diff --git a/mercurial/cmdutil.py b/mercurial/cmdutil.py
--- a/mercurial/cmdutil.py
+++ b/mercurial/cmdutil.py
@@ -580,8 +580,7 @@ def service(opts, parentfn=None, initfn=
             elif runargs[i].startswith('--cwd'):
                 del runargs[i:i+2]
                 break
-        pid = os.spawnvp(os.P_NOWAIT | getattr(os, 'P_DETACH', 0),
-                         runargs[0], runargs)
+        pid = util.spawndetached(runargs)
         os.close(wfd)
         os.read(rfd, 1)
         if parentfn:
diff --git a/mercurial/posix.py b/mercurial/posix.py
--- a/mercurial/posix.py
+++ b/mercurial/posix.py
@@ -257,3 +257,8 @@ def groupname(gid=None):
         return grp.getgrgid(gid)[0]
     except KeyError:
         return str(gid)
+
+def spawndetached(args):
+    return os.spawnvp(os.P_NOWAIT | getattr(os, 'P_DETACH', 0),
+                      args[0], args)
+
diff --git a/mercurial/windows.py b/mercurial/windows.py
--- a/mercurial/windows.py
+++ b/mercurial/windows.py
@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@
 
 from i18n import _
 import osutil, error
-import errno, msvcrt, os, re, sys, random
+import errno, msvcrt, os, re, sys, random, subprocess
 
 nulldev = 'NUL:'
 umask = 002
@@ -321,6 +321,37 @@ def rename(src, dst):
             pass
         os.rename(src, dst)
 
+def spawndetached(args):
+    # No standard library function really spawns a fully detached
+    # process under win32 because they allocate pipes or other objects
+    # to handle standard streams communications. Passing these objects
+    # to the child process requires handle inheritance to be enabled
+    # which makes really detached processes impossible.
+    class STARTUPINFO:
+        dwFlags = subprocess.STARTF_USESHOWWINDOW
+        hStdInput = None
+        hStdOutput = None
+        hStdError = None
+        wShowWindow = subprocess.SW_HIDE
+        
+    args = subprocess.list2cmdline(args)
+    # Not running the command in shell mode makes python26 hang when
+    # writing to hgweb output socket.
+    comspec = os.environ.get("COMSPEC", "cmd.exe")
+    args = comspec + " /c " + args
+    hp, ht, pid, tid = subprocess.CreateProcess(
+        None, args,
+        # no special security
+        None, None,
+        # Do not inherit handles
+        0,
+        # DETACHED_PROCESS
+        0x00000008,
+        os.environ,
+        os.getcwd(),
+        STARTUPINFO())
+    return pid
+
 try:
     # override functions with win32 versions if possible
     from win32 import *