Windows Service Start Parameters not persisting

Question

I have written a service that takes several parameters to start. These include username and passwords. The service startup Type is configured as automatic so therefore it should start when computer is rebooted. The service does restart but fails because it does not have any parameters. If you manually supply the parameters and start the service it works fine. I would have thought that the parameters would have been saved by the operating system but it seems they arent. Can you you please advise how I can overcome this problem. I dont wanna save the passwords in a file because that cause security concerns. This is a local service running on a workstation. The service access a remote secure FTP server. Therefore passwords should not be revealed.