Hmmm... well in that case, I would use something like:

@rc = `net stop messenger`;
if ($rc[1] =~ /success/) {
    print "Messenger stopped successfully\n";
} else {
    print "Problem occurred stopping Messenger\n";
}

@rc = `net start messenger`;
if ($rc[1] =~ /success/) {
    print "Messenger started successfully\n";
} else {
    print "Problem occurred starting Messenger\n";
}
[download]

You might also want to run `net start` on its own first and search for the name of the service you're about to start or stop -- that way you'll know whether it's running.

Gordon