Remove a Windows Service

If you want to remove a Windows service the logical thing to do is to go to the Services application, select the service and click on Remove, or right-click and choose Remove from the shortcut menu.

However, there are no such options. So there's no obvious way to remove the service. Here's what you have to do:

1.
In the Windows Services application, stop the service if it's currently running.

2.
You're going to be editing the Windows Registry, so make a Windows System Restore point first:
Start > Programs > Accessories > System Tools > System Restore
Select "Create a restore point" and follow through the wizard.

3.
When you've done this, click the Windows Start button and choose Run.

4.
Enter "regedit" (without the quote marks) and click OK.

This launches the Windows Registry Editor.
If you've never been in here, be careful. In fact you should probably get out and go and read up about the Registry before doing anything else.

WARNING: DON'T MAKE ANY CHANGES IN THE REGISTRY EDITOR UNLESS YOU KNOW WHAT YOU ARE DOING.

5.
In the Registry Editor browse to:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE/SYSTEM/CurrentControlSet/Services

6.
Expand the Services in the left pane.

7.
Right click the service you want to remove and choose Export.

8.
Save the Registry key as a file on your desktop - just in case you change your mind (or something goes wrong) and you need to reinstate it.

9.
In Registry Editor, right click the service you want to remove and this time choose Delete.

10.
Do the same thing (Export then Delete) to the same service in:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE/SYSTEM/ControlSet001/Services
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE/SYSTEM/ControlSet002/Services
etc.

11.
Close the Registry Editor.

12.
Restart Windows.

Note: you *must* restart Windows for the service to disappear completely. Logging off and back on again is not enough. Unless you restart the service will still appear in the Windows Services application.

13.
Once you restart Windows, check the Services application to make sure the service is gone.

If anything goes wrong, or you change your mind, use the exported keys on your desktop to reinstate the service. After a while, if you're happy no bad thing has happened, you can delete the exported registry keys.