Overview

Task Scheduler is a tool that enables you to schedule tasks (such as Disk Defragmenter) to run regularly, when it’s most convenient for you. Task Scheduler starts each time you start Windows, and runs in the background.

When Task Scheduler is running on a computer with Windows 95, this icon   [image]  appears next to the clock on the taskbar.

On computers running Windows 95, you can double-click the Task Scheduler icon on the taskbar to open Task Scheduler. On computers running either Windows 95 or Windows NT, you can also open Task Scheduler by clicking My Computer and then clicking the Scheduled Tasks folder.

Opening Task Scheduler enables you to:

•	Schedule a task to run daily, weekly, monthly, or at certain times, such as  when the computer starts or is idle.

•	Change the schedule for or turn off an existing task.

•	Customize how a task will run at its scheduled time.

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Using Task Scheduler with the Windows 95 Plus! System Agent

Windows 95 Plus! contains a task-scheduling tool named System Agent. If Plus! was installed on your computer when you installed Internet Explorer 4.0, System Agent  was automatically upgraded to Task Scheduler. All tasks previously scheduled by using System Agent were converted to Task Scheduler tasks and appear on your Task Scheduler task list.

Task Scheduler works with Plus! applications in the same way that System Agent did; for example, once you upgrade or compress a drive using DriveSpace 3, Task Scheduler schedules Compression Agent to run at regular intervals, just as System Agent automatically scheduled Compression Agent in the same situation..

Help for System Agent still appears in your Windows 95 Plus! Help file. This Help is no longer valid, because  it applies only to System Agent.

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Using Task Scheduler on Windows NT

If your computer runs Windows NT, you can also use the at command to schedule tasks automatically. (The at command is not available on computers running Windows 95.)

Task Scheduler is not the same as the at command, but the two work together. When you schedule a task by using the at command, it appears in the list of tasks in the Task Scheduler window.

You can use Task Scheduler to modify the properties of a task scheduled by using the at command. However, if you do, you must continue to use Task Scheduler to access the task. You will no longer be able to access it by using the at command.

To specify the user account to be used to run tasks scheduled by the at command, open the Scheduled Tasks folder in My Computer, click the Advanced menu, and then click AT Service Account.

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Scheduling a new task
To schedule a new task

1	Open the Task Scheduler window by clicking My Computer and then clicking the Scheduled Tasks folder.

2	If the Task Scheduler service is not already running, start it by clicking Start Using Task Scheduler from the Advanced menu.

3	On the File menu, point to New, and then click Scheduled Task.

4	Type a name for the task.

5	On the File menu, click Properties.

6	In the Run box, type the path for the task, or click Browse.

7	If the task program requires a working directory, type the path for it in the Working directory box.

You can optionally type a description of the task in the Comments box.

If your computer runs Windows NT, specify in the Run as box the user account under whose authority the task will run, and then click Set Password and type the correct password for the user account you specify.

8	To set up the schedule for the task, click the Schedule tab.

Tips

•	If the task program requires parameters, type them in the Run box, after the task path.

•	If the path to the task program includes spaces, put double quotation marks (“) around the entire task path.

•	Make sure that the system date and time for your computer are accurate. Task Scheduler relies on this information to know when to run scheduled tasks. To check or change the date and time, double-click the time on the taskbar.

•	On computers running Windows NT, when the password of the user account used to run a scheduled task changes, you must update the password by clicking Set password and specifying the new password.

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Removing a task schedule
To remove a task schedule

1	Open the Task Scheduler window by clicking My Computer and then clicking the Scheduled Tasks folder.

2	Right-click the task that you want to remove, and then click Delete.

Tip

•	You can also remove the schedule for the selected task by pressing the DEL key.


Modifying a scheduled task
To modify a scheduled task

1	Open the Task Scheduler window by clicking My Computer and then clicking the Scheduled Tasks folder.

2	Right-click the task you want to modify, and then click Properties.

3	To change the program you want to run, in the Run box, type the path for the task, or click Browse.

To change the schedule for the task, click the Schedule tab.

To customize the settings for the task, click the Settings tab.

Tips

•	On computers running Windows NT, if you change the program being run or the user account used to run it, you must supply the password for the user account.

•	If the task program requires parameters, type them in the Run box, after the task path.

•	If the path to the task program includes spaces, put double quotation marks (“) around the entire task path.

•	Make sure that the system date and time for your computer are accurate. Task Scheduler relies on this information to know when to run scheduled tasks. To check or change the date and time, double-click the time on the taskbar.

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Stopping a scheduled task that is currently running
To stop a scheduled task that is currently running

1	Open the Task Scheduler window by clicking My Computer and then clicking the Scheduled Tasks folder.

2	Right-click the task that you want to stop, and then click End Task.

Tips

•	If a scheduled task starts another program, this command stops only the original scheduled task, not the second task.

