In a Windows environment, applications are supposed to present the user with a dialogue and popups, etc. so that the user can interact with the computer. When a service running in the background of the operating system tries to do the same, Windows throw an Interactive Services Detection dialog box. The dialog box may appear after every 5 minute, sometimes disappearing before you can even read what it says. It can get pretty annoying and may give you a brief pause from whatever you were working on breaking the tempo causing a lot of disturbance.
You can either disable this service or you can try to fix the issue by getting to the root of the problem and eliminating it.
The Workaround: Turning Interactive Services Detection Off
If the pop up appears and disappears too quickly for you to do anything, this maybe it’s only fix. This method is the same for Windows Vista, 7, 8 and 10.
Press Windows key + R. In the Run window type services.msc and press Enter. Click Yes if a UAC warning appears.
A window with a list of services will appear. Search for Interactive Services Detection under the Name column. Once you find it, double click on it. Interactive Services Detection properties window will appear. Next to “Startup type:” select Disabled from the drop down menu. Click OK.
To do it through Command Prompt, Hold Windows Key, type cmd. Right click on cmd and click on Run as Administrator. Click Yes on the UAC warning message.
In the black window, type the following code and press Enter.
REG add "HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\services\UI0Detect" /v Start /t REG_DWORD /d 4 /f
Restart your computer and test.
Solution 1: Uninstall the Software Triggering The Interactive Services Detection
If you have recently installed an application and started getting this error, probably it is the one conflicting with the services.
Hold Windows key + and Press R. Type appwiz.cpl in the run window and press Enter.
In the list of programs, right click on the program you recently installed and click Uninstall. Now follow the on-screen instruction to uninstall it. Restart your PC. If this has fixed the problem, then the program was what causing this error. Try reinstalling your program or getting an updated version of it.
To see the exact program causing this issue, When the Interactive Services Detection dialog appears, click the “Show Program Details” button. If the path under “Program path:” is that of a software you have installed, try uninstalling it. If the path is C:\Windows\System32\spoolsv.exe then it’s the spooler service causing the issue. If you recently added a printer, remove it, and reinstall.
If there is some other program, tell us in the comments section and we will find a fix for that specific program after you have tried all the solutions below.
Solution 2: Restore Previous System Settings
If a windows update or any change in the system settings has triggered this issue, we can restore the system settings to a previous date when there was no issue. For this solution to work, you must have System Restore point previously created.
Close and save all your applications. Hold the Windows Key and Press R. In the Run dialog, type rstrui.exe – And Click OK.
Now check if the Restore Point created has a date prior to when the issue started, if this restore point is available, then click on it once to highlight it and choose Next/Finish. You can also place a check on “Show More Restore Points” to view more points. The point is to restore the system to a time when the system was working fine. Restoring, does not delete your data or affects your files/folders. It only affects the programs and updates.
Solution 3: Run System File Checker Scan
System File Checker Scan is used to check the integrity if all the crucial system files that are required by Windows to run smoothly. Power on your system, and tap F8 repeatedly (Windows Vista / 7) until you see get to Advanced Troubleshooting Screen.
Choose Safe Mode and Hit Enter.
For Windows 8 see steps here and for Windows 10 here.
Once logged into safe mode, Hold Windows Key + R, and in the run dialog, type the following command:
%WinDir%\WinSxS\Temp
Delete the folders PendingDeletes and PendingRenames folders if they exist. Click the start button, type cmd, in the search results, right click on cmd and click Run as administrator. Click yes if the UAC warning appears.
In the black type the below given command and press Enter.
sfc /scannow
Let it scan for corrupted or missing system files on your operating system and let the process get finished at 100%.
If the process completes successfully, you’ll get one of the following messages “Windows Resource Protection did not find any integrity violations” or “Windows Resource Protection found corrupt files and successfully repaired them”. If it says that it could not repair them, then execute the following command.
Dism /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth
Restart your PC and TEST.
