C++ Windows Service Error 1063

Question

Trying to develop my first windows service, and I'm debugging in windows 7 MS VC++ 10.0. As soon as it calls, StartServiceCtrlDispatcher(), I get an error 1063 and it says Access is Denied. I am administrator, how exactly do I get passed this? I'm new to services. Thanks. Code:

// For WinXp, don't forget to link to
// Advapi32.lib library if needed...

#define _WIN32_WINNT 0x0501

#include <windows.h>

#include <stdio.h>
#include <tchar.h>

// Prototypes, just empty skeletons...

void SvcDebugOut(LPSTR String, DWORD Status);
void  WINAPI MyServiceCtrlHandler(DWORD opcode);
void  MyServiceStart(DWORD argc, LPTSTR *argv);
DWORD MyServiceInitialization(DWORD argc, LPTSTR *argv, DWORD *specificError);

void main() 
{

       // Using 2-D array as a table...

       // The name of a service to be run in this service process - "MyService",

       // The function as the starting point for a service - MyServiceStart or

       // a pointer to a ServiceMain() function...

       // The members of the last entry in the table must have NULL values

       // to designate the end of the table...

       SERVICE_TABLE_ENTRY  DispatchTable[] = {{_TEXT("MyService"), (LPSERVICE_MAIN_FUNCTION)MyServiceStart}, {NULL, NULL}};
   if (!StartServiceCtrlDispatcher(DispatchTable))
       SvcDebugOut("StartServiceCtrlDispatcher() failed, error: %d\n", GetLastError());
   else
       printf("StartServiceCtrlDispatcher() looks OK.\n");
   return;
} 

// ==========================================================================
// Prototype definitions...just skeletons here...
void  WINAPI MyServiceCtrlHandler(DWORD opcode)
{
       // Service control information here...
       return;
}

void  MyServiceStart(DWORD argc, LPTSTR *argv)
{
       // Starting service information here...
       return;
}



DWORD MyServiceInitialization(DWORD argc, LPTSTR *argv, DWORD *specificError)
{
       // Service initialization information here...
       return 0;
}

// Very simple info to the standard output...
void SvcDebugOut(LPSTR String, DWORD Status)
{
   CHAR  Buffer[1024];
   printf("In SvcDebugOut() lol!\n");
   if (strlen(String) < 1000)
   {
      sprintf(Buffer, String, Status);
      OutputDebugStringA(Buffer);
   }
   else 
      printf("String too long...\n");
   return;
}

Solution

This post answers correctly. As long as you do not start the service "as a service" it will not work.

You need to register it. To do so, look at this file, it is the Apple bonjour service implementation, which is open source.

It gives a good idea of what must be done to install a service. Especially the method InstallService - and RemoveService (if you want to remove it).