{"id":10456,"date":"2021-05-24T06:04:05","date_gmt":"2021-05-24T13:04:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.coretechnologies.com\/blog\/?p=10456"},"modified":"2025-12-27T00:32:14","modified_gmt":"2025-12-27T08:32:14","slug":"eventlog","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.coretechnologies.com\/blog\/windows-services\/eventlog\/","title":{"rendered":"Essential Windows Services: EventLog \/ Windows Event Log"},"content":{"rendered":"<div align=\"center\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"no-lazy-load\" src=\"\/blog\/images\/eventlog-service-150x150.webp\" title=\"EventLog Service\" alt=\"EventLog Service\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" border=\"0\" \/><\/div>\n<div id=\"blog-toc-container\" style=\"margin-top:20px;\">\n<p id=\"blog-toc-title\">In this article&#8230;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"#what-is-eventlog-service\">What is the Windows Event Log (EventLog) service?<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#stop-eventlog\">What happens if I stop EventLog?<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#ok-to-disable-eventlog\">Is it OK to disable the Windows Event Log service?<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#eventlog-questions\">Questions? Problems?<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<p><a name=\"what-is-eventlog-service\"><\/a><\/p>\n<hr class=\"blog-section\">\n<div style=\"width:100%;margin-bottom:30px;\">\n<div style=\"margin:0px;float:right;\"><a href=\"#top\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.coretechnologies.com\/images\/top.jpg\" border=\"0\" width=\"50\" height=\"18\" title=\"Go to the top\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h2 class=\"blog-caption\">What is the Windows Event Log (EventLog) service?<\/h2>\n<p>The EventLog service manages <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Log_file\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">event logs<\/a> &mdash; repositories of events generated by services, scheduled tasks and applications working closely with the Windows operating system.<\/p>\n<p>The service&#8217;s display name is <b>Windows Event Log<\/b> and it runs inside the service host process, <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Svchost.exe\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">svchost.exe<\/a>. By default, the service is set to start automatically when your computer boots:<\/p>\n<div align=\"center\"><a href=\"\/blog\/images\/eventlog-windows-service.png\" class=\"zoomPopup\" title=\"EventLog Windows Service\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"image-padding\" src=\"\/blog\/images\/eventlog-windows-service.png\" title=\"EventLog Windows Service (click to enlarge)\" alt=\"EventLog Windows Service\" border=\"0\" \/><\/a><\/div>\n<p>You can use the <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Event_Viewer\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Windows Event Viewer<\/a> to browse the event logs managed by the service. For example, here are some of the records captured in the Windows Security event log:<\/p>\n<div align=\"center\"><a href=\"\/blog\/images\/event-viewer-windows-security-log.png\" class=\"zoomPopup\" title=\"Event Viewer: Windows Security log\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"image-padding\" src=\"\/blog\/images\/event-viewer-windows-security-log.png\" title=\"Event Viewer: Windows Security log (click to enlarge)\" alt=\"Event Viewer: Windows Security log\" border=\"0\" width=\"520\" \/><\/a><\/div>\n<p><a name=\"stop-eventlog\"><\/a><\/p>\n<hr class=\"blog-section\">\n<div style=\"width:100%;margin-bottom:30px;\">\n<div style=\"margin:0px;float:right;\"><a href=\"#top\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.coretechnologies.com\/images\/top.jpg\" border=\"0\" width=\"50\" height=\"18\" title=\"Go to the top\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h2 class=\"blog-caption\">What happens if I stop EventLog?<\/h2>\n<p>You may find it virtually impossible to stop the Windows Event Log service.