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ServiceController.GetServices Method

.NET Framework 4

Retrieves all the services on the local computer, except for the device driver services.

Namespace:  System.ServiceProcess
Assembly:  System.ServiceProcess (in System.ServiceProcess.dll)
C#
C++
F#
VB
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public static ServiceController[] GetServices()

Return Value

Type: System.ServiceProcess.ServiceController[]
An array of type ServiceController in which each element is associated with a service on the local computer.
Exception Condition
Win32Exception

An error occurred when accessing a system API.

GetServices returns only the non-device driver services and the services that are not drivers from the local computer. To retrieve device driver services, call the GetDevices method. Together, the two methods provide access to all the services on a computer.

The following example uses the ServiceController class to display the services that are running on the local computer.

C#
C++
VB
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ServiceController[] scServices;
scServices = ServiceController.GetServices();

// Display the list of services currently running on this computer.

Console.WriteLine("Services running on the local computer:");
foreach (ServiceController scTemp in scServices)
{
   if (scTemp.Status == ServiceControllerStatus.Running)
   {
      // Write the service name and the display name
      // for each running service.
      Console.WriteLine();
      Console.WriteLine("  Service :        {0}", scTemp.ServiceName);
      Console.WriteLine("    Display name:    {0}", scTemp.DisplayName);

      // Query WMI for additional information about this service.
      // Display the start name (LocalSytem, etc) and the service
      // description.
      ManagementObject wmiService;
      wmiService = new ManagementObject("Win32_Service.Name='" + scTemp.ServiceName + "'");
      wmiService.Get();
      Console.WriteLine("    Start name:      {0}", wmiService["StartName"]);
      Console.WriteLine("    Description:     {0}", wmiService["Description"]);
   }
}

.NET Framework

Supported in: 4, 3.5, 3.0, 2.0, 1.1, 1.0

.NET Framework Client Profile

Supported in: 4, 3.5 SP1

Windows 7, Windows Vista SP1 or later, Windows XP SP3, Windows XP SP2 x64 Edition, Windows Server 2008 (Server Core not supported), Windows Server 2008 R2 (Server Core supported with SP1 or later), Windows Server 2003 SP2

The .NET Framework does not support all versions of every platform. For a list of the supported versions, see .NET Framework System Requirements.
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Annotations FAQ
ServiceController is an IDisposable
The code example should clarify whether each instance of ServiceController returned by a call to ServerController.GetServices() should be disposed by the caller.
History
N.B.: a reference to System.Management is required by this example
using System.Management;  // ManagementObject wmiService;

see http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/system.management.managementobject.aspx
        "ManagementObject Class"
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Sample recoded using PowerShell 
<#
.SYNOPSIS
    This script displays service details
.DESCRIPTION
    This script first enumerates all the service controllers (ie services)
    running on the local system. For each service, we look into WMI and
    get info about that running service.
.NOTES
    File Name  : Get-ServiceDetails.ps1
 Author     : Thomas Lee - tfl@psp.co.uk
 Requires   : PowerShell Version 2.0
.LINK
    This script posted to:
http://www.pshscripts.blogspot.com
    MSDN Sample posted at:
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/hde9d63a.aspx
.EXAMPLE
    PSH [C:\foo]: .\Get-ServiceDetails.ps1'
    Services running on the local computer:
      Service :        AeLookupSvc
        Display name:    Application Experience
        Start name:      localSystem
        Description:     Processes application compatibility cache requests for applications as they are launched
      Service :        AppHostSvc
        Display name:    Application Host Helper Service
        Start name:      LocalSystem
        Description:     Provides administrative services for IIS, for example configuration history and Applicati
on Pool account mapping. If this service is stopped, configuration history and locking down files or directori
es with Application Pool specific Access Control Entries will not work.
<rest snipped to save space!>
#>
##
# Start of script
##

# Load assembly with ServiceProcess class
$result = [reflection.Assembly]::LoadWithPartialName("System.ServiceProcess")
$Services = [System.ServiceProcess.ServiceController]::GetServices()

# Get WMI Services
$WMIServices = gwmi win32_service
# Display the list of services currently running on this computer.

"Services running on the local computer:"
foreach ($Service in $Services) {

if ($Service.Status -eq [system.ServiceProcess.ServiceControllerStatus]::Running)  {
  # Write the service name and the display name
  # for each running service.
  ""
  "  Service :        {0}"      -f  $Service.ServiceName
  "    Display name:    {0}"    -f  $Service.DisplayName
  # query WMI for more info on service
  $svc = $wmiServices  | where {$_.name -eq $service.servicename}  
  "    Start name:      {0}"    -f  $Svc.StartName
  "    Description:     {0}"    -f  $Svc.Description
 }
}
# End
History