How to: Windows Services Install and Uninstall Services in C#

 

Unlike most projects you create in Visual Studio, Windows Service projects cannot be run directly from the development environment by pressing F5. This is because the service in the project must be installed before the project can run.
You can quickly install your service application by using a command-line utility called InstallUtil.exe. You can also create a setup project that contains your project's output and create a custom action with it that will run the installers associated with the project and install your service. For an example, see Walkthrough: Creating a Windows Service Application in the Component Designer. For more information on setup projects, see Setup Projects. For more information on custom actions, see Walkthrough: Creating a Custom Action.

To install your service manually

1. Access the directory in which your project's compiled executable file is located.
   
2. Run InstallUtil.exe from the command line with your project's output as a parameter. Enter the following code on the command line:
   
   installutil yourproject.exe
   

To uninstall your service manually

Run InstallUtil.exe from the command line with your project's output as a parameter. Enter the following code on the command line:

installutil /u yourproject.exe