As with its predecessors, Windows Vista includes various service recovery options. They let you to specify what actions should be taken when a service fails. For example, if a service fails upon restart or while your computer is running, you can attempt to have the service automatically restarted, without your intervention.

Four different recovery options are available. The default configuration is not to take action when a service fails to start. You can also choose from one of the following three recovery actions.

* Restart the service
* Run a program
* Restart the computer

You can also specify when you want these actions to occur. A recovery action can be performed when the service initially fails, when it fails for a second time, and for any subsequent failures.

To configure recovery options in Windows Vista, perform the following steps:

1. Click Start, All Programs, Administrative Tools and Services.
2. Right-click the service for which you want to configure recovery options and click Properties.
3. From the properties window, click the Recovery tab.
4. To configure a recovery action, click the arrow beside First Failure. Select one of the available options. If you select to run a program, specify the program to run, as well as any command-line parameters.
5. Repeat step 4 to configure recovery actions for second and subsequent failures.
6. Click OK.

Now if you choose to have the computer restarted, the Restart Computer Options button becomes available (refer to the previous figure). If you select this button you can configure how long to wait before the computer is restarted. As well as, type in a message that will be sent to any users who are currently connected to the computer before it is restarted. This gives users a chance to save any work they may currently have open.
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Source: From the Lockergnome Newsletter