Security Accounts Manager - Windows Vista 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, 8 and XP.
Startup Type
| Windows Vista edition | without SP | SP1 | SP2 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starter | Automatic | Automatic | Automatic |
| Home Basic | Automatic | Automatic | Automatic |
| Home Premium | Automatic | Automatic | Automatic |
| Business | Automatic | Automatic | Automatic |
| Ultimate | 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 starts as LocalSystem and runs in a shared process of lsass.exe. If Security Accounts Manager fails to start, the error is recorded into the Event Log. Windows Vista startup proceeds, but a message box is displayed informing you that the SamSs service has failed to start. If you disable this service, then 3 other services will be unable to start (see the "Dependencies" section below).
Dependencies
Security Accounts Manager will not start, if the Remote Procedure Call (RPC) service is stopped or disabled.
If the Security Accounts Manager is stopped, the following services will not start and initialize:
Restore Default Startup Type of Security Accounts Manager
Automated Restore
1. Select your Windows Vista edition and Service Pack, and then click on the Download button below.
2. Save the RestoreSecurityAccountsManagerWindowsVista.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 to save changes.
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 Vista installation media.