Can't schedule tasks to run in future, in Vista Home Premium

Discussion in 'Windows Vista Security' started by David Walker, May 26, 2009.

  1. David Walker

    David Walker Guest

    Well, I have read all of the search-engine hits I can find, and they all
    seem to point to the fact that you can't run scheduled tasks in Vista
    Home Premium using a regular username even when you supply the correct

    Vista forgets the password and gives the error "2147943726 (Logon
    failure: unknown user name or bad password)" whenever it tries to run a
    scheduled task (scheduled at the same time every day) after the computer
    is rebooted.

    I have read but I don't know
    exactly what it means -- does it mean that users with Vista Home Premium
    can't schedule tasks to run in the future? The title is "Windows Vista
    Home Basic, Windows Vista Home Premium, and Windows Vista Starter save
    user credentials only for the current session". This article doesn't
    have much context.

    For my task -- a backup program to a network disk -- I can't use the "Do
    resources" checkbox, since the task needs access to the network disk.

    And the "run with highest privileges" checkbox doesn't have any effect.
    I still get the "Logon failure" message when the task tries to run after
    I reboot.

    I have read the articles at
    us/appcompat/aa906020.aspx and at
    us/library/bb756979.aspx, which both say that the Vista task scheduler is
    wonderful and will do everything for you. Apparently this isn't the case
    in Vista Home Premium if you want to use a regular user logon ID.

    None of the discussions I have found by searching the 'net actually have
    a solution. (Many of the answers are people making guesses like "make
    sure the password is correct" or "set the task to run at startup" (which
    is not what I want) or to use the "run only when user is logged on"
    checkbox (which doesn't solve the issue of how to run a task when you're
    NOT logged on), or to go to the Group Policy editor and change some
    settings... of course, Vista Home Premium doesn't even have the group
    policy editor! Not to be ungrateful, but none of those actually address
    the problem that Vista Home Premium can't seem to run scheduled tasks
    after a reboot.)

    Questions: Is this a known issue? Is this "Working as designed", in
    spite of the technet article and the MSDN article? I have installed all
    current Microsoft updates to Vista Home Premium, as of 5/25/2009.

    Thanks for any pointers.

    David Walker
    David Walker, May 26, 2009
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  2. David Walker

    H Brown Guest

    Hi David
    I want you to digest all the information from the linked page I will provide
    below. Be sure and read carefully to keep from missing the "only if", "must
    be", "You will have to", "You cannot", "you must", etc, etc. Wording that we
    some times miss when reading to fast. You will have to read it right in
    order for things to go right. Be sure and read the other information that is
    linked to other pages and other sites from that page..
    Task Scheduler - Create Task
    How to Create a Task in Vista Task Scheduler
    Published by Brink

    Snips from the above linked page
    "You can also set a condition that tells the task to wake the computer
    from sleep mode to run the task when the trigger is activated. Before you
    set the condition to wake the computer to run the task, ensure that the task
    will not cause the computer to wake at inconvenient times".

    "C) Under the Network section -
    NOTE: You can set a condition to run the task only if a specific named
    network connection is available or if any network connection is available
    when the task's trigger is activated. If your task action requires a network
    connection to execute, then set this condition".
    NOTE: By default, a task runs within the security context of the user who
    scheduled the task and only runs if that user is logged on when the task is

    I snipped one tread from the discussion from the below link.
    Event ID: 101
    OP Code: 6619136
    Error Value: 2147943726

    Possible Solution:
    If RUN Whether User is Logged on or not option is used
    Check the box on Do Not Store Password
    Check Run at Highest Privileges
    Make sure you got sufficient Admin rights for what your tasking.

    I came across this solution on one of the backup
    vista forums.
    I'll post it if I can find it again. I am sure you can research on the
    consequences of selecting Do Not Store Password on your own, but my
    understanding is YOU CAN'T Task Schedule network CPUs if this option IS
    end snip

    Hope it helps

    H Brown
    H Brown, May 26, 2009
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  3. David Walker

    David Walker Guest

    Thanks for the info.

    As for starting the task ONLY if the network connection is available, I
    know that network disks sometimes go away and come back. Windows will
    atuomatically reconnect the network disk when the user tries to use it
    (assuming the correct permissions, which are there). So, I didn't really
    consider that the availability of the network disk should be considered in
    the stage of checking whether to start the task. It sure sounds like, if
    the network connection is temporarily missing, the task won't be started.
    That's not what I want. I want the task to be started anyway, and then
    Windows should re-establish the network connection when it is referenced.

    Besides, the task is failing with "unknown user name or bad password". So,
    it sounds like the task isn't properly getting started.

    As for the "solution": If RUN Whether User is Logged on or not option is
    used, then Check the box on Do Not Store Password, well, that's no solution
    at all! That means that Vista Home Premium is NOT CAPABLE of running a
    task if the user is not logged on, IF the task needs any network resources.
    That doesn't sound like what the TechNet or MSDN articles say -- they claim
    that the user can be logged on by the Vista Task Scheduler and the task
    should run. I have supplied the user's logon password to Task Manager,
    after all.

    I can't check the "Do No Store Pasword" checkbox becase, as the screen
    says, and I have verified this, the user will not be able to get to the
    network disks then.

    I have read everything in the linked tutorial -- much of it does NOT apply,
    but I read it all anyway. I want the task to start at a given time every
    day, and that is not happening: After I reboot, Vista says the user name
    or password is unknown.

    What is weird is, the user name and password are not "unknown" until after
    the reboot. That sure sounds like something is broken in Vista, or in the
    Task Manager, rather than pointing to ME setting up something wrong when I
    create the task.

    If it works correctly before a reboot, why should it fail with "Unknown
    user name or bad password" after a reboot?

    David Walker
    David Walker, May 26, 2009
  4. David Walker

    H Brown Guest

    Hi David
    I am cross posting your issue to I
    feel that some of the experts there can give much better help.
    In the mean time read the below information.

    Manage or Create a Task on a Remote Computer

    Troubleshooting Task Scheduler

    For what your wanting to do ,you will have to do from *within* an
    Administrator account.

    H Brown

    H Brown, May 26, 2009
  5. David Walker

    David Walker Guest

    Thanks. Yes, I am running within an Administrator account.

    Let's hope someone can help. I posted it here because it seemed like a
    "forgetting password" issue. I am also confused how this issue has
    caused so many people confusion for so long (as evidenced by the number
    of posts all over the 'net, complaining about it).

    I'm not trying to manage or create a task on a remote computer, so the
    first link doesn't help much. The second one has a link to the topic
    "Task Security Context" at
    us/library/cc722152.aspx which looks more useful, so I will check that
    one carefully.

    Thanks for the help.

    David Walker
    David Walker, May 26, 2009
  6. David Walker

    H Brown Guest

    Maybe it would be a good idea to post and spell out what it is exactly you
    are trying/wanting to accomplish.
    What you have been doing to try and accomplish it. I feel its some setting
    you are missing or over looking.
    Have you tried to set other task up that are working correctly? Have you
    disabled any task that are set as defaults in Vista? Changed any other
    In other words if setting up task has worked before what has been changed
    since then.

    Give everybody here some information on your setup along with which edition
    of Vista you use. Example: ((Vista Home Premium Sp1), up to date with all
    important /critical patches etc.))

    H Brown
    H Brown, May 27, 2009
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