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How do I uninstall a .NET Windows Service if the service files do not exist anymore?
I installed a .NET Windows Service using InstallUtil. I have since deleted the files but forgot to run
InstallUtil /u first, so the service is still listed in the Services MMC.
Do I have to go into the registry? Or is there a better way?
You have at least three options. I have presented them in order of usage preference.
Method 1 – You can use the SC tool (Sc.exe) included in the Resource Kit. (included with Windows 7/8)
Open a Command Prompt and enter
Tool help snippet follows:
Method 2 – use delserv
Download and use delserv command line utility. This is a legacy tool developed for Windows 2000. In current Window XP boxes this was superseded by sc described in method 1.
Method 3 – manually delete registry entries (Note that this backfires in Windows 7/8)
Windows services are registered under the following registry key.
Search for the sub-key with the service name under referred key and delete it. (and you might need to restart to remove completely the service from the Services list)