Under service manager (services.msc) there is an executable tomcat6w.exe
Each tomcat instance launched from eclipse IDE & services.msc is seen as executable javaw.exe
Despite the tomcat instance is stopped from eclipse as well as under service mgr, tomcat6w.exe seems to be in running state.
How tomcat6w.exedifferent from javaw.exe from functionality aspect?
J2EE beginner
javaw.exe is a part of the Java Virtual Machine. Specifically, it's one of the wrapper programs around the main JVM.
tomcat6w.exe is a service configuration editor for Tomcat. You can use it to modify the parameters for how the Windows Service behaves when it is launched: things like heap parameters and any other arguments you want to be able to add to the JVM's command-line when it launches. You can quit tomcat6w.exe anytime you like and it will not take-down your server.
Either you or Eclipse has launched the Tomcat Service Manager and you just aren't seeing it for some reason. It usually will have an icon in the system tray if you can't see an open window on the screen.
