PC MAINTENANCE FOR WINDOWS 98/2000: A Simple Guide to Scheduling a Task Within Task Scheduler

Task Scheduler Overview

By using Task Scheduler, you can schedule tasks (such as Scan Disk and Disk Defragmenter) to run at a time that is most convenient for you. Task Scheduler starts each time you start Windows and runs in the background.

With Task Scheduler, you can:

·         Schedule a task to run daily, weekly, monthly, or at certain times (such as system startup).

·         Change the schedule for a task.

·         Stop a scheduled task.

·         Customize how a task runs at a scheduled time.

Task Scheduler is available in Windows 95 Plus! Pack, Windows 98, and Windows 2000.

SUMMARY

This step-by-step guide describes how to schedule a program to automatically start at a pre-determined interval.

Schedule the Task

1. For Windows 2000, click Start , point to Settings , click Control Panel , and then double-click Scheduled Tasks .  For Windows 95 Plus! Pack, and Windows 98 double-click My Computer, and then double-click Scheduled Tasks.
   
   
2. Double-click Add Scheduled Task , and then click Next .
   
   
3. A list of programs that are available on your computer are displayed. If the program you want to schedule is in this list, click it, and then click Next . Several recommended programs to run in Task Scheduler are Scandisk, Disk Cleanup, and Defrag (Windows 95\98 only).  If the program you want to run is not in this list, click Browse to locate the program, click the program, and then click Open .
   
   
4. When you receive a suggested name for the task, you can either accept the default name or type another name. Click the interval you want to use for this task (daily, weekly, monthly, one time only, and so on). It is recommended that Scandisk, Disk Cleanup, and Defrag be run weekly during a time when your computer is on but is not in use.  Click Next .
   
   
5. For Windows 2000, it will prompt you to enter a username and password.  It should default to your login id.  If so, leave that as is and leave the password field blank.  If not, type in your user name in the format domain\user where domain is LSUMC-MASTER and user is your userid. Click Next .
   
   
6. Click on ‘Open Advanced Properties when I Click Finish’. , then click the Schedule tab and click ‘Stop the Task if it Runs more Than 2 Hours’.  For Windows 95 Plus! Pack and Windows 98, click the Settings tab.  For ScanDisk:  At the Scheduled Settings for Scan Disk window, select Thorough for the type of test and Automatically fix errors.  Click Options.  Under the Surface Scan Options, select system and data areas, then ‘OK’.  For Defrag: At the Scheduled Settings for Disk Defragmenter, select all hard drives for the drive that you want to defragment.  As for the defragmentation method, select full defragmentation (both files and free space) and unselect ‘defragment the drive only if it is more than x% fragmented’.  Click ‘OK’. 

7. Click Finish to schedule the task, and then verify that the task appears in the Scheduled Tasks window.
   
   

Modifying the Scheduled Task

1. Start 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.

Important !    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.

Removing a Scheduled Task

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

Stopping a Scheduled Task that is Running

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

Running a Task Immediately

1. Start Task Scheduler.
2. Right-click the task that you want to start, and then click Run.

Important !  You can stop the task by clicking End Task on the File menu. If a task should have run but did not, on the Advanced menu, click View Log to examine the task log.

Troubleshooting Task Scheduler

If a task you schedule does not run when you expect it to, right-click the task, and then click Properties. On the Task tab, verify that the Enabled check box is selected. On the Schedule tab, verify that the schedule is set correctly.

For Windows 2000, the Task Scheduler logs on as the Local System account by default. In some cases, this account may not have the appropriate permissions to perform the scheduled task. Because of this, you must specify an account in the Scheduled Task Wizard. Verify that the account you specify in the wizard has sufficient rights to perform the task you are scheduling by logging on as that user and supplying the correct password.