Windows error 1243 (ERROR_SERVICE_NOT_FOUND): meaning and diagnosis

Status / error code:		Category:

Constant name:
Source:		Operating System:
Description: the requested service identity could not be found by the service lookup path.

Previous	Next
ERROR_ALREADY_REGISTERED	ERROR_NOT_AUTHENTICATED

ERROR_SERVICE_NOT_FOUND

The specified service cannot be found

The SCM maintains named service objects in its installed-services database. ERROR_SERVICE_NOT_FOUND reports that the requested service identity does not exist in the lookup context that produced this status. It should be investigated as an identity or registration problem before debugging the service executable.

Log the machine, SCM database context, internal service name, and any translation from a display name. Service names are distinct from display names, and remote-management code can accidentally query the wrong computer. Compare the expected service against the Services registry tree and the installer record. Do not create a placeholder service automatically unless the caller is the authorized installer; a missing service may represent an incomplete deployment, an uninstall, or a renamed service that requires migration.

What to inspect

Confirm target computer and internal service name used by the lookup.
Check whether install, uninstall, or rename activity changed the SCM record.
Do not auto-create a missing service from incomplete runtime information.

References

Looking for a different code? Search another status or error code.