Using Task Scheduler CHAPTER 21 1003 <IdleSettings> <Duration>PT10M</Duration> <WaitTimeout>PT1H</WaitTimeout> <StopOnIdleEnd>true</StopOnIdleEnd> <RestartOnIdle>false</RestartOnIdle> </IdleSettings> <MultipleInstancesPolicy>IgnoreNew</MultipleInstancesPolicy> <DisallowStartIfOnBatteries>true</DisallowStartIfOnBatteries> <StopIfGoingOnBatteries>true</StopIfGoingOnBatteries> <AllowHardTerminate>true</AllowHardTerminate> <StartWhenAvailable>false</StartWhenAvailable> <RunOnlyIfNetworkAvailable>false</RunOnlyIfNetworkAvailable> <AllowStartOnDemand>true</AllowStartOnDemand> <Enabled>true</Enabled> <Hidden>false</Hidden> <RunOnlyIfIdle>false</RunOnlyIfIdle> <WakeToRun>false</WakeToRun> <Priority>7</Priority> </Settings> <Actions Context="Author"> <Exec> <Command>C:\Windows\System32\calc.exe</Command> </Exec> </Actions> </Task> Importing Tasks Tasks that have been exported can also be easily imported to another computer or the same computer. To import a task, follow these steps: 1. Right-click a task folder under the Task Scheduler Library and then select Import Task, or select Import Task in the Action pane. 2. Browse to where the .xml file is located and click Open. The task will be automatically imported into the library using the settings contained in the .xml file. note To ensure that the task runs properly, it is recommended that you verify the prop- erties of the task after you import it. Please purchase PDF Split-Merge on www.verypdf.com to remove this watermark. CHAPTER 21 Maintaining Desktop Health 1004 Using SchTasks.exe for Creating and Managing Tasks This section describes the SchTasks.exe command-line syntax and parameters. The Schtasks.exe command-line interface utility allows an administrator to create, delete, query, change, run, and end scheduled tasks on a local or remote system through the command shell. Command Syntax The SchTasks.exe command interface uses the following syntax: SCHTASKS /<parameter> [arguments] Command Parameters The available parameters for SchTasks.exe are as follows: n /Create Creates a new scheduled task n /Delete Deletes the scheduled task(s) n /Query Displays all scheduled tasks n /Change Changes the properties of the scheduled task n /Run Runs the scheduled task immediately n /End Stops the currently running scheduled task n /? Displays a help message Creating Tasks The general syntax for Schtasks.exe is as follows: SCHTASKS /Create [/S system [/U <username> [/P [<password>]]]] [/RU <username> [/RP <password>]] /SC schedule [/MO <modifier>] [/D <day>] [/M <months>] [/I <idletime>] /TN <taskname> /TR <taskrun> [/ST <starttime>] [/RI <interval>] [ {/ET <endtime> | /DU <duration>} [/K] [/XML <xmlfile>] [/V1]] [/SD <startdate>] [/ED <enddate>] [/IT] [/Z] [/F] The following is an example command. SCHTASKS /Create /S system /U user /P password /RU runasuser /RP runaspassword /SC HOURLY /TN rtest1 /TR notepad Deleting Tasks The general syntax for deleting a task is as follows: SCHTASKS /Delete [/S <system> [/U <username> [/P [<password>]]]] /TN <taskname> [/F] Please purchase PDF Split-Merge on www.verypdf.com to remove this watermark. Using Task Scheduler CHAPTER 21 1005 The following is an example command. SCHTASKS /Delete /TN "Backup and Restore” Running Tasks The general syntax for running a task is as follows: SCHTASKS /Run [/S <system> [/U <username> [/P [<password>]]]] /TN <taskname> The following is an example command. SCHTASKS /Run /TN "Start Backup" Ending Tasks The general syntax for ending a task is as follows: SCHTASKS /End [/S <system> [/U <username> [/P [<password>]]]] /TN <taskname> The following is an example command. SCHTASKS /End /TN "Start Backup" Querying Tasks The general syntax for querying a task is as follows: SCHTASKS /Query [/S <system> [/U <username> [/P [<password>]]]] [/FO <format>] [/NH] [/V] [/?] The following is an example command. SCHTASKS /Query /S system /U user /P password SCHTASKS /Query /FO LIST /V Changing Tasks The general syntax for changing a task is as follows: SCHTASKS /Change [/S <system> [/U <username> [/P [<password>]]]] /TN <taskname> { [/RU <runasuser>] [/RP <runaspassword>] [/TR <taskrun>] [/ST <starttime>] [/RI <interval>] [ {/ET <endtime> | /DU <duration>} [/K]] [/SD <startdate>] [/ED <enddate>] [/ENABLE | /DISABLE] [/IT] [/Z] } The following is an example command. SCHTASKS /Change /RP password /TN "Backup and Restore" Please purchase PDF Split-Merge on www.verypdf.com to remove this watermark. CHAPTER 21 Maintaining Desktop Health 1006 Task Scheduler Events In Windows Server 2003 and earlier versions, scheduled tasks used a Schedlgu.txt log file to track tasks and their status. Windows Vista implements all new event logs for applications, and Task Scheduler now logs all operational information about scheduled tasks into its own event log. The Scheduled Tasks