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System: Windows XP Home

Summary: a scheduled task is still being started by Windows, but I can't find it, nor determine where its configuration has been stored.

This is turning into a mystery for me... I set up a Windows XP Home machine to run a task at 7:00 AM, using the Task Manager. This was a clean install, no users defined, so you got straight to the desktop after starting the machine. The filesystem uses NTFS.

Later on, I needed to introduce users, so I created one (named Sam) with administrator privileges. After this I noticed that the scheduled task failed, most likely due to privilege errors (i.e. can't write to a network drive). So I want to delete the old task, and add it again with the correct user credentials. However, I can't find the old task! I know it is still being executed at 7:00 AM, but there's no mention anywhere on the system of this task.

I've looked in c:\windows\tasks for .job files, but there's only the "MP Scheduled Scan.job" from Security Essentials. I've searched the whole disk for mention of the batch file that is being run, but can't find it.

Why is this old task still running, and more importantly, why can't I find it? Would it have something to do with introducing users on XP?

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Use regedit and search the registry for the name (of the batch file, if that's what it was). –  martineau Dec 31 '10 at 18:23
I already did; no result :-( –  JvO Jan 2 '11 at 19:01
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2 Answers

IF I recall correctly (big if), using the AT command does not put an entry in the scheduler. At the command line type:


For help type:

AT /?

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I did not think you could install XP Home with no user accounts set up. Or did I mis interpret. Safe mode is the hidden Admin account in XP Home, maybe you could log into safe mode and find the task.

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