Knowledge Base |

# CurrentControlSet\Services Subkey Entries

Article ID: 103000

Article Last Modified on 12/11/2006

APPLIES TO

- Microsoft Windows NT Advanced Server 3.1
- Microsoft Windows NT Workstation 3.1
- Microsoft Windows NT Advanced Server 3.1

This article was previously published under Q103000

## SUMMARY

This article contains registry entries for the CurrentControlSet\Services subkeys. There are no subgroups.

## MORE INFORMATION

### CurrentControlSet\Services Subkeys

    The Services subkeys under the following registry path contain parameters
    for the device drivers, file system drivers, and Win32 service drivers:

    HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services

    The name of each Services subkey is the name of the service, which is also
    the root of the name of the file from which the service is loaded. For
    example, for the serial mouse, the service name and Services subkey name is
    Sermouse. The file from which this is loaded is:

    SystemRoot\SYSTEM32\DRIVERS\SERMOUSE.SYS.

    All service names are defined under:

         HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE.

    The names of the Windows NT built-in network services such as the Alerter
    and Browser services are defined under the Microsoft\Windows
    NT\CurrentVersion subkey in the Software area of the Registry.

    Each Services key can have additional subkeys. Many services have a Linkage
    subkey, which provides data for binding network components, as described in
    "Linkage Subkey Entries for Network Components," in the article "Network
    Adapter Cards Entries, PART 1." Many services also have a Parameters subkey
    that contains entries defined by the service with values for configuring
    the specific service.

    Values for Parameters subkeys and other service-specific entries are
    described in these articles:

    Network Adapter Cards Entries
    Device Drivers Entries
    Network Services Entries

    The following standard value entries appear for each Services subkey:

    ErrorControl     REG_DWORD     Error constant
    Specifies the level of error control for the service as follows:

    Error Control  Meaning
    Level

    0x3 (Critical) Fail the attempted system startup.
                   If the startup is not using the
                   LastKnownGood control set, switch to
                   LastKnownGood. If the startup attempt
                   is using LastKnownGood, run a bug-check
                   routine.

    0x2 (Severe)   If the startup is not using the
                   LastKnownGood control set, switch to
                   LastKnownGood. If the startup attempt
                   is using LastKnownGood, continue on
                   in case of error.

    0x1 (Normal)   If the driver fails to load or initialize,
                   startup should proceed, but display a
                   warning.

    0x0 (Ignore)   If the driver fails to load or initialize,
                   start up proceeds. No warning is displayed.

    Group     REG_SZ     Group name
    Specifies the name of the group of which the particular service is a
    member.
    Default: (null)

    DependOnGroup     REG_MULTI_SZ     Group name
    Specifies zero or more group names. If one or more groups is listed, at
    least one service from the named group must be loaded before this service
    is loaded.
    Default: (empty)

    DependOnService     REG_MULTI_SZ     Service name
    Specifies zero or more Services subkey names. If a service is listed here,
    that named service must be loaded before this service is loaded.
    Default: (empty)

    ImagePath     REG_DWORD     Path and filename
    Specifies a path name. For adapters, this value is ignored.
    Default: For a driver:

         systemroot\SYSTEM32\DRIVERS\driverName.SYS

    For a service:

         systemroot\SYSTEM32\serviceName.EXE

    (where driverName or serviceName is the same as the related Services subkey
    name)

    ObjectName     REG_DWORD     Object name
    Specifies an object name. If Type specifies a WIN32 Service, this name is
    the account name that the service will use to log on when the service runs.
    If Type specifies a Kernel driver or file system driver, this name is the
    Windows NT driver object name that the I/O Manager uses to load the device
    driver.
    Default: subkeyName

    Start     REG_DWORD     Start constant
    Specifies the starting values for the service as follows:

    START TYPE     LOADER     MEANING

    0x0            Kernel     Represents a part of the
    (Boot)                    driver stack for the boot
                              (startup) volume and must
                              therefore be loaded by the
                              Boot Loader.

    0x1            I/O        Represents a driver to be loaded
    (System)       subsystem  at Kernel initialization.

    0x2            Service    To be loaded or started
    (Auto load)    Control    automatically for all startups,
                   Manager    regardless of service type.

    0x3            Service    Available, regardless of type,
    (Load on       Control    but will not be started until
    demand)        Manager    the user starts it (for example,
                              by using the Devices icon in
                              Control Panel).

    0x4            Service    NOT TO BE STARTED UNDER ANY
    (disabled)     Control    CONDITIONS.
                   Manager

    The Start value is ignored for adapters. If Type is a Win32 Service value
    (as described below), the Start value must specify an Auto, Demand, or
    Disabled value.

    Tag     REG_DWORD
    Specifies a load order within a given group. The value of Tag specifies a
    number that is unique within the group of which the service is a member.
    The related GroupName entry under the Control\GroupOrderList subkey
    specifies a list of tags, in load order.

    For example, the following services that are members of the Primary Disk
    group could have these values: Tag=4 for the Abiosdsk subkey, Tag=2 for
    Atdisk, Tag=1 for Cpqarray, and Tag=3 for Floppy. The value for Primary
    Disk under the GroupOrderList subkey will use these Tag values to specify
    the defined order for loading these services. As another example, each SCSI
    miniport service has a unique Tag value that is used as an identifier in
    the SCSI miniport value under the GroupOrderList subkey to define which
    SCSI adapter to load first.

    Type     REG_DWORD     Type constant

    Specifies the type of service as follows:

    Service Type   Description

    0x1            A Kernel device driver.

    0x2            File system driver, which is also
                   a Kernel device driver.

    0x4            A set of arguments for an adapter.

    0x10           A Win32 program that can be started
                   by the Service Controller and that
                   obeys the service control protocol.
                   This type of Win32 service runs in
                   a process by itself.

    0x20           A Win32 service that can share a process
                   with other Win32 services.

    For example, when you start Windows NT, the Boot Loader scans the Registry
    for drivers with a Start value of 0 (which indicates that these drivers
    should be loaded but not initialized before the Kernel) and a Type value of
    0x1 (which indicates a Kernel device driver such as a hard disk or other
    low-level hardware device driver). The drivers are then loaded into memory
    in the order specified as the List value in
    CurrentControlSet\Control\ServiceGroupOrder.

## REFERENCES

"The Windows NT Resource Kit for Operating System Version 3.1".

Additional query words: prodnt

Keywords: kbother KB103000