How To Troubleshoot "Error 1053 : The Service Did Not Respond To The Start Or Control Request In A Timely Fashion"

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When trying to start a Window service, getting error " Error 1053: The Service did not Respond to the Start or Control Request in a Timely Fashion" .

There are numerous variations of the error message ranging from issues in Windows services to custom services not being able to launch (including third-party software). We also came across instances where Developers faced this problem when they were developing their custom software. Here in this article, we will go through all the variations of the error message and discuss what could be done to solve the problem once and for all.

Some of the reasons are listed below:

  • Timeout settings: Windows, by default, has a timeout setting which if not met by applications, forces them to abort and close. If the service which you are trying to launch takes much longer to respond, then it will be killed. Here, we can change the timeout setting by manipulating the registry.
  • Missing DLL file: Another instance of the error occurs when you have a missing DLL file on your computer which is used by numerous other applications as well. If this DLL file is in conflict or isn’t present at all, you will experience the error message.
  • Corrupt / missing system files: Another instance of why this issue occurs is because there are corrupt or missing system files on your computer. If the very installation of Windows is not proper and has issues, you will experience numerous problems including the error message under discussion.
  • Outdated Windows: Microsoft officially recognized this error message on their official website and even released a temporary hotfix to solve the problem. However, recently they removed the hotfix and instructed users to upgrade to the latest iteration of Windows.

Troubleshooting Approaches [Disclaimer: Ensure that the following steps are performed only after consulting with the internal IT team] -

Approach #1: Changing Timeout Settings through Registry

Change the timeout settings of the services through the registry editor. Whenever a service is requested to launch, a timer is started with a predefined value. If the service does not start within this time frame, the error message comes forward reporting so. In this solution, navigate to the computer’s registry and change the value. If it is not present, create a new key for it.
  1. Press Windows + R, type “regedit” in the dialogue box and press Enter.
  2. Once in the registry editor, navigate to the following file path:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\
  1. Now, search for the key of ‘ServicesPipeTimeout’. If found already there, move to directly edit. However, if entry is not found, select Control, right-click on any space present at the right side of the screen and select New > DWORD

  1. Name the key as ‘ServicesPipeTimeout’ and set the value as 180000 (We can also right-click the value and click Modify if the option to set the value didn’t come.

  1. Save changes and exit. Restart the computer completely and then try launching the service. Check if the issue is resolved.


Approach #2: Checking for System File Corruptions

Another thing to try before moving on to more technical and advanced methods is checking whether the system has any corruption or not. If Windows is missing files and is somehow corrupted, it may cause some important modules not to work. As a result, the error message 1053 will be experienced.

In this solution, use Window’s system file checker which checks all the system file structure and compare the structure with that of a fresh copy present online. If there is any discrepancy, the files will be replaced accordingly.
  1. Press Windows + S, type “command prompt” in the dialogue box, right-click on the application and select Run as administrator.
  2. Once in an elevated command prompt, execute the following commands one by one and make sure that they complete:
  • sfc /scannow
  • DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth
  1. The latter command fixes any issues which the system file checker diagnoses when running the scan. Restart the computer completely after running the commands and check if the issue is resolved for good.


Approach #3: Reinstalling the application (if applicable)

Another useful method to eradicate the error message 1053 is reinstalling the application which is requesting the service. Normally, third-party applications installed from an outside source (excluding Microsoft Store) might have missing or outdated components that are requesting for some service in Windows.

Here, navigate to the official website and download a fresh version of the application. After uninstalling the current version, install it. Here is the method on how to uninstall an application in Windows,
  1. Press Windows + R, type “appwiz.cpl” in the dialogue box and press Enter.
  2. Once in the application manager, search for the application, right-click on it and select Uninstall.
  3. Restart the computer and then proceed with the reinstallation process.

In order to know more, follow the blogpost How To Fix Error 1053 - The Service Did Not Respond To The Start Or Control Request In A Timely Fashion .