S3cap Service Defaults in Windows 7

Microsoft S3 Emulated Device Cap Driver by Microsoft Corporation.

The S3cap service does not exist in:

Default Settings

Startup type: Manual
Display name:S3cap
Service name:s3cap
Service type:kernel
Error control:normal
Group:Video
Path:%SystemRoot%\system32\DRIVERS\vms3cap.sys
Registry key:HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\s3cap

Default Behavior

S3cap is a kernel device driver. In Windows 7 it won't be started if the user doesn't start it. If S3cap fails to start, Windows 7 attempts to write the failure details into Event Log. Then Windows 7 startup should proceed and the user should be notified that the s3cap service is not running because of the error.

Restore Default Startup Configuration of S3cap

1. Run the Command Prompt as an administrator.

2. Copy the command below, paste it into the command window and press ENTER:

sc config s3cap start= demand

3. Close the command window and restart the computer.

The s3cap service is using the vms3cap.sys file that is located in the C:\Windows\system32\DRIVERS directory. If the file is removed or corrupted, read this article to restore its original version from Windows 7 installation media.