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Get the Windows service name from the long name (Python recipe) by andy mckay
ActiveState Code (http://code.activestate.com/recipes/66311/)

Many programs only show the long service description such as 'Windows Time', but this recipe finds you the actual service name.

Python, 28 lines
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import win32api
import win32con

def GetShortName(longName):
    # looks up a services name
    # from the display name
    hkey = win32api.RegOpenKey(win32con.HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE, "SYSTEM\\CurrentControlSet\\Services", 0, win32con.KEY_ALL_ACCESS)
    num = win32api.RegQueryInfoKey(hkey)[0]

    # loop through number of subkeys
    for x in range(0, num):
        # find service name, open subkey
        svc = win32api.RegEnumKey(hkey, x)
        skey = win32api.RegOpenKey(win32con.HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE, \
"SYSTEM\\CurrentControlSet\\Services\\%s" % svc, 0, win32con.KEY_ALL_ACCESS)
        try:
            # find short name
            shortName = str(win32api.RegQueryValueEx(skey, "DisplayName")[0])
            if shortName == longName:
                return svc
        except win32api.error: 
            # in case there is no key called DisplayName
            pass
    return None

if __name__=='__main__':
    assert(GetShortName('Windows Time') == 'W32Time')
    assert(GetShortName('FoobarService') == None)

This loops through the services on a Windows box (2000/NT) by moving through the registry. For each service it opens the registry key and looks at the key for the Display Name. It then returns it if matched.

It can often be useful since many programs will report "Windows Time" when you need the string "W32Time" in order to restart the service.

Tags: sysadmin