event log Microsoft-Windows-TaskScheduler is located under Application Logs. Important errors or warnings about task or service failures are logged to the System log so that administrators can readily see them and take action. Task Scheduler 2.0 will normally log an event on task registration (at creation), at task launch, and when the task instance has been sent to the engine. Events will also be logged on task failures and any task-related problems. This section provides examples of typical events that are logged by the Scheduled Tasks service. Task Registration An Event ID 106 is logged when a task is created. This event is also referred to as task registration. Task Launch Tasks can be started by either a user request or a trigger. An Event ID 110 is normally logged when a user manually starts a task. An Event ID 107 is normally logged when a task is started as the result of a trigger. Task Execution An Event ID 319 indicates that the Task Engine received a message from the Task Scheduler service requesting task launch, and it is the best indicator of a task launch. In these events, the Task Engine is identified by the user SID, and the task name is also logged. Task Completion An Event ID 102 is normally logged when a task completes successfully. Troubleshooting Task Scheduler Task or service failures are logged to the system event log. It is important to note that the events will vary and will be based on what failed. A user will see different events based on whether a task failed to start or if the task started successfully but the action failed. The key to troubleshooting Task Scheduler is understanding specifically where the failure occurred in the process. A task is defined as an action, the trigger for the action, the conditions under which the task will run, and additional settings. The event log will show whether the failure is in the trigger, the task action, the conditions, or the settings of the task. Please purchase PDF Split-Merge on www.verypdf.com to remove this watermark. Using Task Scheduler CHAPTER 21 1007 Tasks Won’t Run If the Service Is Not Started If you are having problems scheduling tasks or getting tasks to run correctly, first ensure that the Task Scheduler service is running. You can run Services.msc to verify that the Task Scheduler service status is Started. The Task Did Not Run at the Expected Time If a scheduled task does not run when you expect it to run, ensure that the task is enabled and also check the triggers on the task to ensure that they are set correctly. Also, check the history of the task, as shown in Figure 21-18, to see when the task was started and to check for errors. FIGURE 21-18 Task Scheduler History Tab The Task Will Run Only If All Conditions Are Met You can set task conditions on the Conditions tab of the Task Properties dialog box. If condi- tions are not met or are set up incorrectly, the task will not execute. Please purchase PDF Split-Merge on www.verypdf.com to remove this watermark. CHAPTER 21 Maintaining Desktop Health 1008 The Task Will Run Only When a Certain User Is Logged On If a scheduled task does not run when you expect it to run, review the Security Options set- tings in the Task Properties dialog box on the General tab. The Task Executed a Program But the Program Did Not Run Correctly If a task attempts to execute a program, but the program does not run correctly, first try run- ning the program manually (not from a task) to ensure that the program works correctly. You may need to add arguments to the program command or define the Start In path using the Add Arguments and Start In optional fields. The Task Failed to Start An Event ID 101 is normally logged when a task fails to start. In these events, the result code is also displayed. For more information about result and return codes, see the section titled “Interpreting Result and Return Codes” later in this chapter. The Task Action Failed to Execute When a task starts but the action configured for the task fails to execute, an Event ID 103 or an Event ID 203 is normally logged. These events also display the return code. For more infor- mation about result and return codes, see the section titled “Interpreting Result and Return Codes” later in this chapter. The Program Specified in the Task Requires Elevated Privileges If a task is running a program that requires elevated privileges, ensure that the task runs with the highest privileges. You can set a task to run with the highest privileges by changing the task’s security options on the General tab of the Task Properties dialog box. Interpreting Result and Return Codes To interpret return codes, you can use a tool such as Err.exe, which you can obtain from the Microsoft Download Center. Err.exe parses source-code header files until it finds a match for the error. In this