Alex Ruben
How To Resolve the Dependency Service or Group Failed to Start Error in Windows
Dealing with the “Dependency Service or Group Failed to Start” error on Windows can be super annoying — usually pops up when you’re trying to connect to the internet or when some services just refuse to run. It’s like your system’s way of saying, “Nope, not today,” even though everything *looks* fine on the surface. Often, it’s linked to network components or system services gone haywire, which means fixing it involves some tinkering with services, network reset commands, and tweaking settings. The good news? These steps have saved people from reinstalling Windows more times than they care to admit. After trying this out, the network stuff should be back on track, and you’ll stop banging your head against the wall.
How to Fix the Dependency Service or Group Failed to Start Error
Try a quick restart before diving into more involved fixes
Honestly, some weird glitches resolve themselves after a reboot. So, if you haven’t done that yet, just restart your PC. It can clear up small temporary issues that might be blocking services from starting properly. It’s a simple start, but sometimes it’s all that’s needed.
Access the Windows Services menu and set the key services to auto
This is the bread and butter for fixing this kind of issue. Head over to Start, then type services.msc in the run box (classic way: Windows + R) and hit Enter. You’ll see a long list of services. Look for Network Connections, Network Location Awareness, and WLAN AutoConfig. For each of these, right-click, choose Properties, and ensure the Startup type is set to Automatic. If they’re not running, click Start. Sometimes, they refuse to start because they’re disabled or stuck. On some setups, it helps to manually restart each service even if they look fine. If they don’t start, don’t panic — move on to resetting network settings.
Reset network settings using Command Prompt if services won’t start
On some machines, the services are stubborn and won’t start even after setting them to automatic. That’s where resetting your network stack can save the day. Open an Admin Command Prompt by searching for CMD, right-clicking, and choosing Run as administrator. Then, run these commands one at a time:
netsh int ip reset
netsh winsock resetThis clears out corrupt network configs that might be causing the error. It’s like hitting a reset button for your network stack. Just be prepared for a restart afterward because Windows needs to reload everything clean.
Check other critical services are running
Now, some other services, like Base Filtering Engine (BFE) and DHCP Client, are key for network stuff. Back in the Services window, verify that these are running. They usually auto-start, but if not, right-click and hit Start. Not having them active can cause all sorts of network errors, including the Dependency failure.
Dive into System Configuration to make sure nothing’s disabled
Press Windows + R, type msconfig, and hit Enter. Switch to the Services tab, check Hide all Microsoft services — *this is crucial*, because Windows doesn’t like you meddling with core stuff. Then, review the list; if any non-Microsoft services related to your network are disabled, re-enable them. Sometimes, disabling a service you thought was useless was what caused this mess.
Disable unnecessary startup programs to prevent interference
Open Task Manager (Ctrl + Shift + Esc), go to the Startup tab, and disable anything that’s not essential. The idea here is to reduce background noise — some third-party apps or antivirus tools can interfere with networking services. Reboot again after this, because sometimes the conflicts are only fixed after a clean start.
Extra tips & common pitfalls
If the error still won’t go away, double-check your network adapter in Device Manager. Sometimes, drivers get corrupted or outdated; right-click your network adapter, and try updating the driver or rolling back if you recently did updates. Also, running the Windows Network Troubleshooter (search in Settings under Network & Internet) can sometimes identify issues Windows itself might miss.
And yeah, keeping Windows updated is crucial — a lot of these errors are caused by bugs that get patched in newer updates.
Wrap-up
If these steps don’t fix the problem, it might be worth considering a system restore or visiting the Microsoft support forums. Sometimes, the issue is deeper, tied to Windows updates or third-party software conflicts. But on a lot of setups, just resetting network configs and ensuring critical services are running does the trick.
Frequently Asked Questions
What if the error still pops up after all this?
Well, then it might be time to look at system restore points or even consider reinstalling some system components. Sometimes, a Windows repair install is the easiest way out if everything else fails.
Does this work on Windows 11, too?
Absolutely. The core services and commands are pretty much the same, so these steps are valid whether you’re on Windows 10 or 11.
Any extra tools needed for this?
Nope, everything is built-in. Just Windows tools and commands — no third-party apps necessary.
Summary
- Restart the PC — because sometimes, that’s all it takes.
- Make sure main network services are set to auto and running.
- Reset network settings with commands:
netsh int ip resetandnetsh winsock reset. - Check other essential services like BFE and DHCP are active.
- Use
msconfigto ensure no necessary services are disabled. - Disable unnecessary startup programs that might be interfering.
Final thoughts — or, well, some things that surprisingly work
Fingers crossed this helps some folks get their network back up without too much hassle. Of course, every machine’s a bit different, but these steps have been pretty reliable across various setups. If it gets one step closer to working, that’s a win.