I'm trying to set up a scheduled task to run an application (.exe). The application, if run manually (by double-clicking), would check a folder for new files, process them, and exit.
However, if the application is set up as an "action" in a scheduled task, when you run the scheduled task, all you see is the application starts up and appear as a process in Task Manager, but nothing else really happens. The files in the folder are not processed at all, and the process will be stuck in Task Manager, when it should shut itself down.
Any idea what's going on there? How do I get more details on what might have happened in the background?
The scheduled task is set up to run "whether user is logged on or not", with administrative privileges.
I'm running Windows 7 Professional SP1.
Update:
This is the stack output from Process Explorer:
ntoskrnl.exe!memset+0x61a
ntoskrnl.exe!KeWaitForMultipleObjects+0xd52
ntoskrnl.exe!KeWaitForSingleObject+0x19f
ntoskrnl.exe!__misaligned_access+0xbd0
ntoskrnl.exe!__misaligned_access+0x186d
ntoskrnl.exe!KeWaitForMultipleObjects+0xf5d
ntoskrnl.exe!KeWaitForSingleObject+0x19f
ntoskrnl.exe!NtWaitForSingleObject+0xde
ntoskrnl.exe!KeSynchronizeExecution+0x3a23
wow64cpu.dll!TurboDispatchJumpAddressEnd+0x6c0
wow64cpu.dll!TurboDispatchJumpAddressEnd+0x4a8
wow64.dll!Wow64SystemServiceEx+0x1ce
wow64.dll!Wow64LdrpInitialize+0x42a
ntdll.dll!RtlUniform+0x6e6
ntdll.dll!EtwEventSetInformation+0x1da09
ntdll.dll!LdrInitializeThunk+0xe
ntdll.dll!ZwWaitForSingleObject+0x15
kernel32.dll!WaitForSingleObjectEx+0x43
kernel32.dll!WaitForSingleObject+0x12
jvm.dll!_JVM_FindSignal#4+0x4e1df
jvm.dll!_JVM_FindSignal#4+0x8c1b1
jvm.dll!_JVM_FindSignal#4+0x8c5e6
jvm.dll!_JVM_MonitorWait#16+0xac
there is an option called Start in (optional) while you editing Action. For me that helped, because my app required to have some additional resources and only could access them, when started in correct directory.
Related
I am using the Windows Task Scheduler API to create a timed triggered task. All works fine so far.
But during creation there's no sanity check to verify if the .exe would actually run. For example it would not start if the user-account has no "logon-as-batch" privilege, or the filepath is wrong. This can only be found out when actually starting the task (.exe)
Creating the same in windows own "control schedtasks" UI will immediately report an error if the privilege is missing without the need to run the .exe
Is there a way to do the same with the API?
I don't want to run the .exe for a test, because that would start a lengthly process.
I have a Windows Service written in a managed language (.NET Framework v4.0) that is currently running.
For some reason, I am able to rename the service main executable while the service is running.
I would suspect the file to be locked by Windows while the service is running, but this does not appear the case.
More interestingly, it's still present in the task manager after renaming.
I'm not complaining that this is possible, but I'm wondering why. Anyone have an explanation for this?
Taken from this answer on superuser,
and How can we overwrite EXE files while users are running them?,
executables that are not exclusively locked, can be renamed. The windows service manager obtains a file handle on the service executable, which it keeps open as long as the service runs, and is totally unaffected by a rename. It does not lock the directory entry itself. So the executable can be read by other processes, and the directory entry of the file can be renamed.
Implications:
After the rename, a different version of the file can be placed.
If you, or an automated update process, fail to place the new version, any service that points to that executable will fail to start next time (on restart/reboot)
If the new version has issues, like bugs or missing dependencies, the service may fail to start next time (on restart/reboot)
When you place the new version, but fail to restart the service immediately, then it will become active at any time in the future which is not something admins (and users) like in a production environment.
Recommendations:
Do not rely on this mechanism. Have your update process stop the service. Fail the update when your update process has insufficient permissions to do so. Then replace the executable and all dependencies, and restart the service.
I have created scheduled tasks to run each day at various times in the morning, on 6 different machines, all running Windows 7 x64.
