Shell Hardware Detection - Windows Vista Service
Provides notifications for AutoPlay hardware events.
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: | Shell Hardware Detection |
| Service name: | ShellHWDetection |
| Type: | share |
| Path: | %WinDir%\System32\svchost.exe -k netsvcs |
| File: | %WinDir%\System32\shsvcs.dll |
| Error control: | ignore |
| Group: | ShellSvcGroup |
| Object: | LocalSystem |
Default Behavior
The Shell Hardware Detection service starts as LocalSystem and runs in a shared process of svchost.exe. If Shell Hardware Detection fails to load or initialize, Windows Vista startup proceeds. No warning is displayed, but the error is recorded into the Event Log. At least one service depends on Shell Hardware Detection. Therefore I do not recommend you to disable it.
Dependencies
Shell Hardware Detection will not start, if the Remote Procedure Call (RPC) service is stopped or disabled.
If Shell Hardware Detection is stopped, the Windows Image Acquisition (WIA) fails to start and initialize.
Restore Default Startup Type of Shell Hardware Detection
Automated Restore
1. Select your Windows Vista edition and Service Pack, and then click on the Download button below.
2. Save the RestoreShellHardwareDetectionWindowsVista.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 shsvcs.dll file exists in the %WinDir%\System32 folder. If this file is missing you can try to restore it from your Windows Vista installation media.