We have all seen this after upgrading a kernel or after an initial installation of an SAP system, but I thought I would expound a little upon why it happens. When creating the service used to start SAP in a windows environment, you use an executable called sapstartsrv.exe. This file is found in Kernel Part I (database independent), but it is also found in the SAP Host Agent executables as well as in the Disp+Work Package.
On the Kernel download page in the SAP Service Marketplace, you will find multiple versions of each of these. However, the most recent version of each may be different. It is critical that you make sure your disp+work.exe and sapstartsrv.exe are the same version and patch level. If they are different, you can run into issues from not seeing dialog process information to not being able to start the SAP system at all.
1. Right-Click on the executable
2. Choose Properties
3. Look at the Details tab
4. The Product Version for disp+work.exe and sapstartsrv.exe must be identical
Also, you will want to look at the details of your service definition to make sure you are using the sapstartsrv.exe from the correct kernel directory. Some systems have the service running from a copy of the executable in the Windows\System32 directory, which is not necessarily updated when the kernel is updated. To remedy this, follow this process:
1. Make sure your SAP system is in a shutdown state
2. Double-click on sapstartsrv.exe in your active kernel directory "usr\sap\SID\INSTANCE\exe"
3. Enter all the required information
4. Repeat for any other systems/instances on the server
Hope this helps...