These tasks have largely worked over the last few years, but we have a persisting issue with tasks not triggering at times, and never after a restart.
Without touching the Task Scheduler application at all, restarting the machine will mean that the next time the task is meant to be triggered, it doesn't work.
Running any task manually after the restart appears to avoid the issue.
This issue exists for scheduled batch files and PowerShell scripts.
Is there a specific setting that is needed to keep the task working after a system restart, or is this a known outstanding issue?
The most recent time this happened, we have captured the history:
Error | 27/02/2017 03:15:00 | 101 | Task Start Failed
Information | 27/02/2017 03:15:00 | 107 | Task triggered on Scheduler
Result code for failure: 2147943645
Update 2017-03-01: One machine doesn't work and produces the above error, and another machine shows nothing at all. Clutching at straws about this issue here.
If I tick the box 'Run whether user is logged on or off' The task is invisible. We can't do this. Any other suggestions are welcome!
Update 2017-03-02: Ticking 'Run whether user is logged on or off' is causing no end of issues. None of our Access macros run anymore, and other 3rd party applications called from the batch don't work with numerous permission errors. This is not the solution!
This can occur if the task trigger was set to run One Time when created. It is possible to set a task to "Run as soon as possible after a scheduled start is missed". This will cause the task to re-run after a reboot if the trigger was missed. However, this does not occur if the task is set to run One Time. This behaviour is by design.
You can work around this issue by setting a time and date under the Expire option of the task. This option can be reached by opening the Properties of the task, selecting the Triggers tab, and then clicking the Edit button for the trigger in question. If a date and time are set for the Expire option, the task will attempt to refire on reboot if its previous trigger time was missed.
I suggest you to set the trigger to "At startup". After you rebooted the machine, the task should then be in the "Queued" status. This means it will run at the configured interval.
This issue got resolved by updating 2 options in tasks.
Set task to “Run as soon as possible after a scheduled start is missed” in the settings tab.
Set expiry for task in trigger tab
But if you have multiple jobs like us. updating every job manually is an tedious work.
This PowerShell script I wrote will help you with that.
For me I had to change «for a duration of..» to «Indefinitely» and had to change the «Daily» to «One time»
I have some really strange phenomena appearing on my PC, using Task Schedular.
We created a normal Task which is triggered every morning at 7 o'clock.
The interesting part is, that the history of Task Scheduler says, that it was running successfully.
But it didn't work.
I then created 2 other Scripts.
The first script is starting calc.
The second script creates a folder in c:/Temp
When starting those scripts over Explorer everything is running as expected.
But when running those scripts over task scheduler only the calc is starting and there won't be any folder in c:/Temp.
I already created a policy report, but nothing configured in the category Task Scheduler.
By the way the account configured in the Task Scheduler has local Admin right and run as batch job rights.
Thanks for your help.
Make sure to check any dependent files and permissions:
If permissions or ownership of a file changes that your task managed script depends on or uses (not necessary the one IN YOUR TASK), you need to make sure you re-sync your task to recognize those changes.
(for instance, if you've changed any permissions to C:\Temp but HAVEN'T resaved your Task...)
I've had the steps below fix issues when a script would run fine by itself, but after some change to it or a dependent file, would no longer run properly from Task Scheduler.
1) Open task schedular
2) find and double-click the troubled task like your going to edit it
3) Hit 'Ok'.
4) When prompted, enter credentials to save it. (If your credentials don't work then update them...that is a different problem)
5) try to re-run task from scheduler (r-click -> Run) then see if it works correctly.
NOTE: Just because the task successfully runs does NOT mean your script worked as it should. Check yourself to make sure the log file you want WAS created.
I am writing some integration tests for a C# wrapper round the Window Task Scheduler: Task Scheduler Managed Wrapper
Can someone suggest a suitable dummy application that I can call from the scheduled task. E.g. an app that will run silently. I can then check that it ran OK.
I did think of any empty batch file, but then I would have to ensure it was present on the server running the integration tests, before starting the test.
Well I tried
cmd.exe /c exit
which launches the command window and then closes it down. This seems to work OK. Open to any other suggestions though.