regard, the Scheduled Tasks service in Windows Vista still functions quite similarly to previous versions of Windows. Return codes from events that occur internally are always translated into hresult code. For example, the logon failed event will contain a result code that can be interpreted as a hresult. Task handler tasks also return result codes that you can interpret using the same tools. However, when an executable is started and fails for an unknown reason, you have no way of knowing what the result code might mean. The hresult logged in the event log will typically indicate the value returned to the service from the executable itself, and additional research and documentation may be required for accurately interpreting the code. Please purchase PDF Split-Merge on www.verypdf.com to remove this watermark. Understanding the Windows System Assessment Tool CHAPTER 21 1009 note You can download Err.exe from the Microsoft Download Center at http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=be596899-7bb8-4208-b7fc- 09e02a13696c. Although this tool is called the Microsoft Exchange Server Error Code Look- up tool, it actually looks up any Windows operating system error codes. Understanding the Windows System Assessment Tool You can use the Windows System Assessment Tool (WinSAT) to assess the features and capa- bilities of a Windows PC. If the WinSAT scores have not been pre-populated by the original equipment manufacturer (OEM), then WinSAT will run the following tests: 1. The DWM test during initial install or Out-of-Box Experience (OOBE), to provide the Desktop Window Manager (DWM) with the video memory bandwidth data used in determining whether Aero can run on a system. 2. The remaining tests on system idle (as an idle task, to be kicked off by the Task Sched- uler when the computer is not busy). In addition, WinSAT checks once a week whether new hardware has been installed on this machine. If new hardware was installed and the current ratings are outdated, then WinSAT will run on idle to update the ratings. WinSAT can also be run on demand, when the Re-run The Assessment option is selected in the Performance Information And Tools Control Panel item. diReCt FRoM tHe SoURCe WinSAT Data Files CSS Global Technical Readiness (GTR) Team A dvanced users may want more information regarding the Windows Experience Index and system performance than is available in the Performance Informa- tion And Tools Control Panel item. The underlying technology that supports the Windows Experience Index is the WinSAT. This tool stores the 10 most recent assess- ments in a data store folder located at: %WinDir%\Performance\WinSAT\DataStore The data store consists of XML files that contain information regarding each assessment. These XML files contain details regarding system performance and the Windows Experience Index. The files are named by the date and time the assessments ran. Please purchase PDF Split-Merge on www.verypdf.com to remove this watermark. CHAPTER 21 Maintaining Desktop Health 1010 Understanding WinSAT Assessment Tests WinSAT performs a variety of assessment tests on the hardware of a computer. These assess- ment tests include: n cpu Measures the computation ability of the processor. n d3d The Direct3D (D3D) assessment is targeted at assessing a system’s ability to run 3D graphics; both business graphics and games. n disk Measures the performance of disk drives for sequential and random reads, and for mixed read-write workloads. n dwm The DWM assessment is targeted at assessing a system’s ability to run a Windows–composited desktop, usually referred to as Aero Glass. Note that these are names of Aero themes. You can run this assessment only on computers with Windows Display Driver Model (WDDM) video drivers. n features Enumerates relevant system information. This assessment is automatically run once for each invocation of WinSAT. n formal Runs the full set of assessments and saves the results in the xml format needed to populate the Windows Experience Index score and subscores in the Performance Information And Tools Control Panel item. n media Measures the performance of video encoding and decoding. n mem Runs system memory bandwidth tests. This is intended to be reflective of large memory-to-memory buffer copies, like those used in multimedia processing (video, graphics, imaging, and so on). n mfmedia Runs the Media Foundation–based assessment. Examining the WinSAT Features Assessment WinSAT automatically runs the Features assessment each time WinSAT runs, to gather the system information listed. This assessment enumerates system information relevant to the assessments, including: n An optional globally unique identifier (GUID) if the –iguid command-line switch is used. This ensures that each XML file has a unique identifier. n The iteration