NT Task Scheduler Problems
Q: I want have a script I want to run from the NT ‘at’ scheduler. My script works OK when I test it but when run as an ‘at’ job I am told that the network path involved does not exist. What is going wrong.
A: There are several possibilities:
Try using the ‘/interactive’ switch with your ‘at’ command. This may help if memory management problems are affecting your ‘at’ scheduler jobs. Conversely, if you are using the /interactive switch, try taking it out. This may be due to network permission issues and the AT scheduler. Some users have found it necessary to include network logon commands in their command script for the ‘at’ job. A larger issue is that, by default, the schedule service on NT logs on as system account with restricted network access. So when a cmd window is opened (by the AT command) access to network drives may be denied. Solution: If you configure the schedule service not as system service, but rather as one under your own account, which has access to the network drive, you should then have AT access those paths. You can configure this in the services window in the system panel. Also search the MS Knowledge Base for further information on the AT service. Some articles of interest include: Q142432, Q138340, Q130668, Q121562. Your NT/2000 administrator may need to configure your user account with permission to launch the schedule service. Also have the administrator verify that the network permissions for your user account are passed along with permissions to launch the schedule service. This probably happens automatically but run some tests while you have your administrator’s attention.
Q: My problem is similar to the above but it does not seem to be a permission issue with the NT scheduler. Instead Search and Replace seems to simply not complete the scripted task. I sometimes get an error message.
A: We have never seen this first hand but, by report, make sure NT 4 SP6 is fully installed. Then install IE 5.5, which will upgrade to the ‘Task Scheduler’. The ‘at’ command works well for many users but the Task Scheduler does seem to be more reliable overall.