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Tip: Use SchTasks.exe to Create and Manage Tasks

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. Here’s an overview of its syntax and parameters.

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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:

  • /Create Creates a new scheduled task
  • /Delete Deletes the scheduled task(s)
  • /Query Displays all scheduled tasks
  • /Change Changes the properties of the scheduled task
  • /Run Runs the scheduled task immediately
  • /End Stops the currently running scheduled task
  • /? 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]

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"

From the Microsoft Press book The Windows 7 Resource Kit by Mitch Tulloch, Tony Northrup, Jerry Honeycutt, Ed Wilson, and the Windows 7 Team at Microsoft.

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