•	To restart a task, right-click the task, and then click Run.

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Temporarily turning off all scheduled tasks
To temporarily turn off all scheduled tasks

1	Open the Task Scheduler window by clicking My Computer and then clicking the Scheduled Tasks folder.

2	On the Advanced menu,  click Pause Task Scheduler.

This is useful if you are running another program (such as a game) or installing software, and you don't want scheduled tasks to run at the same time.

Tips

•	When Task Scheduler is paused, the Task Scheduler icon on the taskbar looks like this: .

•	Tasks that would have run while Task Scheduler is paused are not run until their next scheduled time.

•	To resume the schedules for all tasks, click the Advanced menu, and then click Continue Task Scheduler.

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Running a scheduled task immediately
To run a task immediately

1	Open the Task Scheduler window by clicking My Computer and then clicking the Scheduled Tasks folder.

2	Right-click the task you want to start, and then click Run.

Tips

•	You can end the task by clicking the File menu, and then clicking End Scheduled Task.

•	If a task should have run but did not, check the log (by clicking View Log from the Advanced menu) to see why.

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Viewing a Log of Past Scheduled Tasks
To view a log of past scheduled tasks

1	Open the Task Scheduler window by clicking My Computer and then clicking the Scheduled Tasks folder.

2	On the Advanced menu, click View Log.


Turning off Task Scheduler
To turn off Task Scheduler

1	Open the Task Scheduler window by clicking My Computer and then clicking the Scheduled Tasks folder.

2	On the Advanced menu, click Stop Using Task Scheduler.

Note

•	When you turn off Task Scheduler, your scheduled tasks will not run and Task Scheduler will not start automatically the next time you start Windows.

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Starting Task Scheduler
To start Task Scheduler

If your computer runs Windows 95, click the Start button, point to Programs, point to Accessories, point to System Tools, and then click Scheduled Tasks.

If your computer runs Windows NT, click the Start button, point to Programs, point to Accessories, point to Administrative Tools, and then click Scheduled Tasks.

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Running a task repeatedly
To run a task repeatedly

1	Open the Task Scheduler window by clicking My Computer and then clicking the Scheduled Tasks folder.

2	Right-click the task you want to run repeatedly, and then click Properties.

3	Click the Schedule tab, and then click Advanced.

4	Select the Repeat task check box, and then specify the settings you want.

Tip

•	For Help on an item, click  [image]  at the top of the dialog box, and then click the item.

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Running a task when your computer starts
To run a task when your computer starts

1	Open the Task Scheduler window by clicking My Computer and then clicking the Scheduled Tasks folder.

2	Right-click the task you want to run, and then click Properties.

3	Click the Schedule tab, and then click At System Startup in the Schedule Task list.

Tip

•	For Help on an item, click  [image]  at the top of the dialog box, and then click the item.


Running a task when you log on
To run a task when you log on

1	Open the Task Scheduler window by clicking My Computer and then clicking the Scheduled Tasks folder.

2	Right-click the task you want to run, and then click Properties.

3	Click the Schedule tab, and then click At Logon in the Schedule Task list.

Tip

•	For Help on an item, click  [image]  at the top of the dialog box, and then click the item.


Running a task when the computer is idle
To run a task when the computer is idle

1	Open the Task Scheduler window by clicking My Computer and then clicking the Scheduled Tasks folder.

2	Right-click the task you want to run, and then click Properties.

3	Click the Schedule tab, and then click  When idle in the Schedule Task list.

4	Under Schedule Task When Idle, specify how many minutes the computer must be idle before the task starts.

Tips

•	You can schedule a task to run during idle time only on computers running Windows 95.

•	For Help on an item, click  [image]  at the top of the dialog box, and then click the item.


Setting the At Service Account
To set the At service account

1	Open the Task Scheduler window by clicking My Computer and then clicking the Scheduled Tasks folder.

2	On the Advanced menu, click AT Service Account.

3	Click System Account, or click This Account, and then type the user account to be used to run tasks scheduled by using the at command.

4	If you clicked This Account, type the correct password for the account in the Password and Confirm Password boxes.

Tips

•	If you click System Account, the at command tasks are run using the LocalSystem account, which has administrative privilege.

•	The account you specify must have enough privilege to run any tasks you will schedule by using the at command. For example, if you schedule programs that can be run only by administrators, the account you specify must be an administrator account.

•	For Help on an item, click  [image]  at the top of the dialog box, and then click the item.

