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Windows service unexpected termination logging

I want my Windows Service to log (log4net) error if the service terminates unexpectedly, i.e crashes due to any reason. I terminated the service from Windows Task Manager, checked Event Viewer i.e.
Windows logs -> System
and found error was 7034.
Update:
Here is what I tried, I used EventLog class for writing entry in Application log, which was successful. Although I want an entry to be written in case windows service crashes or terminates unexpectedly.
static int Main(string[] args)
{
try
{
// Do something here
}
catch (Exception ex)
{
if (!EventLog.SourceExists("ApplicationName"))
EventLog.CreateEventSource("ApplicationName", "WindowsService");
EventLog.WriteEntry("ApplicationName", ex.Message);
}
return -1;
}
But it didn't log anything upon crash, where should I write entry in EventLog so that it can log upon crash?

Windows Service Fails To Start Through ManagedInstallerClass But Succeeds Through InstallUtil

I have created a windows service in Visual studio 2012 (c#) that needs to be started after install. I have read so many articles and StackOverflow questions but none got it working.
In the main function, I have:
static void Main(string []args)
{
ManagedInstallerClass.InstallHelper(new string[] { Assembly.GetExecutingAssembly().Location });
}
I have registered AfterInstall event of the service.
private void serviceInstaller1_AfterInstall(object sender, InstallEventArgs e)
{
using (ServiceController sc = new ServiceController(serviceInstaller1.ServiceName))
{
sc.Start();
}
}
I'm logged in as an administrator. When I run the .exe file (as administrator), it tries to installs the service (keeps it in starting status for 2 minutes) but fails to start it. When I run in debug mode, I get an exception on sc.Start(). The log file says:
System.InvalidOperationException: An exception occurred in the OnAfterInstall event handler of System.ServiceProcess.ServiceInstaller.
The inner exception System.InvalidOperationException was thrown with the following error message: Cannot start service Database Convertor on computer '.'.
The inner exception System.ComponentModel.Win32Exception was thrown with the following error message: The service did not respond to the start or control request in a timely fashion.
I tried to change LocalService account to LocalSystem with no success.
Then I tried changing the main function too
ServiceBase[] ServicesToRun;
ServicesToRun = new ServiceBase[]
{
new Service1()
};
ServiceBase.Run(ServicesToRun);
and when I installutil convertor.exe, it successfully installs and starts the service (but I need to start it through the program).
Why it starts the service when installing through installutil and why it throws an exception when I manually call installhelper?

Try removing everything in the OnStart function in the service and see if it starts successfully, if it starts then debug the onStart function (You can user Debugger.Attach())
Best of luck

Console exe is not exiting some times?

I have a very simple console exe application. This application will be executed by Windows Server R2 Task Scheduler after every 15 minutes. This was working fine for a long period of time but since last 2 days the application is not exiting some times. The problem is that Task Scheduler will never run the application again unless the previous started application exit. Here is my application code,
static void Main(string[] args)
{
MyService.Process();
}
internal static void Process()
{
try
{
Logger.Log("Starting Service");
// Synchronous Work
Logger.Log("Ending Service");
}
catch (Exception ex)
{
Logger.Log("Unknown error occured: " + ex.Message);
}
}
When I check the log file I am seeing these lines at the end of file,
Starting Service
--------------------------
Ending Service
The Task Scheduler in Windows Server 2008 R2 showing me memory = 480), CPU = 0 and Threads = 1. What can be the possible cause that forbid the exe to exit. Also, note that it only happens some times. My application creates, moves, delete some files/directories using File and Directory class and send some data to server using WebClient.UploadValues

Windows Service not running after installing

I have created a windows service to send mail when service is started. The service works fine like it sends mail when i debug the service and run it via code. But the service is not working after i install it. It is not sending any mail after i install the service.
Can anyone please suggest me the solution?

There is an excellent chance that the service lacks permission to perform one or more actions when run as a service account.
Check the Windows Event Log for any related error messages. As a test, you can configure your service to run as the same user you log on with (just to make sure the issue is permission based... do NOT leave that configuration active as it is a major security hole).

Debugging service is a bit difficult.
use try..catch block with writing messages to file in every method; for example
try
{
..
}
catch(Exception ex)
{
SaveMessage(ex.ToString());
}
Save message method would be:
static void SaveMessage(string s)
{
StreamWriter sw = new StreamWriter(#"C:\service_exceptions_file.txt", true);
sw.WriteLine(s);
sw.Close();
}
Then you will see where is the problem.
Also you can add some messages in your code via abovementioned method to see what parts of code are working without problems

In your Main() method, just add the following lines before ServiceBase.Run(ServicesToRun); :
#if DEBUG
while(!Debugger.IsAttached)
{
Thread.Sleep(1000);
}
#endif
Then install your service and launch it.
While it's launching, attach your debugger to your service's process (Debug Menu => Attach to process) and you should be able to debug it.
Don't forget to set your breakpoints before launching your service.

Handle exception on service startup

I'm writing a series of Windows services. I want them to fail if errors are thrown during startup (in OnStart() method). I had assumed that merely throwing an error in OnStart() would do this, but I'm finding that instead it "Starts" and presents me with a message stating "The service has started, but is inactive. Is this correct?" (Paraphrase). How do I handle the error so it actually fails to start the service?

If the main thing you want is for the Services window to report that there was an error, from what I've tried (.NET3.5 on Windows 7), the only way to do this is by setting the ExitCode. I recommend setting it to 13816, since this results in the message, "An unknown error has occurred." See the windows error codes.
The sample below accomplishes three things.
Setting ExitCode results in a useful message for the end-user. It doesn't affect the Windows Application log but does include a message in the System log.
Calling Stop results in a "Service successfully stopped" message in the Application log.
throwing the exception results in a useful log entry in the Application log.
protected override void OnStart(string[] args) {
try {
// Start your service
}catch (Exception ex) {
// Log exception
this.ExitCode = 13816;
this.Stop();
throw;
}
}

if you are running .NET 2.0 or higher, you can use ServiceBase.Stop to stop the service from OnStart. Otherwise call Stop from a new thread.
ref [devnewsgroups] (http://www.devnewsgroups.net/group/microsoft.public.dotnet.framework/topic50404.aspx)
(news group gone)

Move all of your startup logic to a separate method, and Throw exceptions (or call OnStop) from that seperate method.
OnStart has some oddities when starting up. I have found that if OnStart() has no more than one line in it, then I dont get the "The service started and then stopped.Some services stop automatically if they have no work to do" message, and thrown exceptions will terminate the process and log to the app event log.
Also with the seperate startup method, you can use a technique like this to debug it without attaching. http://www.codeproject.com/KB/dotnet/DebugWinServices.aspx