dll. Then you can use the ServiceController class.

// Check whether the Alerter service is started.
ServiceController sc  = new ServiceController();
sc.ServiceName = "Alerter";
Console.WriteLine("The Alerter service status is currently set to {0}", 
                   sc.Status.ToString());

if (sc.Status == ServiceControllerStatus.Stopped)
{
   // Start the service if the current status is stopped.
   Console.WriteLine("Starting the Alerter service...");
   try 
   {
      // Start the service, and wait until its status is "Running".
      sc.Start();
      sc.WaitForStatus(ServiceControllerStatus.Running);

      // Display the current service status.
      Console.WriteLine("The Alerter service status is now set to {0}.", 
                         sc.Status.ToString());
   }
   catch (InvalidOperationException)
   {
      Console.WriteLine("Could not start the Alerter service.");
   }
}