Windows - Maintenance Tasks - Start Service Worklet

What the Service Start Worklet does

This Automox Worklet™ detects Windows services that have stopped running and automatically restarts them. The Worklet evaluates the status of services you specify in a configurable list, identifies any that are not running, and initiates startup procedures across multiple endpoints simultaneously.

The script is designed to handle services like BITS (Background Intelligent Transfer Service), domain-specific agents, backup services, or custom application services. You can customize the list of services to monitor based on your organization's requirements.

The Worklet verifies each service has successfully started and remains in the running state after remediation. If a service fails to start, the Worklet logs the error and continues processing other services, verifying all monitored services receive attention.

Why maintain critical Windows services

Stopped Windows services can impact endpoint functionality, security, and compliance. Security agents, backup services, and monitoring tools rely on running services to protect your network and maintain operational visibility.

Manual service recovery across multiple endpoints consumes significant IT time and creates gaps where services remain offline. Automating service startup through Automox maintains consistent recovery and reduces the window of vulnerability or operational disruption.

By using this Worklet, you maintain service availability without requiring help desk intervention. The Worklet runs on a schedule you define, catching service failures quickly and remediating them automatically.

How Windows service startup works

1. Evaluation phase: The Worklet queries each service in your specified list using Get-Service, checks if the service exists, and verifies whether it is currently running. Any service that does not exist or has a status other than "Running" triggers remediation.

2. Remediation phase: The Worklet uses Start-Service to initiate stopped services, waits two seconds for the service to stabilize, then re-checks the status to confirm the service is running. Services already running are skipped. The script logs each action and collects any errors that occur without halting the overall remediation.

Service startup requirements

• Windows Server 2016 or later, or Windows 10 and Windows 11 endpoints

• Administrative or Local System privileges required to start Windows services

• Target services must exist on the endpoint (you define the service names in the ServiceNames array)

• At least one service name specified in the configuration for the Worklet to execute

Expected service availability after remediation

After the Worklet runs, all specified services that were stopped now have a status of "Running". You can verify this change by checking the specific setting this Worklet modifies. Endpoints are marked as compliant. Services that were already running remain unaffected, and the Worklet completes idempotently, meaning it is safe to run repeatedly without side effects.

You can verify success by checking the Automox console for compliance status, reviewing the execution logs for service startup confirmation messages, or directly querying the endpoint to confirm all services are running. If a service fails to start, the logs will show the specific error, allowing you to investigate further.

How to validate start service changes

1. Run this Worklet on a pilot Windows endpoint and review evaluation output for start service.

2. Confirm Automox activity logs show successful completion and exit code 0.

3. Verify endpoint state using checks aligned to evaluation script logic, such as Write-Output, Get-Service.

4. Validate remediation effects from script operations such as Write-Output, Get-Service, Start-Service, then rerun evaluation for compliance.