<\/p>\n<p>That&#8217;s because the service supports several important system services. You can see that list on the service&#8217;s <b>Dependencies<\/b> tab:<\/p>\n<div align=\"center\"><a href=\"\/blog\/images\/windows-event-log-service-dependencies.png\" class=\"zoomPopup\" title=\"Windows Event Log Dependencies\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"image-padding\" src=\"\/blog\/images\/windows-event-log-service-dependencies.png\" title=\"Windows Event Log Dependencies (click to enlarge)\" alt=\"Windows Event Log Dependencies\" border=\"0\" \/><\/a><\/div>\n<p>And because of those dependency relationships, attempting to stop EventLog triggers a &#8220;cascade&#8221; that causes all dependent services to stop too. Here you can see Windows alerting us of that situation:<\/p>\n<div align=\"center\"><a href=\"\/blog\/images\/stop-eventlog-service-dependents.png\" class=\"zoomPopup\" title=\"EventLog service: Stop dependents\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"image-padding\" src=\"\/blog\/images\/stop-eventlog-service-dependents.png\" title=\"EventLog service: Stop dependents (click to enlarge)\" alt=\"EventLog service: Stop dependents\" border=\"0\" \/><\/a><\/div>\n<p>But after we clicked &#8220;Yes&#8221;, Windows failed to stop EventLog and the dependent services! A peculiar error was returned:<\/p>\n<div align=\"center\"><a href=\"\/blog\/images\/stop-eventlog-error-message.png\" class=\"zoomPopup\" title=\"Error stopping the EventLog service\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"image-padding\" src=\"\/blog\/images\/stop-eventlog-error-message.png\" title=\"Error stopping the EventLog service (click to enlarge)\" alt=\"Error stopping the EventLog service\" border=\"0\" \/><\/a><\/div>\n<p>We tracked the issue to &#8220;Network List Service&#8221; (netprofm). That service refused every attempt to stop it, consistently failing with the error above. And since we could not stop &#8220;Network List Service&#8221;, we could not stop EventLog either.<\/p>\n<p><a name=\"ok-to-disable-eventlog\"><\/a><\/p>\n<hr class=\"blog-section\">\n<div style=\"width:100%;margin-bottom:30px;\">\n<div style=\"margin:0px;float:right;\"><a href=\"#top\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.coretechnologies.com\/images\/top.jpg\" border=\"0\" width=\"50\" height=\"18\" title=\"Go to the top\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h2 class=\"blog-caption\">Is it OK to disable the Windows Event Log service?<\/h2>\n<p>No &mdash; it&#8217;s not safe to disable the Windows Event Log service.<\/p>\n<p>Indeed, in the very description of the service, Microsoft warns:<\/p>\n<div class=\"blog-qa-question-box\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/images\/quotes-transparent-21x21.png\" width=\"21\" height=\"21\" \/>&nbsp;Stopping this service may compromise security and reliability of the system.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>That advice makes sense because EventLog provides essential support for Windows Services, scheduled tasks, and other background programs. Those components typically run &#8220;headless&#8221;, without a user interface, and rely on the event logs to record important events.<\/p>\n<p>If the EventLog service stops, those background components will have no way to chronicle their activities. There would be an ominous gap in the operating system&#8217;s low-level records.<\/p>\n<p>With that in mind, it&#8217;s easy to see why <b>the EventLog service is an alluring target for attackers looking to compromise a system<\/b>. Once the service has been crippled, vital forensics records may not be captured and intruders could operate with impunity.<\/p>\n<p><a name=\"eventlog-questions\"><\/a><\/p>\n<hr class=\"blog-section\">\n<div style=\"width:100%;margin-bottom:30px;\">\n<div style=\"margin:0px;float:right;\"><a href=\"#top\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.coretechnologies.com\/images\/top.jpg\" border=\"0\" width=\"50\" height=\"18\" title=\"Go to the top\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h2 class=\"blog-caption\">Questions? Problems?<\/h2>\n<p>If you would like to know more about the Windows Event Log service, or you have a specific problem, please feel free to <a href=\"\/support\/\">get in touch<\/a>. We will do our best to help you!<\/p>\n<div style=\"margin-top:30px\" align=\"center\">\n<div class=\"cta-button-1\">\n<table role=\"presentation\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\" border=\"0\" align=\"left\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td align=\"center\"><a href=\"\/blog\/tag\/essential-windows-services\/\" title=\"Find more important Windows Services\"><span><nobr>More Essential Windows Services&#8230;<\/nobr><\/span><\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<!-- relpost-thumb-wrapper --><div class=\"relpost-thumb-wrapper\"><!-- filter-class --><div class=\"relpost-thumb-container\"><style>.relpost-block-single-image, .relpost-post-image { margin-bottom: 10px; }<\/style><h3>You may also like...<\/h3><div style=\"clear: both\"><\/div><div style=\"clear: both\"><\/div><!