Dependency Service Failed to Start: 3 Ways to Fix it Quickly

Our lives have become so dependent on the Internet that we literally live there. And if something cuts off the Internet connection, our work is severely affected, and it is likely that error The dependency service or group failed to start error is the culprit.

So, it can be that your Windows PC’s connection to the Internet has indeed been cut off. Pointless to say you need to get it fixed as soon as possible.

What does the dependency service or group failed to start mean?

The dependency service or group failed to start error means there is an issue with a Windows service. This error occurs when you are troubleshooting your internet connection, and it makes your network limited.

This error can be caused by not using the normal startup to load your services and drivers, among other potential factors.

What do I do if the dependency service or group failed to start?

1. Use Normal Startup to load all the services and drivers

1. Click the Windows start icon, type msconfig, and hit Enter to bring up the System Configuration folder.
   
2. In the window that comes up, tick the Normal startup radio button and click OK.
3. After the PC restarts, check to see if the error still comes up. If it does, proceed to this next fix.

Using the normal start-up to restart your PC will force load all drivers and services and hopefully resolve the connection error.

The other startup types – diagnostic and selective startups will only load the basic services and, with the selective startup, only those you will have pre-selected.

2. Add localservice and networkservice to your administrator group

1. Press the Windows key, type cmd, and click Run as administrator under Command Prompt.
2. Type the command below and hit Enter to run it: net localgroup administrators localservice /add
3. Now, type the command below and press Enter: net localgroup administrators networkservice /add
   
4. Type exit to close the command prompt.

In the majority of cases where this error crops up, restoring the local and networkservice back under your administrator privileges is usually all you need to do.

Restart your PC after applying the fix, and try connecting to the internet again. You should be good to go. If the error still comes up, try this next fix.

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3. Enable all network-related services to start automatically

1. Click the Windows start icon, type services.msc, and hit Enter,
   
2. Double-click the Application Layer Gateway Service to open its properties.
3. Now, set its Startup type to Automatic and click the Start button.
   
4. Click OK to save the changes.
5. Finally, repeat the steps above for the following services:
   • Network Location Awareness (NLA)
   • Network Connections,
   • Plug and Play
   • Remote Access Connection Manager
   • Remote Procedure Call (RPC)
   • Telephony
   • Remote Access Auto Connection Manager

There are cases where some of your PC’s services will need to be enabled and set to automatically run on startup for you to restore your internet connection.

This is important, as setting the Startup type to Automatic helps the services run from when you start the PC, while setting it as Manual requires you to enable the services every time you face connection issues, which is exhausting.

Failing to connect to the internet is rough. You can’t work, or play, which is an absolute disaster for some people.

The fixes we have discussed here should help solve The dependency service or group failed to start error. Remember, though, to scan and clean your PC of viruses if you notice it behaving strangely or suffering more bugs than usual.

Feel free to let us know the solution that helped you fix this issue in the comments below.