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Viewing scheduled tasks on a remote computer
To view scheduled tasks on a remote computer

1	Click the Network Neighborhood icon.

2	Click the computer on which you want to view scheduled tasks.

3	Click the Scheduled Tasks folder.

Tips

•	You can view tasks on a remote computer running Windows NT only if you are an administrator on that remote computer.

•	You can edit tasks on a remote computer running Windows 95 only if that remote computer has remote registry software installed and shares the x$ share, where x  is the hard drive on which the Scheduled Tasks folder resides. The computer running Windows 95 must also specifically list your user account as having remote registry access. You can specify which users have remote registry access to a computer running Windows by clicking the Passwords icon in Control Panel.


Help is available for each item in this group. Click  [image]  at the top of the dialog box, and then click the specific item you want information about.


Lists tasks and shows when they are scheduled to run, when they last started, when they last ended, and what the results were.


Displays the name of the scheduled task.


Provides a space for you to type a note or other information about the scheduled task.


Provides a space for you to type the user account for running the scheduled task. If the scheduled task requires administrative-level privilege to run, this account must be have administrator privileges.


Click this to browse through folders to find the file you want to run.


Provides a space for you to type the working directory for the program specified in the Run box.

The working directory is where the program specified in the Run box will look for input files, and place output files.


Provides a space for you to type the path for the file you want to run as a scheduled task.

If the task program requires parameters, type them in the Run box, after the task path.

If the path to the task program includes spaces, put double quotation marks (“) around the entire task path.


Click this to provide the password for the account you specify in the Run as box. You must type the correct password for the account.


Provides a space for you to type your password. Asterisks will appear instead of what you type.


Provides a space for you to type and confirm your password. Asterisks will appear instead of what you type.


Specifies that you want the scheduled task to run at the specified time. This box is checked by default.


Starts the task only after you have not used your keyboard or mouse for the period of time specified. If the task is scheduled to repeat, the first run of the task occurs only if the computer has been idle for the specified period of time. If the first run does not occur because the computer was not idle long enough, no repetitions of the task will occur.


Specifies the number of minutes that must pass without keyboard or mouse use before the task starts.


Stops the scheduled  task if you begin using the computer while the task is running.


Prevents the scheduled task from starting while your computer is running on batteries.

Some programs frequently access your hard disk, which drains the batteries faster. Selecting this check box can extend the life of your batteries.


Stops running the task when your computer starts running on batteries.


Deletes the task file from your computer’s hard drive after  the task has finished running and no more runs of the task are scheduled. This is most useful for tasks you schedule to run only once.


Stops the task after it has been running for the specified amount of time.


Click this to see additional scheduling options.


Click this to see advanced scheduling options.


Specifies a start date for the scheduled task.


Runs the task repeatedly, at the interval specified after Every.


Specifies how often (in minutes or hours) the task should repeat.


Specifies an end date for the scheduled task.


Stops all instances of the task that are still running at the deadline specified by Time or Duration. This option is useful if your tasks don't stop automatically.

If this box is not checked, the task will continue running, even after the deadline. This is useful if, for example, your task takes one hour to run but starts 15 minutes before the deadline. However, if the task does not automatically stop when it has finished running, you might need to stop it.


Shows the current schedule(s) for the task.


Specifies that the repetition of the scheduled task should end at a defined time, or that repetition should last for a certain duration after starting.


Specifies the time at which the scheduled task will stop repeating.


Specifies how long the task will run repeatedly.


Defines how often the task will run.


Specifies the time of day for the task to start, if it is scheduled daily, weekly, monthly, or once.


Click this to set additional scheduling options for the task. For example, you can define start and end dates.


Runs the scheduled task only once, starting at the specified date and time.


Runs the scheduled task daily, starting at the specified date and time. Click the up or down arrow to specify how often you want the task to run.


Specifies how often (in weeks) the task should run. You can select multiple days each week to run the task.


Specifies the day you want the task to start.


Specifies the day you want the task to start. Type a number or click the arrows to set a new day.

If you specify a day between 29 and 31, the task will run only in months that contain that day.


Specifies the month you want the task to start. You can select multiple months to run the task.


Specifies a day of the month to run the task. In the first list, specify whether you want the task to run on the first, second, third, fourth, or last occurrence of a certain weekday during the month. In the second list, click the exact weekday you want.


Specifies how long the computer must be idle before the scheduled task starts.


Click this to create an additional schedule for the current task. This way, you can specify a task to run on multiple schedules (such as on every Monday and on the first day of each month).


Click this to stop the task from running on the selected schedule. The selected schedule is deleted from the list of schedules.


Click this to create a different schedule for the task. Using this feature, you can create multiple schedules.


Click this to delete any of the different schedules you have created for a task.


Click this to view and change the application-specific settings for the scheduled program.