value from the –iter N command-line switch. n The number of processors, cores, and CPUs. n The presence of CPU threading technology. n x64 capability. n The processor signature. n The size and other characteristics of the processor’s L1 and L2 caches. n The presence of MMX, SSE, and SSE2 instructions. n Information on the memory subsystem. (Note that this is very system-dependent: Some systems will produce good detail here; others will not.) Please purchase PDF Split-Merge on www.verypdf.com to remove this watermark. Understanding the Windows System Assessment Tool CHAPTER 21 1011 n Graphics memory. n Graphics resolution. n Graphics refresh rate. n Graphics names and device IDs. Running WinSAT from the Command Line Although in most cases, WinSAT will not need to be executed manually from a command prompt, the general format of the command line is as follows. winsat <assessment_name> <assessment_parameters> The WinSAT command-line options are not case sensitive. The command line does not require a dash or forward slash for the assessment name, but it does support either a lead- ing dash (–) or a leading forward-slash (/) character to designate an assessment parameter. WinSAT can be run from a command shell with administrative privileges. An error may be reported if any options or switches are not supported. The WinSAT tool also supports several command-line switches in addition to the assess- ment parameters. These are parsed by WinSAT before it passes control to one or more of the assessments. Some of these parameters are also supported by one or more assessments. The command-line parameters recognized by WinSAT include: n –csv This causes WinSAT to save the top-level measured metrics to a Comma- Separated Value (CSV) file. n –help or ? Displays the help content. n –idiskinfo Information on the disk subsystem (logical volumes and physical disks) is not normally saved as part of the <SystemConfig> section in the XML output. n –iguid Generates a GUID in the XML output file. Note that this is not valid with the formal assessment. n –iter N Includes the iteration number <n> in the XML output file. n –v This specifies that WinSAT should produce verbose output. This output includes progress and status information, and possibly error information. The default is for no verbose output. This switch is passed to all of the specified assessments. n –xml file_name This specifies that the XML output from the assessment is to be saved in the specified file name. All assessments support the –xml command-line switch; a pre-existing file with the same name will be overwritten. Understanding WinSAT Command Exit Values WinSAT provides the following command exit values: n 0 All requested assessments were completed successfully. n 1 One or more assessments did not complete because of an error. Please purchase PDF Split-Merge on www.verypdf.com to remove this watermark. CHAPTER 21 Maintaining Desktop Health 1012 n 2 One or more assessments did not complete because of interference. n 3 WinSAT was canceled by the user. n 4 The command given to WinSAT was invalid. n 5 WinSAT did not run with administrator privileges. n 6 Another instance of WinSAT is already running. n 7 WinSAT cannot run individual assessments (for example, D3D or DWM) on Remote Desktop server. n 8 WinSAT cannot run a formal assessment on batteries. n 9 WinSAT cannot run a formal assessment on Remote Desktop server. n 10 No multimedia support was detected, so the WinSAT tests could not be run. n 11 This version of WinSAT cannot run on Windows XP. n 12 The WinSAT watchdog timer timed out, indicating something is causing the tests to run unusually slowly. n 13 Can’t run a formal assessment on a Virtual Machine. diReCt FRoM tHe SoURCe When Does WinSAT Run? Server Performance Group Windows Fundamentals I n Windows Vista, all WinSAT tests were run during OOBE (the first-run install or out-of-box experience) in order to ensure that all systems had detailed ratings, but it took time (about 3-5 minutes). In Windows 7, we’ve made the OOBE experience faster; only the DWM WinSAT test needs to run during OOBE. That test provides the video bandwidth data used by the DWM to determine whether Aero can be turned on. The remaining WinSAT tests (other than the DWM test) run as idle tasks. After the initial scores are populated, WinSAT checks weekly to see whether hardware has changed sufficiently that the tests should be re-run. Customers can also choose to manually re-rate the system at any time using Performance Infor- mation And Tools in Control Panel. By default, WinSAT tracks the history of scores on a machine. If the hardware components have not changed, the highest score is maintained. This prevents temporary minor fluctuations in scoring; for example, if someone re-ran the assessment while a complex application was also running and competing for resources. To re-rate a system from scratch without taking history into account, Performance Information And Tools has an Advanced Tools option to “Clear all Windows Experience Index scores and re-rate the system.” Please purchase PDF Split-Merge on www.verypdf.com to remove this watermark. [...]