I know this error is infuriating—you reboot, expect your service to run, and instead get a cryptic code that says it never even tried to start. Let's fix it right now.
The Quick Fix
Open an elevated Command Prompt (right-click Start, choose Command Prompt (Admin) or Terminal (Admin)) and run:
sc config YourServiceName start= demandReplace YourServiceName with the actual service name (not the display name). Then start the service:
sc start YourServiceNameIf you get a 'service started successfully' message, you're done. If not, read on.
Why This Happens
Windows has a service start type called Disabled. When a service is set to Disabled, the Service Control Manager (SCM) won't even attempt to launch it at boot. That's exactly what ERROR_SERVICE_NEVER_STARTED means—no start attempt was made since the last boot. Usually this happens because a previous manual change or a cleanup tool flipped the start type to Disabled, often without you realizing it.
The fix above changes the start type to demand (manual), which lets you start it on command. But for a service that needs to run automatically, you'll want to set it to auto instead:
sc config YourServiceName start= autoAnother Way: Services.msc
If command line isn't your thing, open services.msc, find your service, right-click, select Properties, and change the Startup type from Disabled to Automatic (or Automatic (Delayed Start)). Click Apply, then Start. This does the same thing as the command, but with a GUI.
Less Common Variations
Service Doesn't Exist
Sometimes the error appears for a service that's been uninstalled but still referenced. Run sc query YourServiceName to see if it exists. If it doesn't, the error often comes from a driver or a scheduled task that references a missing service. In that case, find the source—often in Event Viewer—and remove the reference.
Delayed Auto Start Not Working
Another variation: the service is set to Automatic (Delayed Start), but Windows defers it too long, and something else tries to start it first, throwing this error. If that's your case, set it to plain Automatic instead of Delayed Start. Delayed start is overrated unless you have a specific dependency issue.
Registry Editing
If sc and services.msc both fail because of permissions, you can edit the registry directly. Navigate to:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\YourServiceNameFind the Start DWORD and set it to 2 (automatic), 3 (manual), or 4 (disabled). Then reboot. Trust me, this works even when the SCM is being difficult.
Prevention
To keep this from happening again, stop using 'tweaking' tools that disable services you don't recognize. Those Windows optimize scripts often disable a bunch of services to speed up your PC, and they're the number one cause of this error. Also, whenever you manually set a service to Disabled, make a note of it. I've seen admins forget they disabled a service, then spend an hour scratching their heads after a reboot.
Finally, if you're on Windows Server and this hits a core service like DHCP or DNS, don't just set it to Automatic—check its dependencies first. Run sc qc YourServiceName to see if it depends on another service that's also disabled. Fix the dependency chain, and you're golden.
That's it. You should be back up and running in under two minutes. If this didn't resolve it, check the Windows Event Log under System for more details on why the service failed to start—sometimes the error masks a different underlying problem, like a bad DLL or a missing executable.