-- relpost-block-container --><div class=\"relpost-block-container relpost-block-column-layout\" style=\"--relposth-columns: 3;--relposth-columns_t: 2; --relposth-columns_m: 2\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.coretechnologies.com\/blog\/alwaysup\/see-java-console\/\"class=\"relpost-block-single\" ><div class=\"relpost-custom-block-single\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"relpost-block-single-image\" alt=\"Q&amp;A: How can I see my Java Console Window when Running as a Service with AlwaysUp?\"  src=\"https:\/\/www.coretechnologies.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/qa-150x150.png\" style=\"aspect-ratio:1\/1\" style=\"aspect-ratio:1\/1\"><\/img><div class=\"relpost-block-single-text\"  style=\"height: 75px;font-family: Arial;  font-size: 12px;  color: #333333;\"><h2 class=\"relpost_card_title\">Q&amp;A: How can I see my Java Console Window when Running as a Service with AlwaysUp?<\/h2><\/div><\/div><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.coretechnologies.com\/blog\/alwaysup\/application-not-restarted\/\"class=\"relpost-block-single\" ><div class=\"relpost-custom-block-single\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"relpost-block-single-image\" alt=\"Q&amp;A: Why Doesn&#039;t AlwaysUp Restart my Application?\"  src=\"https:\/\/www.coretechnologies.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/restart-button-150x150-1.png\" style=\"aspect-ratio:1\/1\" style=\"aspect-ratio:1\/1\"><\/img><div class=\"relpost-block-single-text\"  style=\"height: 75px;font-family: Arial;  font-size: 12px;  color: #333333;\"><h2 class=\"relpost_card_title\">Q&amp;A: Why Doesn&#039;t AlwaysUp Restart my Application?<\/h2><\/div><\/div><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.coretechnologies.com\/blog\/windows-services\/interact-with-desktop\/\"class=\"relpost-block-single\" ><div class=\"relpost-custom-block-single\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"relpost-block-single-image\" alt=\"Q&amp;A: Why doesn&#039;t Allow service to interact with desktop work?\"  src=\"https:\/\/www.coretechnologies.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/qa-150x150.png\" style=\"aspect-ratio:1\/1\" style=\"aspect-ratio:1\/1\"><\/img><div class=\"relpost-block-single-text\"  style=\"height: 75px;font-family: Arial;  font-size: 12px;  color: #333333;\"><h2 class=\"relpost_card_title\">Q&amp;A: Why doesn&#039;t &quot;Allow service to interact with desktop&quot; work?<\/h2><\/div><\/div><\/a><\/div><!-- close relpost-block-container --><div style=\"clear: both\"><\/div><\/div><!-- close filter class --><\/div><!-- close relpost-thumb-wrapper -->","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In this article&#8230; What is the Windows Event Log (EventLog) service? What happens if I stop EventLog? Is it OK to disable the Windows Event Log service? Questions? Problems? What is the Windows Event Log (EventLog) service? The EventLog service &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.coretechnologies.com\/blog\/windows-services\/eventlog\/\">Continue reading <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":10458,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[78,79,253,196],"class_list":["post-10456","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-windows-services","tag-essential-windows-services","tag-event-viewer","tag-eventlog","tag-windows-services-2"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.coretechnologies.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10456","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.coretechnologies.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.coretechnologies.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.coretechnologies.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.coretechnologies.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10456"}],"version-history":[{"count":12,"href":"https:\/\/www.coretechnologies.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10456\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":13292,"href":"https:\/\/www.coretechnologies.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10456\/revisions\/13292"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.coretechnologies.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/10458"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.coretechnologies.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10456"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.coretechnologies.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10456"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.coretechnologies.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10456"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}