How to use the command 'Start-Service' (with examples)

The ‘Start-Service’ command in PowerShell is used to start one or more stopped services. It is a powerful command that helps system administrators manage services on a Windows machine. This article will illustrate some use cases of the ‘Start-Service’ command.

Use case 1: Start a service by using its name

Code:

Start-Service -Name service_name

Motivation: The motivation behind using this example is to quickly start a specific service by providing its name as an argument to the command. This is useful when you know the name of the service you want to start.

Explanation:

• ‘-Name’ is a parameter of the ‘Start-Service’ command that specifies the name of the service you want to start. You need to replace ‘service_name’ with the actual name of the service you want to start.

Example output: If the service with the name ‘Print Spooler’ is stopped, running the following command would start it:

Start-Service -Name "Print Spooler"

Use case 2: Display information without starting a service

Code:

Start-Service -DisplayName *name* -WhatIf

Motivation: The motivation behind using this example is to preview the action of starting a service without actually starting it. This can provide information about the service without affecting its current state.

Explanation:

• ‘-DisplayName’ is a parameter of the ‘Start-Service’ command that specifies the display name of the service you want to preview. You need to replace ‘name’ with the part or complete display name of the service.
• ‘-WhatIf’ is a common parameter of PowerShell that allows you to see what would happen if the command runs without actually running it.

Example output: Running the following command would preview the action of starting a service with a display name containing the word ‘Print’:

Start-Service -DisplayName *Print* -WhatIf

Use case 3: Start a disabled service

Code:

Set-Service service_name -StartupType manual; Start-Service service_name

Motivation: The motivation behind using this example is to start a service that is currently disabled. This involves first setting the ‘StartupType’ of the service to ‘Manual’ and then starting the service.

Explanation:

• ‘-StartupType’ is a property of a service that determines how the service starts or is triggered. By specifying ‘manual’, you set the StartupType to ‘Manual’, which means the service will have to be started manually.
• The ‘Set-Service’ command is used to modify the properties of a service. In this case, we are using it to set the StartupType of a service to ‘Manual’.
• The semicolon ‘;’ is used to separate multiple commands on a single line in PowerShell.

Example output: If the service with the name ‘Print Spooler’ is currently disabled, running the following command would start it by setting the StartupType to ‘Manual’ and then starting the service:

Set-Service "Print Spooler" -StartupType Manual; Start-Service "Print Spooler"

After running this command, the ‘Print Spooler’ service would start and its StartupType would be set to ‘Manual’.

Conclusion:

The ‘Start-Service’ command in PowerShell is a versatile tool for starting services on a Windows machine. It allows you to start a service by its name, preview the action of starting a service without actually starting it, and start a disabled service by modifying its StartupType. By understanding these use cases, you can effectively manage services using PowerShell.