A Windows service is a long-running executable that performs specific functions and which is designed not to require user intervention.

To profile a Windows service, you specify the path to it, choose a profiling mode and the performance counters you're interested in, and click start. Setup is relatively simple, but the profiler and the service must be running on the same computer. If you don't want to install the profiler on the computer that will run the service, you can can install your service using the installutil.exe utility which is supplied with Microsoft Visual Studio.

Setting up the Performance Profiler

To profile Windows services, on the settings screen:

1. From the list of application types, click Windows service.
2. Select your .NET Windows Service from the drop down list. 
   Click  to update the list of Windows services.
3. If you need to specify any command line arguments for the application, click Show startup options.
   The Arguments box is displayed. Type any arguments you want to use here.
4. Select the required Profiling mode, Chart performance counters,  Additional profiler options, and the browser to launch the application.
   For more information, see Working with application settings and Setting up chart performance counters.
5. Click 

If the service is not already started, ANTS Performance Profiler will start the service. If the service is already started, the profiler will restart the service.

During a profiling session you can interact normally with your service and with the profiler.

When you have finished profiling the service, click the  button in ANTS Performance Profiler to stop profiling.

Profiling WCF services

If the service you want to profile is implemented using the Windows Communication Foundation (WCF), it may be helpful to think of the service as a server in a server-client relationship.

Set up ANTS Performance Profiler as described above, but after you have clicked , start interacting with the client program to call the service.

The service's communications with the client are included in the results.

For more information on profiling WCF services, see Profiling WCF applications.