BUG: The Startup Type of the ASP.NET Session State Service is set to Manual after you install an ASP.NET hotfix

Microsoft ASP.NET offers two options for out-of-proc Session state. One of these options is the ASP.NET Session State Service (Aspnet_state.exe). Like any Windows Service, this service can be configured by using the Windows Services window (Services.msc). In the Services window, you can configure the Startup Type for each service. The Startup Type determines the execution of the service when the computer has been restarted. The Startup Type has the following valid options:

• Manual
• Automatic
• Disabled

After you install any ASP.NET hotfix, the Startup Type will be set to Manual. Therefore, if the Startup Type was set to Automatic before we install the hotfix, we would expect the ASP.NET State Service to start automatically after a restart occurs. However, that behavior would not occur because the Startup Type is set to Manual. If you want the ASP.NET State Service to start automatically, change the Startup Type to Automatic after you install any ASP.NET hotfix.

This problem occurs because the installer package of ASP.NET hotfixes resets the Startup Type of the Aspnet_state service to Manual.

After you install an ASP.NET hotfix, change the Startup Type of the Aspnet_state service to the Startup Type that you want. To do this, follow these steps:

1. In Control Panel, open Administrative Tools.
2. Click Services. The Services window appears.
3. Expand the Name column so that the complete name of each service appears.
   
   Note A Startup Type column displays the current Startup Type value for each service.
4. Double-click the ASP.NET State Service service. The ASP.NET State Service Properties window appears.
5. On the General tab, click one of the following options in the Startup type list:
   • Manual
   • Automatic
   • Disabled
6. Click Apply, and then click OK to save your settings.
   
   In the Services window, notice your changes to the Startup Type in the Startup Type column.

Microsoft has confirmed that this is a bug in the Microsoft products that are listed in the "Applies to" section.

Steps to reproduce the problem

1. Install any ASP.NET hotfix.
2. Check the Startup Type for the Aspnet_state service. To do this, see the "Resolution" section.

For additional information, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: