What Windows log should I use to monitor service uptime?

Question

I need to write a script that takes data about reliability of Windows services (default and custom) and forwards them to a central server for processing. My problem is that I am not sure what log files track this. The data I need to track is when the services boot, when they close, and whether they close successfully or with an error code (and what that error code is). Any help is greatly appreciated.

Thanks

Clarification

I need to keep track of the background services running on a windows 7 or XP machine (what linux calls daemons).

Answer 1

In my experience most services do not log when they start/stop. Some certainly do and often you'll see that information in the system or application log. We track this externally. We use a tool to check the server regularly to see if a service is running and if not, make a note of it. For us this is done using Nagios and the various check_ tools. In my opinion you are better using existing tools for this rather than invent your own.