Using Scheduled Tasks in Windows 2000

Using Scheduled Tasks

Using Scheduled Tasks, you can schedule any script, program, or document to run at a time that is most convenient for you. Scheduled Tasks starts each time you start Windows 2000, and runs in the background. Using the Scheduled Task wizard (available by double-clicking Scheduled Tasks in Control Panel, and then double-clicking Add Scheduled Tasks), you can schedule a task to run daily, weekly, or monthly, change the schedule for a task, and customize how a task runs at a scheduled time.

Open Scheduled Tasks in Control Panel.

• To open Task Scheduler, click Start, point to Settings, click Control Panel, and then double-click Scheduled Tasks.
• If you want to configure advanced settings for the task, select the Open advanced properties for this task when I click Finish check box in the final page of the wizard.
• Confirm that the system date and time on your computer are accurate, as Task Scheduler relies on this information to run scheduled tasks. To verify or change this information, double-click the time indicator on the taskbar.

To schedule a new task

1. Open Task Scheduler
2. Double-click Add Scheduled Task.
3. Follow the instructions in the Scheduled Task wizard.

To modify a scheduled task

1. Open Task Scheduler
2. Right-click the task you want to modify, and then click Properties.
3. Do one or more of the following:
   • To change the program being run, in Run, type the path for the new program.
   • To change the schedule for the task, click the Schedule tab.
   • To customize the settings for the task, click the Settings tab.
   • To set security for the task, click the Security tab.

An Example of a Scheduler Setup

• To open Task Scheduler, click Start, point to Settings, click Control Panel, and then double-click Scheduled Tasks.
• If you change the user account or the program that is being run, you must supply the password for the user account.
• If the task program requires command-line options, type them in Run, after the task path.
• If the path to the task program includes spaces, type double quotation marks (“”) around the entire task path. For example:

  “C:\Program Files\Windows Media Player\Mplayer2.exe”

• Confirm that the system date and time on your computer are accurate, as Task Scheduler relies on this information to run scheduled tasks. To verify or change this information, double-click the time indicator on the taskbar.

To remove a scheduled task

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

To pause Task Scheduler

1. Open Task Scheduler
2. On the Advanced menu, click Pause Task Scheduler.
3. The Pause Task Scheduler command is useful if you do not want scheduled tasks to run at the same time you are installing software or running another program (such as a game).
4. Tasks that are scheduled to run while Task Scheduler is paused are not run until their next scheduled time.
5. To resume the schedules for all tasks, on the Advanced menu, click Continue Task Scheduler.

To stop a scheduled task that is running

1. Open Task Scheduler
2. Right-click the task that you want to stop, and then click End Task.
3. If a scheduled task is started and then stopped, End Task does not stop all other programs that the scheduled task may have started.
4. If you stop a scheduled task that is currently running, you may experience a delay (up to 3 minutes) before the task shuts down.
5. To restart a stopped task, right-click the task, and then click Run.

To receive notification of missed tasks

1. Open Task Scheduler
2. On the Advanced menu, click Notify Me of Missed Tasks.
3. A check mark next to Notify Me of Missed Tasks indicates that the service is turned on. You can click Notify Me of Missed Tasks again to clear the check mark and turn off the service.
4. You must be a member of the Administrators group to set this option.

To view a log of past scheduled tasks

1. Open Task Scheduler
2. On the Advanced menu, click View Log.
3. The default log file for Task Scheduler is stored in the \Winnt folder and is named SchedLog.txt
4. The default log file size is 32 kilobytes.
5. When the log file reaches its maximum size, it automatically starts recording new information at the beginning of the log file and writes over old log file information.

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