Recently had the Office SharePoint Server Search service get stuck in a Stopping status.

Central Administration > Operations > Services on Server

Things I tried that DID NOT work:
1. Rebooting the server.
2. taskkill.exe /F /IM mssearch.exe /T
3. Disable the Office SharePoint Server Search Service
Reboot
Start the Office SharePoint Server Search Service

What DID WORK:
Logged into the server using one of the Farm Admin accounts.
Ran this command: stsadm.exe -o osearch -action start

This stuck on Stopping issue appears to be a common problem. Some people can resolve the issue by rebooting the server, while others have to run the SharePoint config wizard. Hope my quick fix helps.