... supported, however—for example, if a file transfer is initiated from a Windows XP or Windows Vista computer, Windows 7 will accept the transfer For information on interoperability between the Windows XP, Windows Vista, and Windows 7 versions of Remote Assistance, see the section titled “Interoperability with Remote Assistance in Windows XP” later in this chapter Understanding Remote Assistance  Chapter... executable (Msra.exe) Remote Assistance in Windows 7 and Windows Vista deprecates the following features that were available on Windows XP: n No more support for the MAILTO method of solicited Remote Assistance n No more support for voice sessions In addition, Remote Assistance in Windows 7 has deprecated the file transfer feature that was available in Windows XP and Windows Vista Compatibility with earlier... SMAPI-compliant e-mail clients include Windows Mail, which is included in Windows Vista, and Microsoft Office Outlook 20 07 Windows 7 does not have a built-in e-mail SMAPI-compliant client, but you can install Windows Live Mail, which is available for download as part of the Windows Live Essentials suite of applications (at http://get.live.com) Web-based e-mail services, such as Windows Live Hotmail, are not... 1035 n Implementing and Managing Remote Assistance  1052 n Summary  1 078 n Additional Resources  1 078 R emote Assistance (RA) in Windows Vista included improvements in connectivity, performance, usability, and security along with feature enhancements that make it even more useful than Remote Assistance in Windows XP was The Windows 7 operating system builds on these earlier improvements with Easy Connect,... PDF Split-Merge on www.verypdf.com to remove this watermark Improvements to Remote Assistance in Windows 7 As mentioned previously, Remote Assistance in Windows 7 builds on the many enhancements introduced earlier for this feature in Windows Vista These earlier enhancements improved upon the earlier Windows XP implementation of Remote Assistance and included the following: n Connectivity improvements... for monitoring and maintaining desktop health of Windows 7 computers Using these tools, users can monitor event logs, manage tasks, monitor reliability, obtain performance information for their systems, configure WER, and perform other tasks that can help maintain the health of computers running Windows 7 in your organization Additional Resources These resources contain additional information and tools... information on how to use Performance Monitor in Windows 7, see http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc749249.aspx n For more information concerning the Windows Performance Analysis Tools, see http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/performance/cc825801.aspx n For more information concerning Wevtutil.exe, see http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us /library/cc732848.aspx n For more information on how to manage... Source WER and SCOM 20 07 Dhananjay Mahajan, Senior Program Manager Enterprise Management Division A ll versions of Windows have a service called WER, which uses the WER client (on Windows Vista or later) or the Watson client (on earlier versions of Windows) to gather information about application and operating system crash WER then forwards the crashes to Microsoft for analysis SCOM 20 07 allows WER to first... uploaded behind-the-scenes Step 7: If a response is available from Microsoft, a notification is shown to the user Figure 21-20  Watson Feedback Platform flow diagram A significant improvement of WER in Windows Vista and later versions is the concept of queuing In Windows XP, WER reports could be sent only at the time the event occurred, with few exceptions Beginning with Windows Vista, WER provides a... architecture where users, administrators, and WER integrators can determine the queuing behavior of their WER events Understanding Windows Error Reporting  Chapter 21 Please purchase PDF Split-Merge on www.verypdf.com to remove this watermark 10 17 During the OOBE phase of installing Windows 7, the user can choose whether WER should automatically send basic problem reports to Microsoft Basic problem reports include . technology comes out. For example, in Windows Vista, the maximum score was 5.9, while in Windows 7, the maximum score is 7. 9. Each of the subscores also has. remove this watermark. Understanding Windows Error Reporting CHAPTER 21 10 17 Understanding Windows Error Reporting Windows Error Reporting (WER) is the