Security Accounts Manager - Windows 8 Service
The startup of this service signals other services that the Security Accounts Manager (SAM) is ready to accept requests. Disabling this service will prevent other services in the system from being notified when the SAM is ready, which may in turn cause those services to fail to start correctly. This service should not be disabled.
This service also exists in Windows 10, 11, 7, Vista and XP.
Startup Type
| Windows 8 edition | Windows 8 | Windows 8.1 | Windows 8.1 Update 1 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Core | Automatic | Automatic | Automatic |
| Pro | Automatic | Automatic | Automatic |
| Enterprise | Automatic | Automatic | Automatic |
Default Properties
| Display name: | Security Accounts Manager |
| Service name: | SamSs |
| Type: | share |
| Path: | %WinDir%\system32\lsass.exe |
| Error control: | normal |
| Group: | MS_WindowsLocalValidation |
| Object: | LocalSystem |
Default Behavior
The Security Accounts Manager service runs as LocalSystem in a shared process of lsass.exe. Other services might run in the same process. If Security Accounts Manager fails to start, the error is logged. Windows 8 startup proceeds, but a message box is displayed informing you that the SamSs service has failed to start.
Dependencies
Security Accounts Manager won't start, if the Remote Procedure Call (RPC) service is stopped or disabled.
The following services are unable to start if Security Accounts Manager is stopped:
- Computer Browser
- Distributed Transaction Coordinator
- KtmRm for Distributed Transaction Coordinator
- Server
Restore Default Startup Type of Security Accounts Manager
Automated Restore
1. Select your Windows 8 release and edition, and then click on the Download button below.
2. Save the RestoreSecurityAccountsManagerWindows8.bat file to any folder on your hard drive.
3. Right-click the downloaded batch file and select Run as administrator.
4. Restart the computer.
Note. Make sure that the lsass.exe file exists in the %WinDir%\system32 folder. If this file is missing you can try to restore it from your Windows 8 installation media.