How to Convert EXE to Windows Service

By Jim Campbell

After you develop an executable file (EXE), you can convert the executable to a Windows service. Your Windows development tools have a utility called "sc.exe." The SC utility converts the EXE file to a usable service in Windows. It creates a registry entry in the Windows settings, and it loads the software into memory. Windows services run in the background, so this utility is useful if you want to run your newly developed application in a client computer's background processes.

Step 1

Click the Windows "Start" Orb in the task bar. Type "cmd" into the text box and then press "Enter" to open the command line.

Step 2

Type "sc /?" into the command prompt and press "Enter." This shows you all the options you can use with the SC utility. This is helpful if you forget the syntax for the SC utility in the future.

Step 3

Type "sc computer_name EXE_file" and press "Enter." Replace "computer_name" with your computer's name and replace "EXE_file" with the complete path and name for the file you want to convert to a service. It only takes a few seconds for the service to load and register in the Windows registry.

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