Service Doesn't Start

I could not get the service to start on my business Windows XP laptop
where I am not an administrator. I had been running it and then it
would not start. I don't know if a corporate download changed
something or what.

I kept getting a message from AdminIII that the server was not
listening.

After searching through many Windows' Wizards, windows and features I
found in Control Panel | Admin Tools | Services, and then right
clicking on postgresql-9.0 - PostgreSQL Server 9.0, a context menu
came up. (BTW postgresql shoed up as Startup Type Automatic and it was
not started.) On the context menu, I selected 'Properties' and then
the 'Log On' tab. It was configured as './postgres' for 'This
account'. I could not change the './' prefix. I changed the
selection from 'This Account' to 'Local System account'. I was then
able to start the server from both the Serves app and from AdminIII.
I am listed as a user in the domain. The postgres user is listed for
the machine.

I hope this helps others. I hope I can find this the next time I get
stuck.

ray

keywords: postgresql, server, services, start, fail