Windows XP in a Nutshell

Name

Scheduled Tasks

Synopsis

Run a program or script at a specified time.

To Open

Control Panel → [Performance and Maintenance] → Scheduled Tasks

Start → Programs → Accessories → System Tools → Scheduled Tasks

Description

The Scheduled Tasks feature is fairly simple, allowing you to schedule any program or WSH script (see Chapter 8) to run at a specified time or interval (see Figure 4-79).

Figure 4-79. Scheduled Tasks lets you run programs at predetermined times or intervals

To create a new scheduled task, open the Scheduled Tasks folder and double-click Add Scheduled Task to start the Scheduled Task Wizard. You’ll then be prompted to choose a program and specify when and how often to run it.

Unfortunately, there’s no way to skip the cumbersome wizard, but you can repeatedly click Next until you reach the last page, where you’ll see an option to open “advanced properties for this task.” The Properties window, also accessible by right-clicking on any existing task and selecting Properties, is a simpler and more straightforward way to configure a task (see Figure 4-80).

The Task tab allows you to specify the command line, the full path and filename of the application, or the script to run. You can also choose the default folder and the user under which to run the program (see Run As, earlier in this chapter).

The Schedule tab lets you choose when and how often to execute the task. Choose ...