This section describes the life cycle of a Windows service using 'Google Updater' as an example. The life cycle of a service relates to 3 concepts: service program, installed service, and service process (started service).
Before trying various service related programs, let's look the life cycle of a single example service
- Google Updater Service.
1. Installing the service program - When you install any software from the Google Pack collection, like Google Desktop, or Google Toolbar,
A service program called GoogleUpdaterService.exe is installed to your hard disk located at:
"C:\Program Files\Google\Common\Google Updater".
2. Creating the installed service in registry - At the end of the installation, an "installed service" entry is added into the system registry
on your Windows system localed at:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\gusvc. The "gusvc" service is defined as "Automatic" startup type,
and linked to the service program GoogleUpdaterService.exe.
3. Starting the service and resulting a process - When you restart your Windows system, the SCM (Service Control Manager) will start service "gusvc" automatically.
This results a running process called "GoogleUpdaterService.exe" in the operating system.
4. Leaving the process running in background - While you are using your system to do your daily work, "GoogleUpdaterService.exe" is quietly running
in the background. I don't know what exactly "GoogleUpdaterService.exe" is doing on your system.
But I guess it connects to a Google Web site and checks for updates on any of the software you installed
from the Google Pack. If you trust Google developers, you can let "GoogleUpdaterService.exe" run.
5. Ending the process manually - If you want to end the running process of "GoogleUpdaterService.exe", you can use "Task Manager"
to end it. But it will be started again, when you restart your system next time.
6. Disabling the service manually - If you don't want this service "gusvc" to start "GoogleUpdaterService.exe" at the system startup time,
you can use "services.msc - Services Console" to disable "gusvc". But "gusvc" will stay in the registry
as a disabled installed service entry.
7. Deleting the service manually - If you want to delete service "gusvc" from the registry, you should use an uninstall program from Google
to remove service "gusvc". However, I don't see any uninstall program provided by Google.
So you need to use a registry editor (like regedit.exe) or a service configuration program (like mc.exe)
to remove it. But the service program is still on your hard disk.
8. Deleting the service program - If you don't want to run "GoogleUpdaterService.exe" any more in the future,
you can delete this service program using Windows Explorer.
