Windows Service Error 1067, "The process terminated unexpectedly"

Error 1067 means the service started and then its process closed without reporting a clean stop. Windows treats that as a crash, and the Services console reports that the process terminated unexpectedly.

The fix, in order

  1. Open Event Viewer and look in Windows Logs, Application, for an error at the same minute the service stopped. The faulting module or exception code named there points at the real cause.
  2. Check that the service executable still exists at the path shown by sc qc followed by the service name in an admin Command Prompt. If the file is missing, reinstall the program that provides the service.
  3. Check the service account. In Services, open the service, go to the Log On tab, and confirm the account and password are still valid. A changed or expired password can kill a service at startup.
  4. Run sfc /scannow in an admin Command Prompt to repair damaged Windows files the service may depend on.
  5. Update or reinstall the program that provides the service. A corrupted installation is the most common cause of a service that starts and then dies.
  6. Check for a conflicting program. Security software, a second copy of the same service, or a recently installed app can terminate the service process.

If it still happens

If the service crashes at the same point every time, note the faulting module from Event Viewer and search the program vendor's support pages for it. If the crash started after a Windows update, try the vendor's latest version, since older services sometimes fail on newer builds.

Common questions

Is error 1067 the same as error 1066? No. Error 1066 means the service returned its own specific error code. Error 1067 means the whole service process ended unexpectedly, which is usually a crash.

Where do I find why the service crashed? In Event Viewer, under Windows Logs, Application. Look for an Application Error entry with the service executable name, recorded at the same time the service stopped.

Related errors

Windows Service Error 1053 · Windows Service Error 1068 · System Service Exception

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