# My app didn't come back after my Windows VPS restarted
Source: https://vpsdime.com/knowledgebase/windows-vps/windows-services-after-reboot
Last reviewed: 2026-07-02
Summary: The Windows twin of the classic post-unsuspension story, the VPS reboots (after paying an overdue invoice, an update, or your own restart) and the app or database is down because its service isn't set to start automatically, or it never was a service. Startup types, the Recovery tab, Task Scheduler at-startup, and NSSM for turning any program into a service.

## What this is

The VPS is up and RDP works, but your application, game server, or database is down, right after a restart. The classic trigger is the [suspension-for-nonpayment story](https://vpsdime.com/knowledgebase/billing/billing-timeline): invoice overdue, VPS suspended, you pay, it reactivates, and it boots **fresh**, without anything that wasn't configured to start on boot. [Update restarts](https://vpsdime.com/knowledgebase/windows-vps/windows-updates) and your own reboots trigger the identical failure. Nothing is lost; the software just wasn't told to rise with the machine.

## If it's a Windows service: check the startup type

1. Run `services.msc`, find the service (SQL Server, your app's service, the web server).
2. Look at **Startup Type**: **Manual** or **Disabled** after a reboot means exactly what you're seeing. Set it to **Automatic**, or **Automatic (Delayed Start)** for things that should wait for the network and heavier services to settle.
3. **Start** it now, and you're back.

PowerShell version: `Set-Service MyService -StartupType Automatic; Start-Service MyService`.

Two refinements worth doing while you're in there:

- **A service set to Automatic that still isn't running** *tried* and failed, check Event Viewer (Windows Logs → Application/System) for its error, a missing drive, a busy port, or a dependency that started too late (that's what Delayed Start is for).
- **The Recovery tab** on the service's properties can restart it automatically on failure (First/Second/Subsequent failures → Restart the Service), the Windows equivalent of `Restart=always`, and it turns a random crash into a blip.

## If it's not a service: it dies with your session

A program you started by double-clicking, or left running in an RDP window, is tied to your logon session, a reboot (or even a sign-out) ends it. Give it a real home:

- **Task Scheduler** (built-in): Create Task → trigger **At startup** → action: run your program → and crucially, "**Run whether user is logged on or not**". Good for scripts and simple daemons.
- **[NSSM](https://nssm.cc/)** (the "Non-Sucking Service Manager", the community-standard free tool): wraps *any* executable as a genuine Windows service, with startup type, automatic restart on crash, and log capture, the better answer for anything long-running, like game servers. `nssm install MyApp` opens its little GUI and you're done in a minute. (An [AI chatbot](https://vpsdime.com/knowledgebase/support-coverage/software-and-server-management) will happily tailor the Task Scheduler or NSSM setup to your exact program.)

## Verify like you mean it

Same rule as [the Linux twin](https://vpsdime.com/knowledgebase/troubleshooting/services-not-starting-after-reboot): the only real test of "starts on boot" is a boot. Pick a calm moment, restart from the Start menu, and confirm everything comes up without you. Two minutes of planned downtime beats rediscovering this page after the next invoice hiccup.

## Still need help?

You can [open a support ticket](https://vpsdime.com/open-ticket/). So we can help on the first reply, it's worth mentioning:

- the VPS hostname or IP,
- the service or app that didn't come back, and its startup type,
- anything from Event Viewer around the boot time.

## Related questions

- "I paid my invoice and my Windows VPS is back, but my app is down."
- "Why didn't SQL Server start after a reboot?"
- "How do I make a program start automatically on Windows Server?"
- "What is Automatic (Delayed Start)?"
- "How do I run a game server as a Windows service?"