diff --git a/src/gui/src/MainWindow.cpp b/src/gui/src/MainWindow.cpp
index 893ad150..eb6b0965 100644
--- a/src/gui/src/MainWindow.cpp
+++ b/src/gui/src/MainWindow.cpp
@@ -346,7 +346,8 @@ void MainWindow::updateStateFromLogLine(const QString &line)
 {
 	// TODO: implement ipc connection state messages to replace this hack.
 	if (line.contains("started server") ||
-		line.contains("connected to server"))
+		line.contains("connected to server") ||
+		line.contains("watchdog status: ok"))
 	{
 		setSynergyState(synergyConnected);
 	}
@@ -359,7 +360,6 @@ void MainWindow::clearLog()
 
 void MainWindow::startSynergy()
 {
-	// TODO: refactor this out into 2 methods.
 	bool desktopMode = appConfig().processMode() == Desktop;
 	bool serviceMode = appConfig().processMode() == Service;
 
@@ -632,7 +632,7 @@ void MainWindow::setSynergyState(qSynergyState state)
 		disconnect (m_pButtonToggleStart, SIGNAL(clicked()), m_pActionStartSynergy, SLOT(trigger()));
 		connect (m_pButtonToggleStart, SIGNAL(clicked()), m_pActionStopSynergy, SLOT(trigger()));
 		m_pButtonToggleStart->setText(tr("&Stop"));
-		m_pButtonApply->setEnabled((appConfig().processMode() == Service));
+		m_pButtonApply->setEnabled(true);
 	}
 	else
 	{
@@ -656,8 +656,7 @@ void MainWindow::setSynergyState(qSynergyState state)
 	switch (state)
 	{
 	case synergyConnected: {
-		QString mode(appConfig().processMode() == Service ? tr("service mode") : tr("desktop mode"));
-		setStatus(tr("Synergy is running (%1).").arg(mode));
+		setStatus(tr("Synergy is running."));
 		break;
 	}
 	case synergyConnecting:
diff --git a/src/lib/platform/CMSWindowsSession.cpp b/src/lib/platform/CMSWindowsSession.cpp
index b420e60a..70db3390 100644
--- a/src/lib/platform/CMSWindowsSession.cpp
+++ b/src/lib/platform/CMSWindowsSession.cpp
@@ -118,7 +118,7 @@ CMSWindowsSession::isProcessInSession(const char* name, PHANDLE process = NULL)
 		return true;
 	}
 	else {
-		LOG((CLOG_ERR "could not find %s in session %i", name, m_activeSessionId));
+		LOG((CLOG_DEBUG "did not find %s in session %i", name, m_activeSessionId));
 		return false;
 	}
 }
diff --git a/src/lib/platform/CMSWindowsWatchdog.cpp b/src/lib/platform/CMSWindowsWatchdog.cpp
index 9a6db6a8..dda946ff 100644
--- a/src/lib/platform/CMSWindowsWatchdog.cpp
+++ b/src/lib/platform/CMSWindowsWatchdog.cpp
@@ -304,6 +304,12 @@ CMSWindowsWatchdog::startProcess()
 		throw XArch(new XArchEvalWindows);
 	}
 	else {
+		// wait for program to fail.
+		ARCH->sleep(1);
+		if (!isProcessActive()) {
+			throw XMSWindowsWatchdogError("process immediately stopped");
+		}
+
 		m_processRunning = true;
 		m_processFailures = 0;
 
diff --git a/src/lib/platform/CMSWindowsWatchdog.h b/src/lib/platform/CMSWindowsWatchdog.h
index b92012c1..0fb6f750 100644
--- a/src/lib/platform/CMSWindowsWatchdog.h
+++ b/src/lib/platform/CMSWindowsWatchdog.h
@@ -41,6 +41,7 @@ public:
 	std::string			getCommand() const;
 	void				setCommand(const std::string& command, bool elevate);
 	void				stop();
+	bool				isProcessActive();
 
 private:
 	void				mainLoop(void*);
@@ -50,7 +51,6 @@ private:
 	HANDLE				duplicateProcessToken(HANDLE process, LPSECURITY_ATTRIBUTES security);
 	HANDLE				getUserToken(LPSECURITY_ATTRIBUTES security);
 	void				startProcess();
-	bool				isProcessActive();
 	void				sendSas();
 
 private:
diff --git a/src/lib/synergy/CDaemonApp.cpp b/src/lib/synergy/CDaemonApp.cpp
index f5d6ded5..040683bb 100644
--- a/src/lib/synergy/CDaemonApp.cpp
+++ b/src/lib/synergy/CDaemonApp.cpp
@@ -347,6 +347,21 @@ CDaemonApp::handleIpcMessage(const CEvent& e, void*)
 		}
 
 		case kIpcHello:
+			CIpcHelloMessage* hm = static_cast<CIpcHelloMessage*>(m);
+			CString type;
+			switch (hm->clientType()) {
+				case kIpcClientGui: type = "gui"; break;
+				case kIpcClientNode: type = "node"; break;
+				default: type = "unknown"; break;
+			}
+
+			LOG((CLOG_DEBUG "ipc hello, type=%s", type.c_str()));
+
+#if SYSAPI_WIN32
+			CString watchdogStatus = m_watchdog->isProcessActive() ? "ok" : "error";
+			LOG((CLOG_INFO "watchdog status: %s", watchdogStatus.c_str()));
+#endif
+
 			m_ipcLogOutputter->notifyBuffer();
 			break;
 	}