diff --git a/src/RemSound.App/Program.cs b/src/RemSound.App/Program.cs
index a41cf86..3316701 100644
--- a/src/RemSound.App/Program.cs
+++ b/src/RemSound.App/Program.cs
@@ -66,7 +66,15 @@ internal static class Program
         // a status code. --run-service blocks in the SCM dispatcher until Windows stops the service.
         if (args.Length > 0)
         {
-            if (HasArg(args, ServiceControl.RunVerb)) { RemSoundService.RunAsService(); return; }
+            if (HasArg(args, ServiceControl.RunVerb))
+            {
+                // Point the service's data (its log) at the machine-wide ProgramData location, next to its
+                // profile — otherwise a headless SYSTEM service logs into the SYSTEM account's AppData,
+                // which is near-impossible to find. (The profile itself always comes from ServiceStore.)
+                AppConfig.SetUserDataDirectoryOverride(ServiceStore.Directory);
+                RemSoundService.RunAsService();
+                return;
+            }
             if (HasArg(args, ServiceControl.InstallVerb)) { Environment.ExitCode = ServiceControl.DoInstall(); return; }
             if (HasArg(args, ServiceControl.UninstallVerb)) { Environment.ExitCode = ServiceControl.DoUninstall(); return; }
             if (HasArg(args, ServiceControl.StartVerb)) { Environment.ExitCode = ServiceControl.DoStart(); return; }
diff --git a/src/RemSound.App/RemSoundService.cs b/src/RemSound.App/RemSoundService.cs
index 2411ccf..cf49cbc 100644
--- a/src/RemSound.App/RemSoundService.cs
+++ b/src/RemSound.App/RemSoundService.cs
@@ -22,6 +22,17 @@ public sealed class RemSoundService : ServiceBase
         CanStop = true;
         CanShutdown = true;
         CanPauseAndContinue = false;
+        CanHandlePowerEvent = true;   // so we can re-open capture after the machine wakes from sleep
+    }
+
+    protected override bool OnPowerEvent(PowerBroadcastStatus powerStatus)
+    {
+        if (powerStatus is PowerBroadcastStatus.ResumeSuspend or PowerBroadcastStatus.ResumeAutomatic or PowerBroadcastStatus.ResumeCritical)
+        {
+            log?.Event("service: power resume — re-opening capture");
+            try { host?.ReopenAfterResume(); } catch (Exception ex) { log?.Event($"service: resume re-open failed {ex.GetType().Name}: {ex.Message}"); }
+        }
+        return true;
     }
 
     protected override void OnStart(string[] args)
diff --git a/src/RemSound.App/SelfTest.cs b/src/RemSound.App/SelfTest.cs
index 3eea62d..b283492 100644
--- a/src/RemSound.App/SelfTest.cs
+++ b/src/RemSound.App/SelfTest.cs
@@ -676,7 +676,13 @@ internal static class SelfTest
         Check(args.Contains("\\\"" + exe + "\\\" " + ServiceControl.RunVerb),
             $"exe path must be escaped-quoted with the run verb (got: {args})");
         Check(args.Contains($"DisplayName= \"{ServiceControl.DisplayName}\""), "must set the display name");
-        return "sc create args quoted correctly for a spaced path";
+        Check(args.Contains("depend= Audiosrv"), "must depend on the audio service so it starts after audio is up");
+
+        // Auto-restart-on-crash failure actions.
+        var fail = ServiceControl.BuildFailureArgs();
+        Check(fail.StartsWith($"failure {ServiceControl.ServiceName} ") && fail.Contains("actions= restart/"),
+            $"failure args must configure auto-restart (got: {fail})");
+        return "sc create + failure args are well-formed";
     }
 
     /// <summary>The service profile is fully isolated from the normal profile machinery: it lives in a
diff --git a/src/RemSound.App/ServiceControl.cs b/src/RemSound.App/ServiceControl.cs
index 44d6e4d..9a7ee92 100644
--- a/src/RemSound.App/ServiceControl.cs
+++ b/src/RemSound.App/ServiceControl.cs
@@ -98,9 +98,17 @@ public static class ServiceControl
         if (rc != 0) return rc;
         // Best-effort description; failure here doesn't fail the install.
         RunSc($"description {ServiceName} \"{Description}\"");
+        // Auto-restart on crash: without this a crashed service stays dead until reboot, which defeats
+        // an always-on streamer. Restart 5s / 10s / then every 60s; reset the failure counter daily.
+        RunSc(BuildFailureArgs());
         return 0;
     }
 
+    /// <summary>The sc.exe "failure" args that make the service auto-restart on a crash. Pure, so a
+    /// self-test can verify the format.</summary>
+    internal static string BuildFailureArgs() =>
+        $"failure {ServiceName} reset= 86400 actions= restart/5000/restart/10000/restart/60000";
+
     /// <summary>Stops (if running) and deletes the service. Must be run elevated. Returns 0 on success or
     /// if it wasn't installed.</summary>
     public static int DoUninstall()
diff --git a/src/RemSound.App/ServiceSendHost.cs b/src/RemSound.App/ServiceSendHost.cs
index 8c45cdd..9acb9d0 100644
--- a/src/RemSound.App/ServiceSendHost.cs
+++ b/src/RemSound.App/ServiceSendHost.cs
@@ -166,6 +166,20 @@ public sealed class ServiceSendHost : IDisposable
         Suspend();
     }
 
+    /// <summary>Force a re-open of capture if we intend to send — called after a power resume, when the
+    /// audio devices have re-initialised and the current capture may be dead. The device-change watcher
+    /// usually catches this too, but a resume doesn't always fire an endpoint change, so we re-open
+    /// explicitly to be safe.</summary>
+    public void ReopenAfterResume()
+    {
+        if (!wantSending || disposed) return;
+        var profile = loadProfile();
+        if (profile is null) return;
+        log?.Invoke("service: re-opening capture after power resume");
+        Suspend();
+        ApplyProfile(profile);
+    }
+
     /// <summary>Device-set change callback (COM thread). While we intend to send, (re)open capture — this
     /// is the event that fires when the audio stack finishes coming up at boot, a device is plugged or
     /// unplugged, or the audio service restarts. Debounced: a single hot-plug fires several notifications.</summary>