Using InstallUtil and silently setting a windows service logon username/password

Question

I need to use InstallUtil to install a C# windows service. I need to set the service logon credentials (username and password). All of this needs to be done silently.

Is there are way to do something like this:

installutil.exe myservice.exe /customarg1=username /customarg2=password

score 73 · Answer 1 · edited Nov 29 '12 at 11:29

73

A much easier way than the posts above and with no extra code in your installer is to use the following:

installUtil.exe /username=domain\username /password=password /unattended C:\My.exe

Just ensure the account you use is valid. If not you will receive a "No mapping between account names and security id's was done" exception

edited Nov 29 '12 at 11:29

Firo

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answered May 19 '10 at 08:54

Jimbo

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This only works if you set the Account property on ServiceProcessInstaller to 'ServiceAccount.User' – headsling Jun 17 '10 at 16:14
5

Also, to specify local machine use ".", like so: "/username=.\Administrator" – DenNukem May 01 '12 at 00:58
Note that using the well-known switch `password` shown here masks the password in the installation log file. – paulroho Feb 25 '20 at 14:52
@headsling If you're looking to specify username and password during install, I would assume you have the Service Account type set to user. – Chase Aug 10 '21 at 11:31

score 54 · Accepted Answer · answered Sep 26 '08 at 15:36

Bravo to my co-worker (Bruce Eddy). He found a way we can make this command-line call:

installutil.exe /user=uname /password=pw myservice.exe

It is done by overriding OnBeforeInstall in the installer class:

namespace Test
{
    [RunInstaller(true)]
    public class TestInstaller : Installer
    {
        private ServiceInstaller serviceInstaller;
        private ServiceProcessInstaller serviceProcessInstaller;

        public OregonDatabaseWinServiceInstaller()
        {
            serviceInstaller = new ServiceInstaller();
            serviceInstaller.StartType = System.ServiceProcess.ServiceStartMode.Automatic;
            serviceInstaller.ServiceName = "Test";
            serviceInstaller.DisplayName = "Test Service";
            serviceInstaller.Description = "Test";
            serviceInstaller.StartType = ServiceStartMode.Automatic;
            Installers.Add(serviceInstaller);

            serviceProcessInstaller = new ServiceProcessInstaller();
            serviceProcessInstaller.Account = ServiceAccount.User; 
            Installers.Add(serviceProcessInstaller);
        }

        public string GetContextParameter(string key)
        {
            string sValue = "";
            try
            {
                sValue = this.Context.Parameters[key].ToString();
            }
            catch
            {
                sValue = "";
            }
            return sValue;
        }


        // Override the 'OnBeforeInstall' method.
        protected override void OnBeforeInstall(IDictionary savedState)
        {
            base.OnBeforeInstall(savedState);

            string username = GetContextParameter("user").Trim();
            string password = GetContextParameter("password").Trim();

            if (username != "")
                serviceProcessInstaller.Username = username;
            if (password != "")
                serviceProcessInstaller.Password = password;
        }
    }
}

For anyone using this, make sure all arguments precede the ".exe" of the service on the command line, otherwise they are not processed/passed. — Ray Hayes, Jun 28 '12 at 10:18
This will include the username / password in the installation logfile. Unless you disable the writing of logfiles this information will remain, which is quite dangerous I think. I haven't found a better solution yet :( — flayn, Sep 14 '12 at 08:43
This even works with the ManagedInstallerClass ManagedInstallerClass.InstallHelper(new string[] { "/user=theUserName", "/password=******", Assembly.GetExecutingAssembly().Location }); — AUSTX_RJL, Aug 05 '14 at 20:42

score 4 · Answer 3 · edited May 13 '14 at 19:22

4

InstallUtil.exe sets StartupType=Manual

In case you want to autostart the service, use:

sc config MyServiceName start= auto

(note there there has to be a space after '=')

edited May 13 '14 at 19:22

Aaron D

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answered Jul 02 '13 at 12:22

Josua

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In my case sc config MyServiceName start= auto not working – nikolai.serdiuk Jun 30 '16 at 09:26
1

This isn't entirely true. If you're creating your service from a .NET project, you can specify in the installer of the project what startup type to use. The installUtil utility respects it and gets installed with it. – Chase Aug 10 '21 at 11:33

score 0 · Answer 4 · answered Sep 26 '08 at 15:05

0

No, installutil doesn't support that.

Of course if you wrote an installer; with a custom action then you would be able to use that as part of an MSI or via installutil.

answered Sep 26 '08 at 15:05

blowdart

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score -2 · Answer 5 · answered Oct 23 '09 at 14:31

You can also force your service to run as User using ServiceProcessInstaller::Account = ServiceAccount.User;

A popup asking "[domain\]user, password" will appear during service installation.

public class MyServiceInstaller : Installer
{
    /// Public Constructor for WindowsServiceInstaller
    public MyServiceInstaller()
    {
        ServiceProcessInstaller serviceProcessInstaller = new ServiceProcessInstaller();
        ServiceInstaller serviceInstaller = new ServiceInstaller();

        //# Service Account Information
        serviceProcessInstaller.Account = ServiceAccount.User; // and not LocalSystem;
     ....

-1 the question clearly asks for a silent installation – krystan honour Mar 12 '14 at 11:21 — krystan honour, Mar 12 '14 at 11:21

Using InstallUtil and silently setting a windows service logon username/password

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